{"id":2386,"date":"2026-06-07T06:13:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T06:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8888\/wp_stories\/?p=2055"},"modified":"2026-08-13T06:27:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T06:27:05","slug":"the-blue-dahlia-1946","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/?p=2386","title":{"rendered":"The Blue Dahlia (1946)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What a great name for a noir movie! <br>Alan Ladd and the above-pictured Veronica Lake are a great line-up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[<em>I just realized I&#8217;ve been conflating Alan Ladd and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/?p=1838\">Audie Murphy<\/a>. <\/em><br><em>The are both compact, heroic-type guys who actually were war heroes(true?). <\/em><br><em>In any event, I like both of them in old movies.<\/em>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This movie was tonight&#8217;s <strong>Noir Alley<\/strong> entree so we get all the <strong>Eddie Muller<\/strong> movie trivia before and after. <br>He tells us that this was a <strong>Raymond Chandler<\/strong> screenplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He says that Chandler did NOT like Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake in these roles! <br>Me and Eddie disagree.  We think they&#8217;re great!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"border-top-width:2px\">The story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alan Ladd (<strong>Johnny<\/strong>), William Bendix (<strong>Buzz<\/strong>) and another guy (George) are fresh out of the Army and get off a bus in downtown LA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They go direct to a bar (of course), and we immediately know that Buzz has severe post traumatic stress syndrome. The juke box is &#8220;jungle music&#8221; to him, and jungle music freaks him out. I remember from before, he will do this the whole movie!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The other two are bachelors, but Johnny was married when the Army took him, so he goes straight home to his wife (<strong>Helen<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her place (their place I guess) is a super-cool little hotel of single-unit bungalows. Every unit has their own entrance and their own front porch, but you have to past the front desk to gain entrance! <br>(unless you have a key to the side door!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The house detective comes around.  He is is slithering creep of a human being. I remember him very well from before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ladd&#8217;s wife <strong>Helen<\/strong> is having a party with about 15 people including the man who is obviously her lover (<strong>Eddie<\/strong>).  Alan Ladd slugs him, as we would expect a WW2 hero to do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Something I did NOT remember was that she had told Ladd that their young child that died of diphtheria. <\/em><br><em>We find that the child actually died in a car crash because she was drunk and drove off the road.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[In my own life, I&#8217;ve been researching my real-life older brother that died in the late 40&#8217;s, so this resonated with me more profoundly than before maybe&#8230;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Things in the movie get complicated quickly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Johnny hasn&#8217;t unpacked his bag yet he picks it up and leaves.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The part about killing their son is even worse than the infidelity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He pulls his gun but doesn&#8217;t shoot her, but for some reason throws it on the chair before leaving. 21:30<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He also for some reason leaves the notepad with George and Buzz&#8217;s # in plain view.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>She calls their number, and bad luck for us all, gets Buzz without George around.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We can tell Buzz is stressed because the jungle music sounds start up in his head.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buzz goes to her hotel and ends up at the hotel bar with her.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It&#8217;s pouring down rain in LA.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eddie Harwood is a big-time guy!\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He owns a bar called the <strong>Blue Dahlia<\/strong>!  \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Even though he&#8217;s the bad guy, he has standards.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He does NOT like how Helen is treating her husband, so he tries to break up with her.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He thinks Ladd is a nice guy! <br>Eddie is kind of likeable for a 2 minute stretch here.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Helen has something on him and threatens him with it. We don&#8217;t know what it is, but he&#8217;s not happy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">32 minutes in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Veronica Lake is driving (still raining!). Her name in the movie is <strong>Joyce<\/strong>. That&#8217;s a boring name, so we&#8217;re gonna call her <strong>VL<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>She picks up a very wet Johnny (Alan Ladd), which is how they meet.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Off they go down the highway having snappy noir dialog.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>34:30 Flash back to Eddie, who is letting himself into Helen&#8217;s bungalow\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>the creepy house dick is watching from a wet corner<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buzz makes it home.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eddie leaves Helen&#8217;s place.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnny skips out on Veronica. They have a pretty deep conversation for a couple of folks that just met. 38:30<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How&#8217;s this for some dialog:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-a701c8f7 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-width:2px;border-top-left-radius:15px;border-top-right-radius:15px;border-bottom-left-radius:15px;border-bottom-right-radius:15px;margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0.5rem;padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:0.5rem;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AL: Good bye. And it&#8217;s tough to say googbye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VL: <em>Why is it? You&#8217;ve never seen me before.