CHRISTINE CHUBBUCK flicked away her long hair and stared into the camera as she prepared to deliver the most shocking moment in broadcasting history.
The only sign of unease in the 29-year-old was a slight shake of her hand as she turned the page of the secret script she had written for the moment.
Sitting in the studio in Florida on her own Suncoast Digest live morning local talk show, she calmly announced: “In keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living colour, you are going to see another first. An attempted suicide.”
Then Christine reached beneath her desk for a paper bag containing a revolver. She pointed the gun behind her right ear and pulled the trigger.
She died 15 hours later.
Viewers on that morning in July 1974 saw the whole thing, because horrified producers only managed to cut the live broadcast after her body slumped on to her desk.
Now two films are coming out which look at what drove this successful young reporter to such a terrible public death.
British actress Rebecca Hall portrays her in the movie Christine, which had its UK premiere at the London Film Festival this week and is already getting five-star reviews.
Meanwhile, the documentary Kate Plays Christine, released on Friday, follows US actress Kate Lyn Sheil as she investigates the TV reporter’s mindset before her death.
Christine’s younger brother Greg knows exactly why filmmakers and the public find his family’s tragedy so fascinating.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun from his home in Florida, Greg Chubbuck says: “Public suicide is another level beyond suicide. It’s an anger and rage that I can’t understand and I’ve thought about it every day for 42 years.”
But despite its public nature, for Greg and the rest of his family it was a very private matter. He fought for years to try to prevent the new films being made.
The 70-year-old former gas and oil worker said: “I spent a long time making sure nothing got produced. As long as my parents were alive I wanted nobody re-telling the sad story of Christine’s life.”
And although he was eventually advised he had no legal way of preventing the films, he succeeded in his wish that the rest of his family would not have to go through the ordeal of seeing Christine’s story on screen.
Of course, the fact she was a virgin and a spinster will be their focus
He is Christine’s last surviving relative after father George died last year. Their mother Peg died in 1994 and older brother Tim in 1986.
But Greg is still angry about the films, which focus on Christine’s unhappy love life and despair at still being a virgin aged nearly 30.
He says that account misses two major, tragic love affairs.
He said: “Of course the fact she was a virgin and she was a spinster will be a focus of this movie.
“But she had two very serious relationships. One was a guy who died in a car accident.
“She was still a teenager and he was in his twenties. Then later she had a romance with another man who worked in television with her.
“She moved to Pittsburgh to be with him, but the relationship fell apart because my dad was vociferously opposed to him. He was older and my dad did not want her to marry a Jewish man.”
After the loss of her first boyfriend in the car crash, Christine devoted every morning to helping a passenger left paralysed in the accident in his rehab sessions.
Greg recalled: “That’s how she responded to losing her first love — to try and help his friend.”
It is this tender side which Greg fears will not be seen on screen.
He explained: “I just wish the people who were interested in Christine were interested in who she really was or helping people who find themselves in the same circumstance.”
And he added: “I choose not to see either of the two movies.”
Even actress Rebecca Hall admits she was initially worried about doing the film, confessing: “It seems very morbid and feels exploitative.”
But the 34-year-old, who has previously starred in The BFG and TV series Parade’s End, changed her mind because Christine got “under my skin”. She even ended up helping finance the production.
A big focus of Rebecca’s movie is Christine’s unrequited love for fellow news anchor George Peter Ryan, who was dating one of her close pals.
He is played in the film by Dexter star Michael C Hall, 45.
Brother Greg admits he never approved of George, who had a reputation for being a ladies’ man.
He told The Sun: “If things had developed between them, then I would certainly have stepped in.”
Another issue discussed in the movie is Christine’s disaffection with her bosses’ attitude on news broadcasts — which was that “if it bleeds, it leads”. She fronted weekend newscasts and hated the station’s focus on violent tragedies.
These frustrations amplified longstanding mental health issues, for which the young woman had never been treated properly. Christine had shown signs of depression from the age of ten and her parents spent thousands on psychiatric treatment.
Greg said: “My parents had spent a literal fortune trying to figure out why their gorgeous, beautiful, brilliant ten, 12, 15, 17-year-old didn’t react to people the same way as everybody else.”
He now thinks Christine was bipolar, but that was not a recognised condition in 1974.
Our parents spent a fortune trying to work out what was mentally wrong with Christine
The retiree noted: “Christine would do things to a high level of ability then stop and do something else which, again, was one of the early signs she was bipolar.
“And also the fact that nothing brought her joy in a way being good at something brings joy to most people.”
His sister was only diagnosed as having “general depression” and the treatment she received probably made her bipolar condition worse. And while she announced on air that viewers would see an “attempted suicide”, there seems little doubt she meant to succeed.
Two weeks earlier, Christine had suggested to her TV bosses that she do a news story about suicide. In it she asked experts about their tips on how to take the drastic action — and took their advice on the kind of weapon she ended up using.
This sort of meticulousness was typical, colleagues have said.
She even left a script — which ended up stained in her blood — to be read out after the shooting.
It described her as being in a “critical condition” in hospital. It proved accurate for the 15 hours it took her to die.
And while she left no suicide note, the Ohio native did hand out important possessions beforehand.
Greg remembered: “The weekend before she died she gave my fiancée an heirloom piece of jewellery that my fiancée thought was a beautiful gesture. At the time it seemed like a kind and loving act.
“What it really was, though, was a passing along to other people of things that were no longer important to her as she knew she was going to end her life.”
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He thinks Christine purposefully chose a day when none of her relatives would be watching the show.
Greg was at work and his grandparents, who were normally avid viewers, had a doctor’s appointment.
The live broadcast was also taped by the network and over the past four decades there has been speculation about the whereabouts of the footage of Chistine’s final moments.
On sick suicide websites it is considered the “holy grail”.
But quick-thinking from Greg ensured that it was not broadcast again and will not find its way online.
Even before Christine succumbed to her injuries he got lawyers to take out an injunction preventing the channel repeating any of the footage. The only copy is still safely locked up.
Greg said: “It doesn’t upset me to know the tape exists, because the reason it will never ever be watched is because of me.”
But he is disgusted by internet ghouls who would pay a fortune to get their hands on a copy.
He added: “There is a website called ‘In memory of Christine Chubbuck’, which glorifies suicide.
“There’s nothing glorious about suicide, or what it does to the people who loved the person.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this feature you can call The Samaritans free at any time on 116 123.
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