The "Lady in Yellow Pants" Theory
- An Annotated Timeline
Mark Ulrik, June 2018.
Disclaimer: A lot has been written about this theory since it was introduced by Ben Holmes in March of 2008, so I'm sure this is just scratching the surface. It's difficult to do justice to each and every contributor, but Tim Brennan has done a particularly fine job of dismantling Ben's theory in a clear and concise manner. Other early debunkers include Robert Harris, Steve Barber, and yours truly.
Ironically, this obscure theory, which was dead in the water from day one, would have been long forgotten, had it not been for Ben's stubborn refusal over the years to admit he was wrong.
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[2000-05-15] Jack White (JW) notes a (perceived) discrepancy between the Zapruder film (Z) and the Nix film (N), not realizing that the Franzen group (FG) is obscured in the latter by the presence of a second group of people (an unidentified couple, UC) standing in the grass between Nix and the Franzens.
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"5-year old Jeff Franzen (1) was taken to see the motorcade by his father (2) and his mother (3), just as Z-369 portrays them (top left). Next to the Franzen family stands an unidentified man (4), all by himself. No one else is seen in this frame. Notice that Mrs. Franzen is holding her husband's left hand, while he has his right hand atop Jeffs head. The blond Mrs. Franzen has a purse at her left elbow and wears a tight-fitting skirt. The unidentified man has on dark pants and a light sweater. I located a good Nix frame taken at almost the same instant (bottom). The positions of Jackie and of Clint Hill are very similar. In the enlarged inset (top right), Mr. Franzen still has his right hand on Jeffs head, but Mrs. Franzen has completely disappeared. The unidentified man is still in position. Now a woman companion (5) has materialized and is embracing his left shoulder. She seems to be wearing an orange headscarf and a black topcoat, which flares at the bottom. Nobody like this woman is seen anywhere in Zapruder. And what has happened to Mrs. Franzen? Nix is wrong or Zapruder is wrong: they can't both be right."
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Source: Jack White, Murder in Dealey Plaza, Insert, p. 16.
https://www.krusch.com/books/kennedy/Murder_In_Dealey_Plaza.pdf#page=494
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[2003-03-04] Steve Barber (SB) points out that UC is also visible in a number of Z frames (or their legs are) and that the entire FG can be seen in N.
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The two people standing "behind" the couple with the little boy (the Franzens) ARE seen in the Zapruder film. They are at the extreme top of the unenhanced frames. Of this couple, the girl dressed in a white top and black pants is reacting to the shooting, the girl standing in place and "jogging" so to speak.
The Franzens all can be seen in the Nix film. You can see Mr. Franzen's legs, the little boy, Mrs. Franzen, and then the guy who some thought to be holding a sign that read "JFK SOB" all are right where they show up in the Z film.
No one is "missing" from the films. All are there in both Nix and Zapruder films.
Jack White is in total error.
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Source: Steve Barber, a.a.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.assassination.jfk/yQrqjBTC6_Y/WdPv4QtqgK4J
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[2003-03-05] SB points out that the people seen in the N frame picked by JW have had time to move a bit after disappearing from Zapruder's view and that JW's mystery woman is in fact Mrs. Franzen.
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>But where is the woman that is with the man in the Nix film in Zapruder?
>In Zapruder the guy is standing alone. I'm just not seeing it.
She is right there. Nix's angle makes it look like they are standing VERY close together. As you can see in the Z film they were not that far apart. The man is a little in front of Mrs. Franzen. Also, she must have moved to her left after she disappeared from Zapruder's camera. You can see the man moving, and her as well in the Nix film, and by this time they are both out of Zapruder's view.
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Source: Steve Barber, a.a.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.assassination.jfk/yQrqjBTC6_Y/KPqIifbCtaAJ
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[2008-03-05] Ben Holmes (BH) doubles down on White's mistake, apparently unaware of SB's discovery of the UC in Z. He adds a twist of his own by insisting that a certain female figure in N should also have appeared in Z. This is the first mention of the "Lady in Yellow Pants" (LYP). The thread title, "Z-369 and Proof that Zapruder & Nix Have Been Altered," shows how significant BH considers his observations to be.
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As anyone who's viewed Z-369 knows, there's four people standing on the grass.
Bob has admitted as much when he said: "You have to look at the positions of Nix and Zapruder. Nix shows the limo passing those same four people [seen in Z-369] a bit later than Zapruder does, but only because of the angle he was filming from."
So Bob is well aware that there's *FOUR* people there.
