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
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 owner | murder of wife | on the run | unfaithful wife | hard boiled | 

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Taglines:

Double dame trouble! Double-barrelled action!

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Genres:

Crime | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 1946 (UK)

Also Known As:

La dalia azul

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles City Hall - 200 North Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,700,000

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

Raymond Chandler was unhappy with Veronica Lake's performance as Joyce Harwood. He referred to the actress as "Miss Moronica Lake" and complained in a letter: "The only times she's good is when she keeps her mouth shut and looks mysterious. The moment she tries to behave as if she had a brain she falls flat on her face. The scenes we had to cut out because she loused them up! And there are three godawful close shots of her looking perturbed that make me want to throw my lunch over the fence."

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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

Man recommending a motel: [walking into the cheap motel] Clean sheets every day they tell me.
Johnny Morrison: How often do they change the fleas?

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Connections

Featured in Watching the Detectives (2007)

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Soundtracks

That Ain't Right
(uncredited)
Music by Bernie Wayne
Used instrumentally

User Reviews

Brilliant mystery from Paramount Studios

I recently watched The Blue Dahlia for the first time and found it excellent and very gripping.

Johnny Morrison and two of his pals have just come back from serving in the Second World War. Not long after, Morrison's wife is found dead and has been murdered. Morrison is the prime suspect for her murder and starts to go on the run because of this. He meets somebody else in the process and falls in love with her, despite his wife's death. Towards the end, we find out who really murdered Mrs Morrison...

This movie is shot well in black and white and certainly has some gripping moments.

The cast includes the excellent Alan Ladd (Shane), Veronica Lake, William Bendix, Doris Dowling as Mrs Morrison and Hugh Beaumont.

If you are a fan of mysteries or just old movies, The Blue Dahlia is a must. Fantastic.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.