Music: André, Anyone?—Jay Nordlinger considersPrevin at 70, page

Drive. Money guarantees quiet in L.A.

Not that either the Polanski-Tates or the LaBiancas were plutocrats. Yet Leno LaBianca owned a chain of supermarkets. Sharon Tate was an actress with a celebrated filmmaker husband, Roman Polanski. Her guests that unfortunate night included a hairdresser, Jay Sebring, albeit the type of rather selective hairdresser with a butler overseeing his home; and a coffee heiress, Abigail Folger. In short, Manson’s victims were well-to-do members of the financial elite. If you want to understand why Charlie Manson has become an American icon, that happens to be a key fact.

About the Author

Jay Nordlinger

Jay Nordlinger was a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at National Review Institute.

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Drive. Money guarantees quiet in L.A.

Not that either the Polanski-Tates or the LaBiancas were plutocrats. Yet Leno LaBianca owned a chain of supermarkets. Sharon Tate was an actress with a celebrated filmmaker husband, Roman Polanski. Her guests that unfortunate night included a hairdresser, Jay Sebring, albeit the type of rather selective hairdresser with a butler overseeing his home; and a coffee heiress, Abigail Folger. In short, Manson’s victims were well-to-do members of the financial elite. If you want to understand why Charlie Manson has become an American icon, that happens to be a key fact.