The Blue Dahlia (1946)

This is How Movies Should Be Made

Don't Believe the Hype

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Raymond Chandler sometimes reminds me of F.Scott Fitzgerald. Both writers fuelled their industry by filling up their creative tanks with alcohol. You can detect this when reading their stories, especially those by Chandler. They are always interesting, because the plot lurches tipsily from one angle to another, and you never know what's going to happen next. This is because the author doesn't know either.By all accounts, he didn't know what was going to happen in this, his only solo screenplay. But he was a dab hand at penning dialogue, and description. In this film his alter ego must have been Buzz, hiding his intoxication under a plate covering a wound in his skull. Buzz gets the best lines. He is fantastically blunt and rude to everyone else in the story. He's pretty ready for a drink, as well. Straight bourbon, with a bourbon chaser. Followed by a variety of fist fights.One way of figuring a whodunnit is to pin the murder on the least likely person. This isn't too difficult here, since there is no real reason for the least likely person to feature in the story, and you might well wonder what he's doing in it the first place. In fact, he has no obvious motivation at all, which makes the ending fall slightly flat. But it is still quite entertaining, and it keeps you guessing. The loose ends are not otherwise very well tidied up. Why is the film called The Blue Dahlia ? Who actually shot Harwood, the owner of The Blue Dahlia ? What happened to his henchmen ? Not to worry. Just sit back and let it all sink in. The hangover won't arrive until later.

War hero Alan Ladd returns home to find out his wife (Doris Dowling) has been cheating on him with sleazy nightclub owner Howard DaSilva. When she ends up dead, Ladd is the chief suspect. Foxy Veronica Lake (DaSilva's estranged wife) helps him figure out who the real killer is. Full of eccentric dialog and MANY eccentric characters, George Marshall's noir classic is immensely entertaining with a very clever script by none other than Raymond Chandler. Ladd & Lake have dynamite chemistry and the supporting cast is first rate. Dowling is great as a bitchy barfly and Hugh Beaumont, Howard Freeman and William Bendix are in it too. Bendix steals the film as a very damaged war vet. The great cinematography is by Lionel Lindon.

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!

I last saw "The Blue Dahlia" years ago in a college film class. I remember liking it. Now that I've seen it again I find it a mixed bag. There are fine moments but the total package is unsatisfying.The story concerns returning WWII vet Johnny Morrison (Alan Ladd) going on the run when he's suspected of killing his two-timing wife (Helen Morrison). He's aided by Navy pals George (Hugh Beaumont) and Buzz (William Bendix), the latter suffering from what we now call PTSD. Complicating things are shady night-club owner Eddie Harwood (Howard Da Silva) and Joyce Harwood, Eddie's sultry ex (Veronica Lake). Johnny dodges miscellaneous thugs, cops, and plot twists in his quest to unmask the real murderer.The script was written by Raymond Chandler. Hollywood legend says Chandler had to get drunk to overcome a writer's block preventing his finishing the job. It's easy to believe, because the script is a mess. Alongside truly great scenes are baffling digressions which belong in a different movie. Joyce's romance with Johnny comes from nowhere and contributes nothing to the narrative. Much has been said about Navy Department pressure forcing the studio to change the killer's identity. Maybe in 1946 a homicidal vet would have shocked audiences, but to this modern viewer it's obvious early on whodunnit. The finished movie's final revelation may not be convincing, but at least it's a surprise.Though he comes close to going over the top in a couple of scenes, William Bendix is terrific as Buzz, the tortured vet. To Chandler's credit Buzz is a complex character. Though basically sympathetic, Buzz's affliction makes him prickly and erratic, a challenge his buddies don't quite know how to handle. Bendix makes the most of a challenging role.The leads are disappointing. Alan Ladd is convincingly tough in only a few scenes. It doesn't help that he's so well-scrubbed and pretty-looking. The part calls for someone with rougher edges. Pretty is about all Veronica Lake has to offer. Many people deride Lake's acting ability, but the real problem is that as Joyce she has nothing to do. Her character could be eliminated with little effect on the story. Doris Dowling is downright bizarre as Helen, the murdered spouse. She expresses inner turmoil by twitching, grimacing, and rubbing her stomach as if she were acting in a silent movie.The surprise of the cast is Howard da Silva. When he first appeared as Eddie Harwood I hated him. He looks like Walt Disney and speaks in a flat, tired voice. He seems anything but a powerful upscale hood. But as the story unwinds we see behind Eddie's facade. Cowed by Helen, yearning hopelessly for lost Joyce, Harwood is in over his head, projecting a smooth image while struggling just to stay afloat. In one of the movie's nicest scenes he finally faces reality. Weary and beaten, he confesses to Johnny that inside he always knew he was a small time guy trying to make it in a world that was way beyond his reach. Da Silva's performance proves to be dead on the money, and Harwood ends up one of the film's richest characters.