Bob also knows that the Nix film shows *MORE* than four people, since he's stated: "The two people behind that group (in Nix) are taller than the four near the road, because they were well back from the road and out of Zapruder's view."
But Bob certainly knows THAT THERE IS NO PORTION OF THE GRASS THAT IS *NOT* IN VIEW OF ZAPRUDER'S CAMERA!
We know this with great certainty - because at the top of Z-369, you can see Main street. There can't be any grass that is *NOT* visible to Zapruder. So Bob just lied. "The two people behind that group (in Nix)" can't possibly be on the grass - since Zapruder doesn't show them on the grass - AND *ALL* OF THE GRASS UP TO MAIN STREET IS IN VIEW - yet they are clearly on the grass in the Nix film.
This is only half the problem, of course... because there are a further *two* people to the right of this 'group of four' seen standing in the grass in the extant Z-film... yet Nix shows *THREE* people. (Looks like a woman wearing yellow pants, dark coat, tan purse on left side... my opinion, of course)
Bob can't explain these facts - indeed, he resorts to lies in order to make his case - he pretends that there's a part of the grass in back of the Franzen family that is not in view of the Zapruder camera - yet it's clear that Bob simply lied.
He accepts that Mrs Franzen has "moved", yet can [sic] show this movement in the video...
Why do you have to lie, Bob?
Of course, Bob isn't the only liar around here... Martin & Tony come to mind,
and *ALL* LNT'ers... since I'm unaware of any LNT'er who admits photographic
fraud in this case yet still maintains that the WCR was correct.
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Source: Ben Holmes, a.c.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/alt.conspiracy.jfk/n5udK4xqa2U/13BanrEHNu0J
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[2008-03-06] BH abandons the part of his inquery that involves UC. As already pointed out by SB in 2003, their legs can be seen in a number of Z frames (most clearly in the Z-342 to Z-349 range).
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Just an update... looks like David has found the two men [sic] behind the Franzen family in Z-348. I believe that he's right. That makes me wrong about the two additional men behind the Franzen family.
Sadly, there's still no explanation for Mrs. Franzen's position, or the lady wearing yellow pants. Nor has Bob addressed this problem.
And sadly, Bob's lie about the area visible to the Zapruder film still stands.
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Source: Ben Holmes, a.c.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.conspiracy.jfk/n5udK4xqa2U/RcTETCRQkN4J
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[2008-03-07] The LYP theory assumes its final form when BH shifts the focus to the unidentified couple in Z-377 (UC2) and challenges other posters to tell him how many people they can see "in the same location" in N. The expected answer is obviously "3" as BH wants to include LYP in the count. What he fails to realize is that, at Z-377, Zapruder had already panned past LYP's location (which was too close to Main St. for her to have been captured on his film anyway). The statement that "THERE IS NO PORTION OF THE GRASS THAT IS *NOT* IN VIEW OF ZAPRUDER'S CAMERA" (BH) is true for Z-377, but not for the frames (from about Z-345 through the Z-350s) where the camera was pointing in LYP's direction. Main St. only comes into view after Z-367.
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>> Maybe Holmes is color blind. Why doesn't he post a link showing the
>> frame where this ficticious woman in yellow pants is standing,
>> walking, running...whatever? Instead he keeps claiming she's there
>> with no proof and none of us seem to be able to find her. What a
>> surprise, Holmes just enjoys calling others liars...even though he
>> knows he is the one doing all the lying.
This isn't difficult at all to see... it's apparently only impossible to answer.
The Zapruder film shows how many people in the grass at Z-377?
How many people does the Nix film show in the same location?
This is really simple. Even trolls can tell the difference between "2" and "3".
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Source: Ben Holmes, a.c.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.conspiracy.jfk/VKwO6FELruQ/BHlWBha-dUMJ
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[2008-03-08] Early responses by SB and Mark Ulrik (MU). BH would later claim that other posters were either deceitful or unresponsive.
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> > The Zapruder film shows how many people in the grass at Z-377?
>
> Two (outside of the intersprocket area).
>
> > How many people does the Nix film show in the same location?
>
> Two.
Agreed. The 3rd person Mr. Holmes believes should be in the frame(s) of the Z film, which I presume is the person referred to by some as "bag lady", is just out of the frame, at the top. All it would take is for Mr. Holmes to get a the same make and model camera Zapruder used, go to Dealey Plaza, stand in Z's position, and duplicate the filming by Mr. Zapruder.
