The Blue Dahlia (1946)

An ex-bomber pilot is suspected of murdering his unfaithful wife.

Director:

George Marshall

Writer:

Raymond Chandler

Stars:

Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alan Ladd	...	Johnny Morrison - Lt.Cmdr., ret.
Veronica Lake	...	Joyce Harwood
William Bendix	...	Buzz Wanchek
Howard Da Silva	...	Eddie Harwood
Doris Dowling	...	Helen Morrison
Tom Powers	...	Capt. Hendrickson
Hugh Beaumont	...	George Copeland
Howard Freeman	...	Corelli
Don Costello	...	Leo
Will Wright	...	'Dad' Newell
Frank Faylen	...	Man Recommending a Motel
Walter Sande	...	Heath

Storyline

When Johnny comes home from the navy he finds his wife Helen kissing her substitute boyfriend Eddie, the owner of the Blue Dahlia nightclub. Helen admits her drunkenness caused their son's death. He pulls a gun on her but decides she's not worth it. Later, Helen is found dead and Johnny is the prime suspect.

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Plot Keywords:

nightclub | pilot | hotel | murder | drunkenness | 

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Taglines:

Tamed by a brunette - framed by a blonde - blamed by the cops!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

La dalia azul

Filming Locations:

Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Elizabeth Short got the nickname "The Black Dahlia" from a bartender at a Long Beach bar she frequented. The Blue Dahlia was playing at a theatre down the street, and the bartender got the name wrong. Elizabeth picked up on that and kept the nickname, adding a flower to her hair to complete the transformation. She was murdered the next year (1947).

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Goofs

After arriving home and being introduced to his wife's friends, Johnny punches his wife's beau in the mouth then storms into a bedroom where we hear a door slam but then see the actual door close softly.

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Quotes

Eddie Harwood: Half the cops in L.A. are looking for you.
Johnny Morrison: Only half?

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Connections

Featured in Watching the Detectives (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive"
(1944) (uncredited)
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Sung by party guests

User Reviews

Interesting, if Slightly Dated, Film Noir

"The Blue Dahlia" is a slightly dated but interesting film noir. It has a pretty good mystery story that, while a bit too reliant on coincidence, also has some creative aspects. The cast is pretty good, and the atmosphere is classic 40's film noir.

Alan Ladd plays a World War II pilot who comes home only to find an unfaithful, unpleasant, drunken wife waiting for him. She has made a mess of her life while he was away, and it is no surprise that she soon turns up murdered. The husband is suspected, and is pursued by the police, with a mysterious blonde (Veronica Lake) also taking an unexplained interest in him. Ladd and Lake are pretty good in the leads, and William Bendix is very good in a difficult role as Ladd's shell-shocked pal. The film goes pretty heavy on the "noir" atmosphere, and now seems just a little dated or static, but the atmosphere does fit well with the story.

This will primarily be of interest to those who already like films of the era, but for those who do, this is an interesting story that you'll want to see.