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AL: Every guy has seen you before, the trick is to find you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"border-top-width:2px\">Finally a body<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile back at Helen&#8217;s bungalow&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The house cleaner in her maid&#8217;s uniform gave me flashbacks to my Mom!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The look:  \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Forty-something years old, <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>startched uniform, <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>natty little startched hat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>silvery coiffed hair&#8230;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But I digress&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The maid discovers Helen is not simply dead-drunk like usual, but is in fact actually dead!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House dick and manager mess around for a while, finally call the cops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, back at the beach outside Malibu was, Johnny has spent the night in a hotel. He&#8217;s is having breakfast, and up pop&#8217;s Veronica!! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She at the hotel last night also! (Because of Johnny? Who knows!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They have more deep conversation, then decide to take a walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the lobby, Johnny hears the radio &#8230;  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His wife&#8217;s murder is there and a detailed description of his suitcase etc.  <br>The radio is pretty loud, VL can hears it also from the top of the lobby stairs. She sees Johnny take off!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>George and Buzz go to the station &#8230; Buzz is belligerent as always.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eddie shows up.  Calls the house dick &#8220;dad&#8221; (?) \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I thought we had a plot twist going, but no, it&#8217;s NOT actually his dad, merely post-war slang! \ud83d\ude42<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Everybody knows everybody in this little corner of LA.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eddie plays cat and mouse with the police detective who seems pretty sharp!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Johnny is at the bus station and has the interest of a guy played by Frank Faylen, [who will forever be remembered by me for being Dobie Gillis&#8217;s dad!]\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He helps Johnny get a room, then gets arrested before he can shake down Johnny.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Now we&#8217;re back at Eddie&#8217;s suite 59:00\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;Dad&#8221; (actual name <strong>Morelly<\/strong>) tries to blackmail Eddie.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Then <strong>VL<\/strong> show up they go round and round. I rather like Eddie, big slease though he apparently is.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Somehow Johnny is back riding along with Veronica in her sweet little convertible!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Morelly visits Buzz and G, and rifles Johnny&#8217;s room.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He is SUCH a sleazy guy.  I want a shower just watching him.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Johnny finds out about Eddie.  \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He visits him and we find that VL is his wife!! <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The one he&#8217;s not with anymore. Oops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1.18 Back with Buzz and George\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Johnny gets angry at them for hinting that they think he killed Helen.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>40&#8217;s heroes can overdo the heroic-ness sometimes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Johnny gets &#8220;pinched&#8221; by fake cops <br>(sent by Eddie Harwood, who I guess isn&#8217;t really a nice guy \ud83d\ude42\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Johnny gives &#8217;em a good fight. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They break a lot of cheap furniture, but on the third try, the sap puts him down. \ud83d\ude41<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Helen had Johnny given a scrap of paper with Eddie&#8217;s dirty secret about a murder he commited in his wasted youth. \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One thug kills the other over it and keeps it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Harwood shows up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Despite being a street-wise guy, he stands right over two men fighting over a gun, and catches a stray bullet.  Cheezy screenwriting, IMO.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>That&#8217;s the end of Eddie Harwood.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>So everyone&#8217;s favorite bad guy is out of the picture.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Now we&#8217;re back with everybody that&#8217;s left. \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The police, Bud, George and Veronica. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The police have Buzz fitted out for Helen&#8217;s murder. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>But Johnny arrives and they figure it all out.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"border-top-width:2px\">Eddie Muller Postscript<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The was a great Eddie Muller bit on the True Story of the ending.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Raymond Chandler hated the movie.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He originally had Buzz be the mordered, but the Navy would not permit it to make a service man the bad guy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alan Ladd didn&#8217;t like VL since she&#8217;s taller than him \ud83d\ude42<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What a great name for a noir movie! Alan Ladd and the above-pictured Veronica Lake are a great line-up! [I just realized I&#8217;ve been conflating Alan Ladd and Audie Murphy. The are both compact, heroic-type guys who actually were war heroes(true?). In any event, I like both of them in old movies.] This movie was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[165,166,96,167,115],"class_list":["post-2386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movies","tag-alan-ladd","tag-la","tag-noir","tag-raymond-chandler","tag-whodunit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2386"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2650,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2386\/revisions\/2650"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whufu.com\/wpgreen\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}