Christine Chubbuck

[primescore]

Well, she is said to have shot herself behind the ear, and did not shoot at the temple because the temple had more risk of failure. She did fire the shot and slump forward on the news desk. Nobody ran toward her while the tape was running. The screen supposedly went black as a she slid off the desk due to gravity, etc.

So, if your memory is accurate, it is not her. But, if it has been a while since you saw the video, you might have forgotten some details, and then it may very well be her. Do you recall what volume it was? I searched this and there seem to be 5 volumes of that series.

[DexterKitty]

Well, she is said to have shot herself behind the ear, and did not shoot at the temple because the temple had more risk of failure. She did fire the shot and slump forward on the news desk. Nobody ran toward her while the tape was running. The screen supposedly went black as a she slid off the desk due to gravity, etc.

So, if your memory is accurate, it is not her. But, if it has been a while since you saw the video, you might have forgotten some details, and then it may very well be her. Do you recall what volume it was? I searched this and there seem to be 5 volumes of that series.

I'm not even positive it was in that series. I've seen so many of those real death videos it's ridiculous. It could have been those, or.... 'Death Scenes', 'Faces of Death' 'Traces of Death' there are so many. I wonder if it was somebody else. IMO... she should have ate that gun then she would have died instantly. Of course.... I can't imagine what was going through her head (besides that bullet) when she did it. Maybe she panicked? It facinates me that people who commit suicide in front of an audience keep their composure like that. Budd Dwyer was sweating bullets before his grand finale.

[primescore]

I was impressed that she would be able to keep so much composure as well. From what I have read, the only sign of nervousness was a very, very slight shake in her hand as she was reading her final script.

Actually, here's a detailed account (is this what you saw?):
"Christine Chubbuck flicked her long dark hair back away from her face, swallowed, twitched her lips only slightly and reached with her left hand to turn the next page of her script. Looking down on the anchor desk she began to read: “In keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in” − she looked up from the script, directly into the camera and smiled a tentative smile. Her voice took on a sarcastic tone as she emphasized “blood and guts . . . and in living color.” She looked back down at her script, her left hand shook almost unnoticeably.

Her right arm stiffened. “We bring you another first.” Her voice was steady. She looked up again into the camera. Her eyes were dark, direct and challenging. “An attempted suicide.” Her right hand came up from under the anchor desk. In it was a .38 caliber revolver. She pointed it at the lower back of her head and pulled the trigger. A loud crack was heard. A puff of smoke blew out from the gun and her hair flew up around her face as though a sudden gust of wind had caught it. Her face took on a fierce, contorted look, her mouth was wrenched downward, her head shook. Then her body fell forward with a resounding thud against the anchor desk and slowly slipped out of sight."

A officer at the local sheriff's department is said to have told her the most effective suicide method is to shoot the lower back of the head. That area holds the medulla, which is necessary for cardiac and respiratory processes. However, the medulla would be more easily hit by a bullet aimed at the upper rear of the mouth (I think), and there would be no skull matter to reduce the velocity of the bullet, so I am surprised he did not know/mention that.

In any event, a shot behind the ear is better for a televised suicide, especially when she was facing the camera. A mouth shot would have been awkward: it would have increased the speed of her death but reduced the quality of her final broadcast.

[lane4]

I have to say - as it seems some people may of seen this at one time that I am shocked it hasn't found it's way on the net.

[Lisamarie]

thats what gets me is I have talked to a few people via the internet who swear they have seen this at some point....thats what gets me we have Budd and so many others who committed suicide and yet we cannot find this one....why?? Also I would be curiouse to talk to someone who saw it live!!! Dude can you imagine!!

[DexterKitty]

primscore.... I still don't know if it was her. It has been so long ago. I think the one I saw had a blonde haired lady in it. Maybe, it was somebody in another country or something? Great description of it!!! Thanks for sharing.

[DexterKitty]

thats what gets me is I have talked to a few people via the internet who swear they have seen this at some point....thats what gets me we have Budd and so many others who committed suicide and yet we cannot find this one....why?? Also I would be curiouse to talk to someone who saw it live!!! Dude can you imagine!!

