Interview by Paul Salfen
THE WONDERLAND MASSACRE & THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD. The four-episode docuseries debuts on MGM+ on September 8 at 10pm ET/PT. It is based on Michael Connelly’s hit Audible podcast series and directed by Alison Ellwood (San Francisco Sounds, Laurel Canyon).
In this MGM+ Original series, best-selling crime novelist, Michael Connelly (EP of Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer), takes us on a wild journey into the twisted story of the massacre at Wonderland Avenue on July 1, 1981 – one of Hollywood’s most famous murder cases that has fascinated people for more than 40 years. This case symbolized an era in Los Angeles – involving sex, drugs, rock n’ roll… and murder. It is the real-life story that inspired Boogie Nights.
In noir-style, verité interviews, Connelly seeks key details about this gruesome quadruple murder with the original detectives, prosecutors, and undercover cops he’d come to know as a young crime beat reporter for The Los Angeles Times. As the investigation unfolds, weaving in rare archival footage and photos, a colorful cast of characters emerges – famous porn star John Holmes, drug dealers and kingpins, mafiosos, televangelists and multiple celebrities, including Liberace and his boyfriend, enigma Scott Thorson.
In a game of cat-and-mouse, Connelly tries to pin down the facts of Thorson’s many larger-than-life and stranger-than-fiction stories. After four decades, Thorson’s interview may be the last to help distinguish between the crime and the truth.
But do we believe him?
Michael Connelly is one of the most successful writers working today. His very first novel, The Black Echo, won the prestigious Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for Best First Novel in 1992. In 2002, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the movie adaptation of Connelly’s 1998 novel, Blood Work. In March 2011, the movie adaptation of his #1 bestselling novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, hit theaters worldwide starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller. His most recent New York Times bestsellers include Resurrection Walk, Desert Star, The Dark Hours, The Law Of Innocence, The Night Fire, and Dark Sacred Night. Michael’s crime fiction career was honored with the Diamond Dagger from the CWA in 2018, and the Outstanding Contribution To Crime Writing Award at the 2022 Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, England, and the Grand Master title from the Mystery Writers of America in 2023.
Michael is the executive producer of Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, two Amazon Studios original drama series based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch, starring Titus Welliver. These both stream on Prime Video and Amazon Freevee. He is the executive producer of The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller. He is the creator and host of the podcasts Murder Book and The Wonderland Murders & The Secret History Of Hollywood. He is the executive producer of the documentary films, Sound Of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Storyand Tales of the American.
Alison Ellwood’s feature film directing credits include Let the Canary Sing, Laurel Canyon, The Go-Go’s, American Jihad, History of the Eagles, Spring Broke and Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search for a Kool Place. Her television directing credits include Women of Troy for HBO Sports, The Osbournes: The Price of Reality for the A&E series Culture Shock, Locked In: The Victoria Arlen Story for ESPN’s 30 for 30 Shorts, CNN’s Death Row Stories, No Limits for ESPN’s Nine for IX series, The Human Behavior Experiments, the Emmy Award-winning series American High, The Travelers, and Sixteen. She has produced and edited several feature documentary films including Oscar-nominated Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Catching Hell, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, My Trip to Al Qaeda, and Casino Jack and the United States of Money. She was co-producer for the feature documentary Finding Fela and for HBO’s Brett Killed Mom: A Sister’s Diary. She was consulting producer for the Sundance series Brick City and two feature documentaries The September Issue and Food Chains. She was supervising producer for The Residents and 30 Days. She has edited for Bill Moyers Specials, the Discovery Channel, Sundance Channel, Showtime, and HBO’s America Undercover series.
Alison Ellwood’s feature film directing credits include Let the Canary Sing, Laurel Canyon, The Go-Go’s, American Jihad, History of the Eagles, Spring Broke and Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search for a Kool Place. Her television directing credits include Women of Troy for HBO Sports, The Osbournes: The Price of Reality for the A&E series Culture Shock, Locked In: The Victoria Arlen Story for ESPN’s 30 for 30 Shorts, CNN’s Death Row Stories, No Limits for ESPN’s Nine for IX series, The Human Behavior Experiments, the Emmy Award-winning series American High, The Travelers, and Sixteen. She has produced and edited several feature documentary films including Oscar-nominated Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Catching Hell, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, My Trip to Al Qaeda, and Casino Jack and the United States of Money. She was co-producer for the feature documentary Finding Fela and for HBO’s Brett Killed Mom: A Sister’s Diary. She was consulting producer for the Sundance series Brick City and two feature documentaries The September Issue and Food Chains. She was supervising producer for The Residents and 30 Days. She has edited for Bill Moyers Specials, the Discovery Channel, Sundance Channel, Showtime, and HBO’s America Undercover series.
