Wonderland Legend, Rodger Jacobs, Passed Away This Summer
Rodger got a kick out of me calling him a Wonderland Legend a few years ago when I heard he was otherwise down-and-out and at least very ill – so I am doing it again. Thanks to those who chipped in and PayPal’d him some cash with me a few years ago when he was sick and in need. I recall that he was very appreciative of that. I just wish I could have met him and helped him some more. Jacobs’ resume speaks for itself, and you can google him to learn more about his life, books, stories and films.
And today here on the blog – Rodger is gone but not forgotten.
March 12, 1959 – July 5, 2016
Author, Playwright, Columnist, Filmmaker
Jack Harper, 
criticextraordinaire, and 6 others are discussing. 
criticextraordinaire 6:06 pm on October 4, 2016 Permalink |
RIP, Rodger. I had always hoped that things would turn around for him. His contributions to the documentation of Wonderland and John Holmes indeed made him a “Wonderland legend” as well as a “Holmes legend”.
Bobby 12:28 am on October 5, 2016 Permalink |
Very sad to hear this. RIP Rodger, a bonafide Wonderland legend! I’m sure you had some awesome conversations with him John.. he’ll be sorely missed.
Jill Nelson 6:41 am on October 6, 2016 Permalink |
I too, am very sad to learn this news and am grateful to have had a couple of positive exchanges with him a few years ago. RIP.
localarts 6:43 pm on October 6, 2016 Permalink |
Very sad indeed. Roger Jacobs deserves a lot of credit for being the first to offer a real insight to the wonderland murders . Mike Sager’s “To live and die in LA” was a start, still have my original copy from “89 but Long Time Money & Lots of Cocaine was a game changer! Sorry for doubting your assessment of Launius, you were right all along! RIP.
criticextraordinaire 5:50 pm on October 9, 2016 Permalink |
Ronnie was bad ass. Somehow I had always hoped that maybe Rodger would pick up the trail and do an extended piece (or even screenplay) about him, but that’s not gonna happen now. John here at wonderland1981 probably is the most knowledgeable about Ronnie at this point, other than Susan who apparently is saying nothing. I think a flick about Ronnie could be done on an epic scale, something along the lines of “Scarface where the ultimate badass builds his empire, then takes things just a little too far.
localarts 12:07 pm on October 10, 2016 Permalink
I agree Critic. Ron Launius was a man to be feared, PERIOD. Even though Roger is no longer with us, I’m sure John’s book will be very through with regards to Launius. Without a doubt, John’s knowledge of Wonderland far supersedes that of anyone who was not directly involved in the case! Yeah, a movie about Launius would be great but getting the right people interested and the money behind it is another story…
J, Debreux 9:22 pm on October 23, 2016 Permalink
I heard different. More like the strongest of the weak. He finally MET a real bad ass !
criticextraordinaire 6:30 pm on October 28, 2016 Permalink
Well nobody wins every battle, and Ronnie was no exception. But realize it took a whole crew to take Ronnie down. Ronnie’s big mistake was not finishing off The Nash and Diles when he had the chance. He violated Rule Number One, and it cost him.
Pumpkin12903 2:17 pm on October 7, 2016 Permalink |
Here’s two other pieces about this: http://www.josephfmailander.com/2016/09/rodger-jacobs-1959-2016.html and http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=102714.
criticextraordinaire 7:39 pm on October 10, 2016 Permalink |
Wow, it is sad that nobody even cared enough to claim Rodger’s remains. Likewise sad that his long time partner Lela passed away a few weeks after he did. 😦
Laura 11:56 am on October 15, 2016 Permalink
Dear CriticE, to be honest it’s not a surprise to me that his remains weren’t claimed. His treatment of me was pretty horrible after I confronted him nicely on some things. He accused me of some stuff I never did. This is one reason I found the articles about his death. Because of things he accused me of (which were lies) I kept an eye on him online in case I ever needed to get a lawyer involved. I wasn’t the only one who was treated badly by him. Interestingly, when Jacobs tore into me (again) on the Internet Movie Database website some years back my boyfriend gave him an earful. Jacobs didn’t say a word in reply to my boyfriend. He literally hid from him, but had no problem tearing into me and others. Very sad in the long run.
Laura 3:49 pm on October 15, 2016 Permalink
I’ll give Lela credit where due. Please know I’m not being sarcastic here: She was very kind and patient with me in our one encounter online.
Laura 1:37 pm on October 16, 2016 Permalink
Dear CriticE, yes, this is “pumpkin12903” from the IMDB “Wonderland” board. It’s great to see a few of the people from there on here now. I found this blog not long ago. I haven’t been on IMDB much for some years as am spending that time on other things. I do a search on the Wonderland case every great once in a while to see if there’s any new info. Also look on the IMDB board every great once in a while to see if anything new on there. I hope you’ve been doing well. I answered your question here as “reply” button didn’t show up under your post.
Laura 9:21 am on October 9, 2016 Permalink |
Found these also: http://www.josephfmailander.com/2016/09/rodger-jacobs-1959-2016.html and http://lukeford.net/blog/?p=102714.
Laura 11:59 am on October 15, 2016 Permalink |
Sorry I posted these links twice. I wasn’t logged into WordPress on the first post and it didn’t give a message saying “moderation pending” like the second post did. I’ll remember from now on to be logged into WordPress when I post.
criticextraordinaire 6:25 pm on October 15, 2016 Permalink
Laura = Pumpkin ?
J, Debreux 9:20 pm on October 23, 2016 Permalink |
I certainly thank Rodger Jacobs for exposing Holmes for the sociopathic pos he really was. Like any real journalist “hey, if the shoe fits, wear it “
criticextraordinaire 6:35 pm on October 28, 2016 Permalink |
Not all of us see Mr. Holmes as a “pos”. True, he was a flawed person much like all of us, the proverbial “glass half empty”. But many of us out here prefer to look at his good side, as well as his pioneering work in the world of cinema.
There are not that many actors who are known almost as well by their screen character as their real persona. John was the Leonard Nimoy of porn.
Jack Harper 10:30 pm on December 5, 2016 Permalink |
I am Rodgers step brother and I just found out he died in July of 2016. Rodger and I were as different as night and day, but we had some good times growing up together. He was always in seclusion, in his room listening to music, writing, etc.I tried to get him to forgive his mother, my step mom, but he was pissed at her, he never forgave her and he was a very selfish person, never reciprocating attempts towards a closer relationship with me or his mother.He was very talented, but had a drinking problem that I’m sure added to his already weak condition. My friend Ted just told me about this, so I am still a little stunned. I hope you all will remember his contribution to the arts and his passion for well written plays and journalism…
John 3:51 pm on December 6, 2016 Permalink |
Thanks for posting about Rodger, Jack. It’s appreciated by all here. –John
Jack Harper 7:34 am on December 6, 2016 Permalink |
My Name is Jack Harper, Rodger was my step-brother. I just found out he died in July. Rodger was a complicated individual and he had many flaws, but when it came to his craft he was very passionate and wanted to push it to the limits. We drifted apart from each other as we got older, his unwillingness to continue our relationship as brothers was part of his dark side. I tried to help him many times, but he wanted to do what he wanted, even if that was drinking himself into an early grave. I am saddened by his passing, we did have some memorable times together growing up…
John 5:21 pm on March 16, 2018 Permalink |
Thanks again for posting here, Jack. We wished we could have known Rodger, or hung out with him once or twice.