Line #8 Film/TheBlueDahlia


1	[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_blue_dahlia.jpg]]
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3	''The Blue Dahlia'' is a 1946 FilmNoir, directed by George Marshall and written by Creator/RaymondChandler, about a Navy officer who returns home to an unfaithful wife, who is later murdered. It stars Creator/AlanLadd as the Navy officer, Johnny Morrison, and Creator/VeronicaLake as his LoveInterest, Joyce Harwood, the wife of a mobster who is seeing Morrison's unfaithful wife, Helen (Doris Dowling). During the movie Johnny tries to solve the mystery of the murder of his wife while the police are looking for him as prime suspect.
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5	William Bendix plays Buzz Wanchek, Johnny's Navy buddy. George, Johnny's other war buddy, is played by Hugh Beaumont, who a decade after this movie played his most famous role as Ward Cleaver on ''Series/LeaveItToBeaver''.
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7	This has [[SimilarlyNamedWorks only a tangential connection]] with ''Literature/TheBlackDahlia'' novel, or its [[Film/TheBlackDahlia film adaptation]]: the murder victim who inspired the latter works was compared by the media to a character in this film. 1998 AdventureGame ''VideoGame/BlackDahlia'' has no connection with either film.
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10	!!This film provides examples of:
11	* AmateurSleuth: The house detective. And Johnny, who decides to find out for himself who the guilty party is.
12	* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Helen]]
13	* BerserkButton: Buzz really, ''really'' dislikes "monkey music".
14	* CoincidentalBroadcast: Johnny is chatting with Joyce over breakfast at a beachside hotel. As Johnny is getting ready to leave, a radio that was completely silent before suddenly pipes up from somewhere offscreen with a report about the death of Helen Morrison.
15	* DeadManWriting: Johnny pulls a picture of his son out of a frame, and reveals a note from Helen, telling him that if something happens to her, Harwood's name is actually Bauer, and he's wanted for murder in New Jersey.
16	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Leo and a {{Mook}} overpower Johnny. The mook goes through Johnny's pockets and finds the incriminating note from Helen. Leo, who didn't approve of the mook lifting the money from Johnny's wallet, promptly clubs the mook over the head and says "There's ethics in this business, the same as any other."
17	* GrayRainOfDepression: The rain is pouring as Johnny leaves the bungalow after finding out about both Helen's infidelity and the truth of their son's death.
18	* LadyDrunk: Helen is a bitter, angry alcoholic. She reveals to Johnny that their dead son wasn't killed by diptheria, he was killed when Helen crashed their car while drunk.
19	* MotiveRant: The house detective resents everyone for looking down at him. Apparently [[spoiler: Helen refused to pay his blackmail demands]], whereupon [[spoiler: he killed her]].
20	* PigLatin: "Well well well, unkdray again", says the maid, except Helen isn't drunk, she's dead.
21	* RedHerring: Neither [[spoiler: the mobster with whom she was having an affair]] nor [[spoiler: the war buddy of her husband killed her]], while we are led to believe that one of them did.
22	* TheReveal: The real killer is [[spoiler: the AmateurSleuth]].
23	* ShellShockedVeteran: Buzz is pretty twitchy, and obviously damaged. He has a plate in his head from the war.
24	* TitleDrop: Eddie Harwood is the owner of The Blue Dahlia nightclub.

Context Film / TheBlueDahlia