I think somebody has went to great links to keep that tape from surfacing on the internet. Somebody with authority is keeping it shelved IMO. Can you imagine what her parents went through if they were watching when she did that? How selfish can a person get? Yes.... it's bad she died... but.... look at all of the people that suffered by seeing that on TV? Some people can't handle stuff like that, and were probably very truamatized by it. Same thing with Bud Dwyer.

[Lisamarie]

oh yes I so agree what she did was beyond selfish I mean why traumatize other people for the rest of their lives..I know I would be freaked!!

[primescore]

Oh good grief... Quit whining. Ruffling the feathers of you pompous moralist cry-babies and weak-kneed blubberers is an added bonus.

[Lisamarie]

well I get her point if that what you mean. It was a big fuck you ..I just wish I could see it...

[primescore]

There was no real conspiracy to hide the tape. It was released to the news wire, which is how the reporter who wrote that blurb I posted earlier watched it. It is probably sitting in the archives of various TV stations right now. Few staffers at those stations probably know about it now though, after 35 years, so that is why it probably has not been retrieved.

[primescore]

My major concern is the tape's condition. A VHS tape will physically deteriorate over time, while a digital copy - DVD or file - will not; The tape format should be digitally converted, but a lot of TV archives simply keep their old tapes on VHS.

[MagneticElectric]

I love this story (God, I am a death hag)! Anyhow, the reason the tape hasn't surfaced is because it no longer exists. The copies that do exist don't show her shooting herself, but has the audio. I watched that Boulevard of Broken Dreams episode about her and her brother stated that the family was given a copy and they destroyed it. If I remember correctly, the original copy was given to the police as evidence after the station made a copies that were used in some news broadcasts (minus the actual event). I think the copy that was given to the family was the original one and since they destroyed it, it's long gone. I do remember her brother saying they didn't want people viewing it and ogling her death which is why they got rid of it.

Christine supposedly planned this out in detail and did meticulous research about where to shoot herself, etc. I'm guessing since she lingered on for awhile and she wrote her own copy stating she would, she knew exactly what she was doing.

I think the whole thing fascinates me because of the motivation behind it. She was angry and rejected and it's like she wanted to take that out on the world by doing something shocking and memorable. I guess it worked, we're still talking about her!

[Lisamarie]

me too and promptly became obsessed!!! Lol! Her last word were classic man! Love it!! I think there are more copies than that .. skinny puppy has stated they used her footage as well as Budd Dwyers during there concerts , and I have talked to variouse people who have claimed to have seen it . I think someone out there has it. what gets me is she died a virgin! poor thing...I wonder things like where her home is in Sarasota....high school ....just what the hell was she thinking.....

[octobersky]

I have always wanted to see this video. Maybe one day!

[Seagorath]

That's what bothers me too, Lisamarie...dying a virgin. She was hot enough to get some good steamy action before leaving the building...but like her mother said, "She was a spinster at 30 and couldn't handle that..."

I've heard that Skinny Puppy rumor too...not sure if it's 100% true. There is a copy of that footage somewhere...FCC archives, etc. or somewhere. That WXLT weatherman has some of her Suncoast Digest episodes, but he won't release them...I don't know why though.

We'll continue the search!

me too and promptly became obsessed!!! Lol! Her last word were classic man! Love it!! I think there are more copies than that .. skinny puppy has stated they used her footage as well as Budd Dwyers during there concerts , and I have talked to variouse people who have claimed to have seen it . I think someone out there has it. what gets me is she died a virgin! poor thing...I wonder things like where her home is in Sarasota....high school ....just what the hell was she thinking.....

[DexterKitty]

Oh good grief... Quit whining. Ruffling the feathers of you pompous moralist cry-babies and weak-kneed blubberers is an added bonus.

WTF.... does this mean?

[DexterKitty]

me too and promptly became obsessed!!! Lol! Her last word were classic man! Love it!! I think there are more copies than that .. skinny puppy has stated they used her footage as well as Budd Dwyers during there concerts , and I have talked to variouse people who have claimed to have seen it . I think someone out there has it. what gets me is she died a virgin! poor thing...I wonder things like where her home is in Sarasota....high school ....just what the hell was she thinking.....

