SYNOPSIS

Johnny Morrison (Alan Ladd) returns home after serving in World War II to find that his wife Helen (Doris Dowling) has been unfaithful. After an ugly fight between them, Johnny walks out. When Helen is murdered soon after, Johnny is the number one suspect. In a race against time, Johnny must prove his innocence and stay one step ahead of the police. Along the way he joins forces with Joyce Harwood (Veronica Lake), the estranged wife of Helen's lover, to find the real killer.

CAST AND CREW

Director: George Marshall

Producer: John Houseman

Screenplay: Raymond Chandler

Cinematography: Lionel Lindon

Art Designer: Hans Dreier, Walter Tyler

Editing: Arthur Schmidt

Music Composer: Victor Young

Costume Designer: Edith Head

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 (the Man), Walter Sande (Heath), Vera Marshe (Blonde), Mae Busch (Jenny the Maid), Gloria Williams (Assistant Maid), Harry Hayden (Mr. Hughes, the Assistant Hotel Manager), George Barton (Cab Driver), Harry Barris (Bellhop), Paul Gustine (Doorman), Roberta Jonay (Girl Hotel Clerk), Milton Kibbee (Night Hotel Clerk), Dick Winslow (Piano Player at Party), Anthony Caruso (Marine Corporal), Matt McHugh (Bartender), Arthur Loft (the Wolf), Stan Johnson (Naval Officer), Ernie Adams (Joe – Man in Coveralls), Henry Vroom (Master Sergeant), Jack Clifford (Plainclothesman), George Sorel (Paul, the Captain of Waiters)

B & W - 96 m.

Why THE BLUE DAHLIA is Essential

With an Academy Award-nominated screenplay by Raymond Chandler and actor Alan Ladd at his hard-hitting best, The Blue Dahlia is a first-rate film noir and one of the most intriguing crime dramas of the 1940s.

The Blue Dahlia was the first original screenplay that famed crime novelist Raymond Chandler ever wrote. Crackling with Chandler's trademark dark wit and crisp dialogue, The Blue Dahlia stands out as one of Chandler's most interesting yarns.

The Blue Dahlia was a film vehicle designed especially for Paramount's biggest male star at the time, Alan Ladd. Ladd had recently been discharged from the Army, but was being called back to serve in just eight weeks. When Paramount realized that it didn't have any new Alan Ladd movies to offer the public during his absence, the studio quickly rushed The Blue Dahlia into production. The success of the film helped keep Ladd in the public eye during his absence from Hollywood.

The film marked the third pairing of Paramount stars Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. Moviegoers had loved them together in This Gun For Hire and The Glass Key (both 1942) and couldn't get enough of their on-screen chemistry.

The Blue Dahlia has become inextricably linked to the infamous 1947 Los Angeles murder case known commonly as The Black Dahlia. Victim Elizabeth Short was found dead, her torso severed in half, in January 1947. It has remained an unsolved crime to this day. Elizabeth Short was known as The Black Dahlia before she died because of the dark color of her hair and her penchant for wearing black. The nickname was a play on words of The Blue Dahlia, one of the popular films of the day.

by Andrea Passafiume