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Steve Barber, a.c.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.conspiracy.jfk/VKwO6FELruQ/e7IsdDYjWDIJ
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[2008-03-09] Response from MU to (fawning BH acolyte) David Healy (DH).
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I suppose you would've counted the lady in yellow pants in the Nix film? But exactly where in the Zapruder film would you expect to see her? Hint: Ben's Z-377 suggestion above is ridiculous. It would have to have been before the lamppost comes into view in Z-365, and she is a few yards farther away from Zapruder than the couple whose legs you can see between Z-342 and Z-348, so she is simply out of view.
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Mark Ulrik, a.c.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.conspiracy.jfk/VKwO6FELruQ/fnnftJ140AEJ
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[2008-03-09] Response from Tim Brennan (TB) to MU.
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> > Is the lady in question the lady who appears in the bottom Nix frame
> > published on page 21 of the UPI book *Four Days*?
>
> > Is that the person who is being discussed?
>
> I don't have my books handy, but it's the person closest to Main St.
> in the frames that are reproduced here:
>
> [WC18H83]
>
http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh18/html/WH_Vol18_0049a.htm
>
> Some useful on-line tools:
>
> [Nix frames]
>
http://jfk.fotopic.net/c1178748.html
>
> [Zapruder frames]
>
http://www.assassinationresearch.com/zfilm/
>
> [Don Roberdeau's DP map]
>
http://members.aol.com/droberdeau/JFK/DP.jpg
Thanks. That is excellent! Yes, that is the lady in the *Four Days* book, the left most figure in the page of Nix frames you provided from the WC. She appears to be wearing yellow slacks under a black coat in the *Four Days* book.
I think that lady is too far back to appear in Zapruder, if that is what Ben is claiming. This whole Z369 claim appears to go back to something Jack White wrote in the book *Murder in Dealey Plaza*, facing page 325. Jack's research is flawed and his conclusions are bad. Anyone buying this Z369 as proof of fakery thing is buying a crock.
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Tim Brennan, a.c.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.conspiracy.jfk/VKwO6FELruQ/W7CzgdCNfvAJ
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[2008-03-09] Response from TB to MU.
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Yes, Z377 is too late for the lady to appear. In fact, she is much too far back to appear in Zapruder.
The couple behind the Franzen group are only partially visible in Zapruder. She is standing farther back than them.
Jack White compares Z369 with what appears to be Nix 103 to make his bogus comparison.
Clint Hill still appears to have one foot on the road in Z369. In N103 he has both feet on the bumper.
It's bogus research, and his conclusions defy logic.
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Tim Brennan, a.c.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.conspiracy.jfk/VKwO6FELruQ/QNg3Awm6iEQJ
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[2008-03-11] Response from TB to BH.
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> You've already admitted that only two people can be seen in the extant Z-film,
> and yet three people can be seen in Nix.
So? That's your conclusion, too, Ben.
But old *Yellow Legs* is too far back in Nix to be seen in Zapruder, isn't she Ben?
People like Robert Harris and Mark and Burly and any other convenient *troll* are simply right and you're wrong. Isn't that the case, Ben?
You've simply got it wrong Benny!
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Tim Brennan, a.c.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.conspiracy.jfk/VKwO6FELruQ/81-skHHABXQJ
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[2008-03-11] Response from BH, apparently oblivious to the fact that his "points" had already been refuted by several posters. It was after this exchange that he "killfiled" TB, purportedly for using the sobriquet "Benny".
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>> You've already admitted that only two people can be seen in the extant
>> Z-film, and yet three people can be seen in Nix.
>
>So? That's your conclusion, too, Ben.
>
>But old *Yellow Legs* is too far back in Nix to be seen in Zapruder,
>isn't she Ben?
Nope.
>People like Robert Harris and Mark and Burly and any other convenient
>*troll* are simply right and you're wrong. Isn't that the case, Ben?
When they all have to lie to make a point, all they've proven is that they're liars.
>You've simply got it wrong Benny!
And yet, you can't refute the points I make... indeed, you need to lie about them. What question did I ask that the trolls lied about???
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Ben Holmes, a.c.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.conspiracy.jfk/VKwO6FELruQ/f6fwxMPsvwAJ
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[2008-05-01] One of many fine summaries by TB.
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I think, if you wish to discuss this topic, you might find the following link to Nix film frames useful. It was provided by Mark during the course of the debate in question and is useful to compare with the Z frames link you posted earlier, particularly around Z369, for this topic:
http://jfk.fotopic.net/c1178748_97.html
What it shows is that, beginning at around Nix 104, a figure comes into view on the extreme left of the screen and moves progressively more into view as the camera continues to pan left, following the limo.