OMG!!!! She died a virgin? That's what her problem was.... she didn't have enough sex!!!

[Meli]

WTF.... does this mean?

Just someone being an over-opinionated ass IMHO

[Aries65]

OMG!!!! She died a virgin? That's what her problem was.... she didn't have enough sex!!!

Actually she didn't have ANY sex...

[Lisamarie]

yeah I thought I read that on that washington post thing she died a virgin.

[DexterKitty]

Just someone being an over-opinionated ass IMHO

I think so too.

[DexterKitty]

Actually she didn't have ANY sex...

Maybe, she had sex with herself... if you know what I mean.

[DexterKitty]

yeah I thought I read that on that washington post thing she died a virgin.

Wow.... that's tragic.

[lobosco107]

If anyone can find the video or what remains of it, one of us can!

[W Axl Rose]

If anyone can find the video or what remains of it, one of us can!

People who would make a lot of money from hosting her suicide video have been trying for years with no success to find out whether any footage still exists.

Just like the Steve Irwin footage, if it still exists and if it ever surfaced worldwide views would be astronomically high in a matter of minutes. These two videos are the holy grail of reality viewing. As great as it would be to see them a certainty is they'd probably be really boring and I'd bet a large sum of money we'll never see either of them.

[pvezz]

People who would make a lot of money from hosting her suicide video have been trying for years with no success to find out whether any footage still exists.

Just like the Steve Irwin footage, if it still exists and if it ever surfaced worldwide views would be astronomically high in a matter of minutes. These two videos are the holy grail of reality viewing. As great as it would be to see them a certainty is they'd probably be really boring and I'd bet a large sum of money we'll never see either of them.

I agree. Those and the Tim Treadwell videos will never be seen.

[Meli]

I agree. Those and the Tim Treadwell videos will never be seen.

Who?

[Fool Moon]

Who?

http://www.findadeath.com/forum/show...ight=treadwell

Otherwise known as dumbass bear food.

[Miho]

http://www.findadeath.com/forum/show...ight=treadwell

Otherwise known as dumbass bear food.

*LOL*

[Seagorath]

I would've had sex with her.

Actually she didn't have ANY sex...

[RobinTMP]

I agree. Those and the Tim Treadwell videos will never be seen.

Perhaps you're thinking of the audio tape instead? IIRC, the lens cap was on the camera, so no images were captured, but the audio was rolling and recorded most of what went on. Based on what's been said by those who've heard it (Werner Herzog among others), it's incredibly disturbing...sometimes what you can only hear and picture in your mind is far worse than any actual visuals.

[DexterKitty]

Am I the only one that wouldn't want to hear the audio tapes of that guy. I can stand someone shooting themselves, but being eaten by a bear is just grotesque.

I agree... that's why I keep the sound turned down when I watch disturbing things. With me the visual is OK but, the sound makes it too real.

[kimba]

That's what bothers me too, Lisamarie...dying a virgin. She was hot enough to get some good steamy action before leaving the building...but like her mother said, "She was a spinster at 30 and couldn't handle that..."

just as a point of clarification, because she was called a spinster by her Mom- it doesn't mean she was a virgin.
Spinster is pretty much now a quaint and obsolete term..
according to Webster:
"A spinster (or old maid) is a woman or girl of marriageable age who has been unwilling or unable to marry and, therefore, has no children. Socially, the term is usually applied only to women who are regarded as beyond the customary age for marriage, and is generally considered an insulting term, more degrading than the term "bachelor" for males. While men can continue to have children into their 70s or 80s, women generally become less and less able to bear children as they get older. So the term "old maid" is only applied to women who are past a child bearing age but have never married. Changing social mores in the 1960s regarding non-marital sexual relationships also abruptly changed social expectations of spinsterhood as the equivalent of lifelong virginity, and Sex and the Single Girl by Helen Gurley Brown was a record-breaking bestseller when published in 1963, and later a wildly popular film.
The term "spinster" almost fell completely out of common use after the sexual revolution of the 1960s, being replaced by the coinage "bachelorette" or "single girl." However, both of these terms were scorned by feminists as being denigrating in their own way, the first as a diminutive of a male status, and the second for minimizing their dignity as adult women, not "girls."
"

Today- it is somewhat common for women to marry at a later age, and it's also viewed by some as not being necessary, hence the rarity of the spinster term in the common vernacular.

