Who Is the Black Dahlia? (1975) (TV)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Joseph Pevney

Writer:

Robert W. Lenski (writer)

Release Date:

1 March 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Dramatization of an actual homicide investigation. In 1947 Los Angeles, a police detective tries to...

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Actress | Black Dahlia | Investigation | Aspiring Actress

Cast

Efrem Zimbalist Jr.	...	Sgt. Harry Hansen
Ronny Cox	...	Sgt. Finis Brown
Macdonald Carey	...	Capt. Jack Donahoe
Lucie Arnaz	...	Elizabeth Short
Tom Bosley	...	Bevo Means
Linden Chiles	...	Dr. Wallace Coppin
Gloria DeHaven	...	Police Matron (as Gloria De Haven)
John Fiedler	...	PX Manager
Rick Jason	...	Miles Harmonder
Henry Jones	...	Lee Jones
June Lockhart	...	Mrs. Fowler
Mercedes McCambridge	...	Grandmother
Donna Mills	...	Susan Winters
Brooke Adams	...	Diane Fowler
Henry Beckman	...	Traveling Salesman

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Douglas S. Cramer Company

Trivia:

Lucie Arnaz accepted the role of Elizabeth Short over the strong objections of her mother Lucille Ball.

Quotes:

Susan Winters: Look, we're kinda "one for all and all for one" here, you know?
Elizabeth Short: Don't let me change a thing. I probably won't be here very long, anyway.
Susan Winters: I guess none of us is permanent, huh?
Elizabeth Short: [Very darkly] No. Grandmama used to say, "Nothing alive and pretty is ever permanent". Grandmama was right, I guess.

Movie Connections:

Version of True Confessions (1981)

Real Life Film Noir

"This is about a murder that really happened. Nobody made it up. As far as I know, there's never been another one before or since, quite like it --- ever!" Those ominous words, spoken in VO by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., open this 1975 docudrama that chronicles a real life murder mystery that has never been solved.

Elizabeth Short moved to California in the 1940's, in search of show-biz stardom. The fact that this beautiful young woman wore mostly black clothes to match her black hair led others to nickname her "The Black Dahlia". On January 15, 1947, her mutilated and exsanguinated body was found in a vacant field in Los Angeles. The homicide immediately created national interest. And in the fifty-plus years since her death, this unsolved murder has evolved into a major legend.

The screenplay for "Who Is The Black Dahlia?" is factual, well written, sensitive, and thankfully low-key. The story, told in flashbacks, is riveting. In one chilling scene, a man stands in a telephone booth and, with his back to the camera, conveys to the newsman on the other end of the line crucial details about the murder that only the killer could know. The man's face is never shown.

Playing the role of Elizabeth Short, Lucie Arnaz gives a credible and sympathetic performance. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. convincingly plays Sgt. Harry Hansen, the frustrated, lead detective. The support cast is equally effective. The film's music is appropriately downbeat and depressing.

Some viewers may find the plot to be slow. Certainly, the film's lack of in-your-face violence and gore will disappoint the tabloid crowd. But for thinking people, for viewers who can appreciate a thoughtful and insightful analysis of a horrible crime, I recommend this film most highly.

In the film's final VO, Sgt. Hansen reflects: "We never found anybody who saw Elizabeth Short the last six days of her life ... In Los Angeles police files, The Black Dahlia murder case is still open."