Fact #117525
When:
Short story:
Connie Francis is attacked at knife-point and raped in a Howard Johnson's motel in Long Island, New York, USA. The incident will, in effect, bring an end to her career as a performing artist.Full article:
Connie Francis : Until that night, I had been through all sorts of harrowing experiences and had never been afraid. I was intrepid. Once in California a girl called my fan club president and threatened to kill me because I was going to be married. On the night of my appearance at the Hollywood Bowl, she was in the second row with a loaded revolver when the police caught her. I went on and performed as usual; I had no fears.
But when you have a knife at your throat and your life is hanging in the balance for two and a half hours, you realize you’re lucky to be alive. When the attacker as counting down from 20 and saying he’d slash my throat when he got to zero, I told him who I was and that I had to perform at the Westbury Music Fair. I think that’s what saved my life. He had a towel over his face and I was never able to identify him. I looked at thousands of mug shots. I began to think that every face I saw was that man.
After the rape I couldn’t pick up a newspaper or listen to a newscast. I was afraid to be with people. I would lie in bed for a month at a time and wouldn’t want to get up. I wouldn’t go traveling with my husband, Joe Garzilli, and he was in the travel business. To this day I never go anywhere alone and never do anything by myself. I have never been in a motel since that day. Performing scares me to death because I think I’m a target. You can’t make sense out of fear.
(Source : interview with Richard K. Rein of People magazine, 1981)
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But when you have a knife at your throat and your life is hanging in the balance for two and a half hours, you realize you’re lucky to be alive. When the attacker as counting down from 20 and saying he’d slash my throat when he got to zero, I told him who I was and that I had to perform at the Westbury Music Fair. I think that’s what saved my life. He had a towel over his face and I was never able to identify him. I looked at thousands of mug shots. I began to think that every face I saw was that man.
After the rape I couldn’t pick up a newspaper or listen to a newscast. I was afraid to be with people. I would lie in bed for a month at a time and wouldn’t want to get up. I wouldn’t go traveling with my husband, Joe Garzilli, and he was in the travel business. To this day I never go anywhere alone and never do anything by myself. I have never been in a motel since that day. Performing scares me to death because I think I’m a target. You can’t make sense out of fear.
(Source : interview with Richard K. Rein of People magazine, 1981)