FYI

[Lisamarie]

well like I said in the washington post interview Im pretty sure it said she was a virgin.......I could be mistaken but I thought thats what I had read.....

[Lisamarie]

No shit dude!!!!!! No shit!

[monroe27]

i'm curious to see this tape too!

[RaRaRamona]

I'd just like to see some of her shows. There's just the same 20 seconds of tape I see everywhere.

[Lisamarie]

yeah I would like to see eome of her work as well just to see how she was ...I love there are so many available youtube vids of Jessica Savitch.....

[primescore]

According to Wikipedia, she "lamented to co-workers that her 30th birthday was approaching and she was still a virgin who had never been on more than two dates with a man".

[DHfromTN]

I wonder if anyone has had any luck finding the video? I guess I'm a morbid person, but I would like to see it, too..



I really like this board, btw. I never knew it even existed until I googled Christine the other night.. I've been on FAD a million times and have probably read every article, but I never knew there was a forum. :/

Anyway.. Hi!

[lobosco107]

According to Wikipedia, she "lamented to co-workers that her 30th birthday was approaching and she was still a virgin who had never been on more than two dates with a man".

Well at the age of 30, if a woman is a virgin and not by her own choice, something is wrong.

[Karma]

I wonder if anyone has had any luck finding the video? I guess I'm a morbid person, but I would like to see it, too..



I really like this board, btw. I never knew it even existed until I googled Christine the other night.. I've been on FAD a million times and have probably read every article, but I never knew there was a forum. :/

Anyway.. Hi!

Welcome to the board!

[NewYorkDoll]

http://www.christinechubbuck.com/

[DHfromTN]

http://www.christinechubbuck.com/

This was actually posted a couple times already.. I like the way they tell what happened.. (well, not liked, but ykwim. lol)

[primescore]

Sadly, the FCC does not seem to have a copy of the video either. Below is a scan of a letter that I recieved from them when I requested it under the FOIA. I specifically requested the footage of Christine Chubbuck, although they do not mention her name in the letter.

[DexterKitty]

Man, that sucks!!! I guess we'll never get to see it.

[Lisamarie]

oaky who can pretend to be mary fletcher!!!! Okay so I taked to this oldtimer who works for the fox news station here and has for like ever!! He is older than dirt and of course Christine came up because Im a hag at heart.....and he was like oh yeah that was awful...I said you hve seen it? And yes he swears he did....he said without me telling him anything dark haired girl right? I remeber that .....He said in like 80 or 82 he worked with a man from Sarasota Fl who was a producer at the time for the new morning show....and he saw the tape...he swears and I believe him...he described it in detail...now this guy cannot use google he is an oldtimer..he is 72 years old...anyway he said he did see it and its pretty awful...he said it not at all like the Dwyer video..he said for the simple fact you do not see it coming and then bang she pulls out a gun and shoots herself.........and she slumps forward now when he said that it had the ring of truth to it cause anyone that has seen it says that is exactley what happens.....she just slumps forward and then falls to the ground. I told him could he contact his friend...but his friend his now dead and gone...Ill keep asking ..Im finding the tv people all have shady stories....

[primescore]

It is better to try and find it now. If we wait and wait, the physical tape will disintegrate over time. It is surprising that some people have historical footage (the first TV suicide) and it is probably sitting in their garage wearing away. Sigh. I am going to find contact information for the relevant individuals, if they are not dead already.

[Lisamarie]

I dont get what the big deal is as well...we have the JFK footage ..the dwyer footage...countless others why is this one such a big deal..let me ask you guys this...how about the journalist who did the story for the Washington Post, she saw the tape..is she still alive and if so could we possible email her?? She saw it and was given access......any chance??