‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ Fact Check: Did Charles Manson Scope Out the Tate-Polanski House Before the Murders?

(Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you haven’t seen Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.”) Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” which takes place around the time of the Manson Family murders of Sharon Tate and her friends, shows Charles Manson himself dropping by her house on Cielo Drive before the killings. Did it really happen? Or is another example of Tarantino taking artistic license? The answer is, there’s truth to this part of “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” even if it isn’t exactly true. The film shows Manson (Damon Herriman) getting out of a small ice-cream truck and walking up to the gate of 10050 Cielo Drive, the house Tate and Roman Polanski shared. Tate is home with friend Jay Sebring, who was among those murdered on that infamous night. They see a man walking up to the door, and Sebring (Emile Hirsch) intercepts. Manson then asks about someone named Terry, who used to live there, and leaves when he hears his friend has moved on. Also Read: 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood' Fact Check: Did the Manson Family Give Horseback Riding Tours? There’s no evidence that this incident actually happened. But...