Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film isn’t just a period piece but a love letter to 1969 Hollywood. Set just before members of Charles Manson’s cult brutally kill a pregnant Sharon Tate and her friends, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood primarily focuses on the tandem of the fading Western star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his loyal stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt).
Even if it’s a retelling of what really happened in 1969, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood is still grounded in reality. This leads to a lot of cameos made by actual legends of cinema, the forgotten stars of yesteryear, and the shows and films that defined them. Here are the 10 best historical cameos in Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood ranked.
The Spahn Movie Ranch
Rick and Cliff’s former place of work is the Spahn Ranch, where their hit TV show Bounty Law was filmed. While Bounty Law is fictional, the Spahn Ranch and its history with Westerns and the Manson family isn’t.
Famously, episodes of Bonanza and The Lone Ranger were shot at the ranch. Infamously, it was the Manson cult’s residence during their murder spree. The ranch burned down during a wildfire in 1970, four years before Spahn passed. Currently, the ranch is part of the Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park and is no longer in use.
Hullabaloo, Lancer The F.B.I., and More
Being set in 1969 and being directed by Tarantino, it’s not surprising that his ninth film is filled with callbacks and homages to pop culture of the ‘60s. While shows like Combat! or the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! get quick background cameos, other shows play a bigger role in Rick Dalton’s life.
He’s shown having a guest appearance in the variety show Hullabaloo, NBC’s variety show that was later overshadowed by American Bandstand. His roles as the antagonistic heavy in the real TV shows Lancer and The F.B.I. are what ultimately revive his acting career.
Spaghetti Westerns
The more cynical and popular successor of the traditional Western are the Spaghetti Westerns, named as such because they were predominantly made and financed by Italian filmmakers. Rick Dalton finds his second wind through some Spaghetti Westerns, which are infamous for their rushed productions, varying qualities, and questionable dubs – things he has issues with.
Sergio Corbucci is also mentioned by name, as he books Dalton for the Western Nebraska Jim. Corbucci, referred to as the second best director Spaghetti Westerns, is best known for directing the original Django and genre cult favorite The Great Silence.
Bruce Lee
On a lazy afternoon, Cliff reminisces how he and martial arts legend Bruce Lee got into a fight on the set of The Green Hornet. Later, Bruce is shown training Sharon Tate for The Wrecking Crew – something he did in real life.
Surprisingly, Mike Moh’s role was the most controversial part of a historical fiction movie centered on the murder of Sharon Tate. His daughter Shannon, Game of Death co-star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and fans decried Lee’s portrayal as a braggart in the movie, saying he only appeared to be knocked down a peg by Brad Pitt.
Wayne Maunder
While filming Lancer, Rick Dalton’s character is confronted by Scott Lancer, the educated veteran of the Civil War. Just like in real life, Scott was portrayed by Wayne Maunder (Luke Perry in Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood), who also appeared in other Western shows such as Custer and The Virginian.
Lancer is Maunder’s best known work, with his career practically being defined by Scott. Maunder’s appearance in the movie is also Luke Perry’s final cinematic role, as he passed away in March 2019 – just a few months after Maunder passed in November 2018.
Steve McQueen & The Great Escape
One of the biggest actors to appear in Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood is Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis), who shows up during a party at the Playboy Mansion to provide a guest (and audiences) with some of Sharon Tate’s backstory.
Humorously, it’s revealed that Dalton lost the role of Capt. Virgil Hilts aka The Cooler King in The Great Escape to McQueen. Though he doesn’t show it, Dalton is obviously bitter about this because the World War II epic turned McQueen into a movie star. While shooting Lancer, Dalton can’t help but imagine himself in McQueen’s place.
James Stacy
The star of Lancer is James Stacy, who portrayed the retired gunfighter Johnny Madrid Lancer. Stacy (played here by Timothy Olyphant) was inspired by Dalton’s earlier roles, and strikes up a friendly conversation with the bad guy of his pilot episode.
James leaves the movie riding off on his motorcycle, which could be Tarantino’s happy ending for the actor. In 1973, Stacy survived a fatal motorcycle accident that killed his passenger. He also lost an arm and a leg as a result, although that didn’t stop him from acting and being arrested in 1995 for molesting a minor.
Sam Wanamaker
Rick Dalton owes his career resurgence to director Sam Wanamaker (Nicholas Hammond), who believes that the star of Bounty Law would make a good antagonist for the pilot episode of Lancer.
In real life, Wanamaker did in fact direct the first episode of Lancer. What’s not shown in Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood is his eventful acting and directing career in both film and TV. He starred in The Spiral Staircase and the TV miniseries Holocaust, though he may be best known for playing David Warfield in the so-bad-it’s-good classic Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.
Charles Manson & His Cult
Despite being inspired by the real-life murder of Sharon Tate at the hands of Manson’s cultists, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood doesn’t really focus on them and their infamous crime. Instead, Charles gets a single scene while his followers are shown as deranged fanatics who Cliff makes quick work of.
In doing so, the movie demystifies the Manson cult’s crime, not only sparing their victims but also depicting Tex, Sadie, and Katie as complete idiots who are quickly dispatched by Cliff… who was under the influence of acid at the time.
Sharon Tate & Friends
While Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood highlights Rick and Cliff’s friendship, it was based on the real deaths of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, and Abigail Folger. The group was partying in Roman Polanski’s (Tate’s husband) home before being killed.
In Tarantino’s movie, Manson’s followers instead attacked Rick and Cliff, leaving Tate and company oblivious to the violence. This allowed them to live happily in the movie’s alternate history, with their scenes showing them loving life while the Manson killers are humiliated. Sharon is prominently shown enjoying her movie The Wrecking Crew, of which actual footage was used.