This figure is the one Ben claims proves that the Nix and Z films are incompatible, a lady apparently wearing yellow slacks under a long black coat, AKA *Yellow Legs*.
If you click on Z369 you can see why Ben is making this claim. Behind the Franzen group in Z369 Main Street is clearly visible and the foot of a street light, the shadow of which points approximately at Mrs Franzen's head, is also visible. There is, however, no *Yellow Slacks/Legs* lady visible in Z369.
This, in Ben's estimation, is proof of incompatibility between the Zapruder and Nix films, thus equalling forgery. If we can see as far as Main Street in Zapruder, why don't we see this *Yellow Slacks* lady? Her absence from one film and presence in another proves forgery, right? That's his view and that of David *aeffects* Healy, published Z film alterationist author, from what I understand.
The problem with their logic is that there are four street lights that run down Main at Dealey, and the one in the background of Z369 is the third one. You can check this easily by continuing to click through from Z369 as the limo heads towards the underpass and the fourth and final street light will come into view, at the edge of the concrete apron.
If you click back to the Nix frames you will notice that there is a street light in the foreground, as the camera pans right to left, following the limo. This street light disappears as the camera pans left and *Yellow Slacks/Legs* appears. However, this is NOT the same street light as seen in Z369. This is street light number two. Nix's film never pans left enough to pick up street light number three, the one shown in Z369.
You can tell this by checking any map of Dealey Plaza that shows where Nix was standing when he made his film. His field of vision is always going to include street light number two, not street light number three. The lady Ben thinks should be seen in Zapruder is standing way too far back to ever appear in Zapruder.
This is confirmed by the presence of a couple who appear behind the Franzen group in Nix, but whose feet only are visible in Zapruder. *Yellow Legs* is standing much farther back than this couple, so is completely unseen in Zapruder. Even Ben now acknowledges that this couple ARE visible in Zapruder, despite his initial claims to Robert Harris that they were not.
The next time, Curt, that you see Ben refer to other posters as *cowards* or *trolls* or *liars* or questions their character in this particular debate you might remember that it was Mark who originally posted links to the Nix and Zapruder frames and the relevant WC pages, not Ben or David, the supposed experts interested in open discussion.
When they were asked, the best Healy could do was come up with some lame claim that his copy of the UPI book *Four Days* was a black and white galley proof copy and thus useless for identifying *Yellow Slacks/Legs*. Ben backed him up in this claim by stating that he believed him, despite the improbability of David *aeffects* Healy's copy, out of millions sold around the world, being fully in black and white. For the rest of us, *Yellow Legs* is in full colour on page 21 of *Four Days*, bottom photo.
I hope this information will be of use to you, Curt, as you weigh the pros and cons of Z film alteration as it relates to *Yellow Legs* and Z369, Ben's theory. It should hardly be up to me to spell out his theory for you, but I think you'll find he's not very interested in discussing it anymore, apart from a bit of bluster when he thinks nobody is looking.
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Tim Brennan, a.c.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.conspiracy.jfk/n5udK4xqa2U/x4Yyc6jmuHEJ
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[2012-05-05] Response (with summary) from MU to BH.
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Anyone who bothers to wade through those old threads will find two sets of questions: about Z-369 and about Z-377, respectively. In both cases, the question was answered, the idea behind the question has shot down, and you ran from further discussion. Here's a quick recap:
Question A: How many people can be seen standing in the grass in Z-369? Underlying idea: a couple obscuring the view of the Franzes family in the Nix film should also have appeared in the Z-film. However: the legs/feet/shadows of the couple are visible from Z-334 to 355.
Question B: How many people can be seen standing in the grass in Z-377? Underlying idea: a "lady in yellow pants" seen in the Nix film should also have appeared in the Z film. However: it turned out that you had severely misjudged the location of the "lady in yellow pants" because you mistakenly assumed the lamp post in Z-377 was the same as the one seen in the Nix film just before she entered the picture.
The first idea was, as I understand it, borrowed from Jack "Photogramm...what?" White, and the second has become known as your very own "Lady in Yellow Pants" theory. Also for the record: the fact that you ran away from defending it (or admitting your failure) is what earned you the "Yellow Pants" nickname.
How can you claim, with a straight face, that people ran from answering your questions, when they not only answered them, but also refuted the underlying ideas?
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Mark Ulrik, a.c.jfk newsgroup post.
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.conspiracy.jfk/n2l81g_TKFA/1M6Ss2OpPz0J