You may not have heard of him, but he’s had a hand in some of the biggest cultural events in American history. The death of Marilyn Monroe. The Watts riots. Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination. The Manson Family murders. Natalie Wood’s drowning. And he was so reviled by the Hollywood establishment that none other than Frank Sinatra hand-delivered a letter calling for his ouster. The story of Dr. Thomas Noguchi, chief medical examiner and coroner for Los Angeles County during the social upheaval of the ‘60s and ‘70s, is immortalized in the new documentary “Coroner to the Stars.” And it’s a tale that must be seen to be believed.
Directed by Ben Hethcoat and Keita Ideno, and embarking on a nationwide roadshow on June 23 before a July 14 digital release, “Coroner to the Stars” traces Dr. Noguchi’s journey from Yokosuka, Japan, to the bright lights of Los Angeles, where he performed autopsies on luminaries like Marilyn Monroe, Robert F. Kennedy, Sharon Tate, Janis Joplin, William Holden, Natalie Wood and John Belushi. His renown inspired the NBC medical drama “Quincy, M.E.,” and his candidness with the press — “tell it like it is” being a personal credo — riled the celebrity set, leading to smear campaigns against him and the Japanese American community (including George Takei) rallying to his defense, alleging racial discrimination.
