Leofwine_draca THE BLUE DAHLIA is a standard film noir flick from the 1940s, with an above average script by Raymond Chandler which emphasises characterisation more than you'd aspect from this genre. The film is probably better known to history for inspiring the name of a real life murder case (that of the Black Dahlia) which followed shortly after the movie's release.Alan Ladd gives a solid performance as a soldier who returns from the war with some buddies to discover that his home life is very different to how he left it. Pretty soon his scheming wife is found murdered, and naturally the finger of suspicion falls on Ladd. This set-up is entirely routine, but there's enough interaction with gangsters and pursuing cops, not to mention Veronica Lake's femme fatale, to make it workable.One of the film's biggest strengths comes from William Bendix who plays one of Ladd's army buddies. Bendix has shrapnel lodged in his head which gives him some bizarre side effects and these are dealt with very effectively. It's the best performance I've seen Bendix give. Otherwise, the only thing that spoils this is the very ordinary ending, a re-write forced on Chandler by the studio. The original ending would have been much more effective.

GManfred The story goes that Raymond Chandler was under the gun to finish the script for "The Blue Dahlia", and so chased his demons away as best he could to put the last period in a timely manner to satisfy Paramount studio heads. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable noir with no basis in reality and succeeds due to the efforts of a first-rate cast and director.The theory of the Phenomena of Coincidence is stretched to the limits as scene after scene is loaded with 'wouldn't ya know it' circumstances as well as dumb-luck stuff that defies belief. But this is Hollywood, where that kind of thing happens all the time. Where else could the hero, on the lam as they say in noir, hitch a ride with the wife of the villain of the piece? or get taken to a hotel to get fleeced by two guys who have nothing to do with the story?Not an awful lot of logic here, plus an abrupt ending which doesn't quite fit. But the stars are great and the story works on you like a scotch on the rocks, or two. Hooray for Hollywood!

lugonian THE BLUE DAHLIA (Paramount, 1946), directed by George Marshall, reunites the popular trio of Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake and William Bendix from a Dashell Hammett mystery tale of THE GLASS KEY (Paramount, 1942), in another mystery tale, this one by author, Raymond Chandler. With the opening titles superimposed over the glittering dahlia over a nightclub, a viewer's first impression was to be seeing a nightclub melodrama casting Ladd as its proprietor, Lake the sultry blonde singer and mistress, and Bendix a rough and tough bouncer/ bodyguard. With that in mind, it's always fun after the completion of the opening credits to expect the unexpected, one of many reasons why THE BLUE DAHLIA has turned out so well upon its initial release. In later years, it's become one of Ladd's most televised movies in the sixties, seventies and part of the 1980s, and it's easy to see why.The story starts off with an introduction of three war buddies from World War II coming out of a Hollywood bus in the city of Los Angeles, California, to face a new world of civilian life: Johnny Morrison (Alan Ladd), a Navy lieutenant commander; "Buzz" Wenchek (William Bendix), a shell-shock victim with great sensitivity towards loud juke box "monkey" music; and George Copeland (Hugh Beaumont), an attorney by profession. As Buzz and George return to the apartment building they once lived before the war, Johnny comes to Cavendish Court, Bungalow 93, to surprise his wife, Helen (Doris Dowling). Upon his arrival, Johnny is shocked to find his wife drunk, hosting an all-night party for her drunken friends, and finding Eddie Harwood (Howard Da Silva), proprietor of The Blue Dahlia night club, kissing his wife. After the guests leave, Johnny comes to more bitter shock learning how his son, Dickie, actually died. During a quarrel, Johnny takes out his gun with the intent of killing Helen, but comes to the conclusion she's not worth it. Dropping the gun on the couch, he takes his belongings, leaving the hotel bungalow in disgust. While walking in the rain down the dark streets, a young blonde (Veronica Lake), driving to Malibu, offers him a ride. Before the night is over, Johnny and the blonde part company while Helen, having already entertained three separate visitors in the course of a few hours, is found dead the next morning by Jenny, the housemaid (Mae Busch) with a gun nearby. With Johnny the prime suspect, and Captain Hendrickson (Tom Powers) of the Los Angeles police questioning his friends, Johnny and the blonde continue to meet on different paths after several goodbyes. This time the blonde, believing Johnny innocent, helps him in his search for the real killer. Before coming upon evidence leading him to The Blue Dahlia, Johnny is surprised to find the blonde married to the man with possible motives for his wife's murder.Although the seems to be full of clichés and coincidences throughout, THE BLUE DAHLIA is still first-rate forties-style entertainment. With the Ladd-Lake combination working so well here as it did in their two previous screen efforts, it's a wonder how THE BLUE DAHLIA might have turned out had it starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall (Warner Brothers); Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell (20th Century-Fox); Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer (RKO Radio); or John Hodiak and Gloria Grahame (MGM) in their place. With fate on their side, it's hard to imagine anyone other than Ladd-Lake in the leads. With THE BLUE DAHLIA being Ladd's film throughout (94 minutes), there's a brief time out for nightclub singer vocalizing to an old tune, "Easy to Remember" (by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart). Of the supporting players, William Bendix stands out where he realistically goes through spells of mental blackouts, and gets some laughs where he gives a "copper" a hard time in the police department. Fans of the "Leave It to Beaver" TV series (1957-1963) should enjoy seeing Hugh Beaumont years before his legendary TV Dad role of Ward Cleaver. Let's not overlook Howard Da Silva's performance, along with other shady characters as Will Wright (The House Detective) and Don Costello (Leo).Distributed to home video (1998) and DVD (2014), notable cable TV broadcasts consist of American Movie Classics (1995-1999) and Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: December 15, 2001). With SHANE (Paramount, 1953) labeled as Ladd's best screen performance, THE BLUE DAHLIA comes a close second, thanks to his confident tough guy image. Though not as well-known as some of the other notable film noir contemporaries from that era, THE BLUE DAHLIA is recommended without hesitation, even for not being a full-fledged nightclub melodrama as the opening credits promised. (***1/2)

Alex da Silva Alan Ladd (Johnny Morrison) returns from the war to his wife Doris Dowling (Helen). However, she has been tarting about behind his back with Howard Da Silva (Eddie Harwood) and she also admits responsibility for the death of Ladd's son. This revelation proves too much for Alan Ladd and he walks out. However, Dowling is shot that night and Ladd becomes the number one suspect. He forms an alliance with Eddie's wife Veronica Lake (Joyce) and the film becomes a murder mystery. Who-dunnit....? The acting honours go to Howard Da Silva as the confident nightclub owner and Doris Dowling as the partying floozy, followed by Alan Ladd in the lead role. William Bendix as army buddy "Buzz" can be annoying at times. He shouts his way through the film and although he gets much credit for playing an ex-serviceman with shell-shock, the truth is that he is irritating at times.I wasn't sure what the film was about for the first half hour or so and the film gets a bit slow in parts. The story also stretches credulity with the rather convenient meeting between Ladd and lake and their association with each other. The ending is also a cop-out. Although the film keeps you guessing as to the identity of the murderer (I didn't guess it), all is ultimately revealed in a very poor confession from out of the blue. Tacky. It could have been much better. Overall, the film lacks something.