@thebarnman said:

I would say it was Bobby Kennedy.

I think it was strongly hinted to be JFK. Though it was left a mystery for a reason, because at the end of the day it didn't matter.

I was at that screening in NYCC and Drew Goddard specifically said he left it ambiguous because he wanted to lend strength to Darlene's line (paraphrasing) that she knows who's on the tape, a man who just takes because he can. It makes the line more powerful.

The moderator during that panel said something along the lines of, but it was JFK right? And he didn't agree or disagree, but his reaction gave me the feeling that it was him.

Thanks for your response...quite interesting.

I feel it could be narrowed down the three. JFK, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. The person in the film is dead and the scenes in the movie takes place during January 1969.

MLK had been dead nine months.
Bobby Kennedy had been dead dead seven months.
JFK had been dead five years two months.

In real life the FBI had wiretaps of MLK extramarital affairs. However; he would have been much more easily identifiable within the tiny image of that B&W 16mm film, than any of the two Kennedys.

In the movie (if I remember correctly) there was mention of some big party in June when this visitor came to the El Royale. It's not clear where the party occurred, or what year the party took place. However, June of 1968 is when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. There's mention in the movie that the gambling license for the hotel was no longer good, but I don't remember how long ago it had been without it's license. If there was no gambling/partying going on, Bobby would probably had been less likely to visit.

JFK was the President. He at the time was dealing with the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion around June 1961...not much to be celebrating. I can't imagine the President staying at a motel like the El Royale when there'd be many more options like very nice hotels where he would more likely to stay.

The film reel, and the film looked pretty fresh in the movie.

In the movie, Miles Miller stated the person was very nice to him (the reason why he never sent the film to upper management.) Who of those three people would have taken the time to be really nice to a concierge? I think it was mentioned, but anyone know how long Miles Miller had been working there? The average age of the combat soldier in Vietnam was 19. Could he have been working there for at least five years at that point? Another words, what age is he playing in the movie and when and how long was he in Vietnam?

What Darlene had said; I'm not sure if she knew...I got the impression she knew of the type of people who would say and do something like that, and she probably knew a lot of people like that, but not actually know who it really was. Thinking of the times during her upbringing; I'm sure she had to deal with lots of racial tensions, and I could tell during the first 15 minutes of the movie she had been insulted a few times with the comments of the vacuum salesman (police officer.) She also had to deal with that other guy in the recording studio who took what he could just because he can...another words her life was put on a totally different path because of him. So I think she was talking in general terms when she referred to the kind of people (mostly white guys in those two examples) who would most likely be like that to her. If she knew King was messing around with women, she could have been referring to him, and/or if she knew if JFK was messing around with women, she could have been referring to him if the kind of taking she was referring to had to do with women. However; I'm almost sure no one (or not too many) people knew of JFK's affairs at that time...I think that came out much later sometimes in the 70s. MLK's affairs on the other had; I think were more known, but I don't think that's what Darlene was talking about.

I had even thought about Malcolm X. He had been dead three years 11 months at the time the movie takes place. The person in the film is very easily, positively without question identifiable. It would have to be one of the other three, not Malcolm X. JFK would be easily more recognizable than Bobby, but again Bobby would have been more fresh in the minds of those involved since he had been dead only seven months.

Jimmy Hindriks was still alive during that period, but only for another year and eight months.

I think you misunderstood me about Darlene. She absolutely did not know who was on the tape. She never watched it. And she didn't care to. She said she didn't need to watch it because she knew the man who was on it, just someone who took because he can. So really just any man in power. At that point she wasn't just referencing the man on the tape, whether it be JFK or whoever, but was also taking a shot at Billy Lee since he was also that type of man.

@spreerod1538 said:

I think you misunderstood me about Darlene. She absolutely did not know who was on the tape. She never watched it. And she didn't care to. She said she didn't need to watch it because she knew the man who was on it, just someone who took because he can. So really just any man in power. At that point she wasn't just referencing the man on the tape, whether it be JFK or whoever, but was also taking a shot at Billy Lee since he was also that type of man.

That's right, that's exactly what I meant about what she said when I said "she probably knew a lot of people like that, but not actually know who it really was." Meaning did not know who was on the tape. And I also got the feeling she didn't care just like you said. She's just tired of people like that since she's had to deal with that probably most of her life.

Agree it's JFK. This piece in Bustle gives a pretty accurate summary of why, and as well as numerous clues in the film itself, it references aspects of JFKs history to lend the theory credence: https://www.bustle.com/p/whats-on-the-tapes-in-bad-times-at-the-el-royale-all-the-clues-point-to-one-famous-politician-12193684

The Bustle article is pretty interesting. Nonetheless when I watched the movie my gut feeling was that MLK was on the reel of film.

The way I remember what happened in the movie, is the film in question was was said to have been shot only a few years before...in fact I think he said it was about four years old. The movie takes place in 1969, and JFK was shot in November of 1963.

I'll repeat what I said earlier. Based on when the movie takes place in 1969...

MLK had been dead nine months. Bobby Kennedy had been dead dead seven months. JFK had been dead five years two months.

@thebarnman said:

The way I remember what happened in the movie, is the film in question was was said to have been shot only a few years before...in fact I think he said it was about four years old.

Just watching it. You are not remembering right:

"Last year, the big celebration, a man stayed with us. He was a big deal, you'd know him. Management wanted him, they really wanted him. But he was kind to me. Nobody's ever kind to me, so I told them there wasn't no woman in his room.

So, assuming we can trust Miles here, it could not have been JFK, but the other two are still in the running.

@SydneyFife said:

@thebarnman said:

The way I remember what happened in the movie, is the film in question was was said to have been shot only a few years before...in fact I think he said it was about four years old.

Just watching it. You are not remembering right:

"Last year, the big celebration, a man stayed with us. He was a big deal, you'd know him. Management wanted him, they really wanted him. But he was kind to me. Nobody's ever kind to me, so I told them there wasn't no woman in his room.

So, assuming we can trust Miles here, it could not have been JFK, but the other two are still in the running.

You might be correct. I remember the movie taking place in 1969, however there's sources on the internet that say 1969 and another one that says early 70s. Personally, I think it took place in 1969. I like your quote by the way. Last year could have been just the year before say like 1968, but not necessarily a full year. Today I can say last year meaning 2020 hense December of 2020 was nine months ago...not a full year.

In this case I'll guess MLK simply because he was very nice to everyone. Kennedy would probably not have been in that little place due to his big government status even though that little place as they say in the movie was somewhat of a happening place back in it's day.