A 1978 thriller accidentally supercharges a conspiracy – and a Hollywood icon’s life spirals into a true-crime saga. We explore Peter Hyams’ Capricorn One – why it resonated with audiences, why Buzz Aldrin disapproved, and how moon-hoax theories grew from fringe chatter to mainstream mania. Then we trace the 2001 murder of Bonny Lee Bakley – and actor Robert Blake’s criminal trial.
What you’ll learn
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How Capricorn One rode the 1970s conspiracy-film wave and how it was saved by Superman.
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Why some viewers treated the film like a “how-to” for a moon hoax – and what actually happened to NASA’s high-quality first-generation Apollo 11 tapes.
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Peter Hyams’ original “could TV be faked?” spark from his news-anchor days.
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The Blake/Bakley case in plain English: timeline, verdicts, the prenup dispute, and where their daughter Rose ultimately landed.
Key people & works mentioned
Peter Hyams; Elliot Gould; James Brolin; Sam Waterston; Brenda Vaccaro; Hal Holbrook; Karen Black; Telly Savalas; O. J. Simpson; Buzz Aldrin; Robert Blake; Bonny Lee Bakley; Christian Brando.