There's been one event in this whole twisted story that's been on my mind of late. Could it be possible that this whole tragedy was set in motion by something as simple as 2 women in search of a ride??? Dennis is driving down PCH one day when he spots 2 ladies in need of a ride. Being a gentleman, he pulls over and offers the ladies (Mary Brunner & Ella Jo) a ride. One thing leads to another, and they end up at Dennis' pad. He makes love to them, then splits for a recording session. NO BIG DEAL. He then returns home later that nite where he is greeted by a man who says he's not there to hurt him and proceeds to kiss his feet before inviting him into his own home. A friendship is formed and before long, Manson and crew are living w/ Dennis. While there, Dennis introduces Charlie to some of his friends. Among those friends are Gregg Jackobson and more impotantly TERRY MELCHER! Efforts are made by Dennis to record Charlie and drum up interest in his music. During the time Charlie lives w/ Dennis, he happens to find himself of need of a ride. Sticking his thumb out, he's picked-up by none other than CHARLES "TEX" WATSON, who drives Dennis home. It's there that Tex is introduced to Charlie and the Family. We all know what happens after that.......well, we KINDA know. Just makes ya wonder.....How would this story go if Dennis either didn't pick up hitchers or didn't hitch himself????
Lurch-do you think it is weird they never called Dennis to the stand? With Jakobson and Melcher called I would have figured Dennis would have been front and center.
I think Dennis had a lot more info about the whole mess then we'll ever know. Why he wasn't called to the stand is a mystery. Maybe Bug was worried that if Dennis took the stand it would blow holes in the whole HS theroy? Too bad Dennis never got the chance to write his version of what went down in '68 on Sunset Blvd.
It was the 60's. EVERYBODY picked up hitchhikers. Dennis picked up the wrong ones. (It's not like they were standing by the side of the road with a axe and Bud Lite. . .)
I thought Ella Jo was accompanied by Patricia Krenwinkel when she was picked up by Dennis Wilson. Im not sure if "being a gentleman" was the reason he picked them up and gave them a ride. I might rephrase your sentence as such..... "Being a seasoned skirt chaser, he pulls over and offers the ladies(?) a ride.
You guys crack me up.......we go from a "gentleman" to a "seasoned skirt chaser"!! LMAO. Since I'm not the PC type, I call "em like I see "em. He was a slut looking to dip his wick anywhere he could. No gentleman would poke those skanks, and a "seasoned" skirt chaser wouldn't go near a gonorrhea infested mess like that. :run: FB
Great, first I refer to CM as the "wooly hophead", now I have to refer to DW as the "wick dipper". Try saying that 5 times as fast as you can...
It is quite interesting, tho, how hitchhiking does tie Dennis Wilson into the whole case on more than one occasion. First, he picks up a couple of Manson girls, then later on, Tex Watson picks him up. If not for hitchhiking where would all these people be now?...
You may be reading more into this than it merits. In California in the 60s, hitchhiking was how kids got around. Either you had a car, or you hitched. But yes, it's interesting to speculate on how paths cross randomly .. and hitching would have been a very random way of meeting people (except perhaps insofar as a lone male would probably be well disposed to offer a lift to a couple of young females). Jem
I believe that murder was inevitable with this group, I just think that if it weren't for the random run-ins with Dennis Wilson, I mean, who knows? The victims could've been entirely different people. The past is the past, but it's still interesting to think of how different it could've been if you took out the most seemingly innocent factors.
