Blue Dahlia, The (Universal Film Noir)

Of the many who wrote for the ‘hard-boiled’ film noir genre, Raymond Chandler was arguably the pre-eminent exponent of the form. Chandler’s script for The Blue Dahlia, nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar, is a forceful mix of pithy dialogue, droll humour and typically bleak noir themes.

Naval pilot Johnny Morrison (Alan Ladd) returns home from the war to find his wife Helen in the arms of nightclub owner Eddie Harwood. When Helen is murdered and Johnny becomes the prime suspect, his pilot buddies George and Buzz and Eddie’s estranged wife Joyce (Veronica Lake) fight to clear Morrison’s name.

George Marshall directs briskly establishing the classic noir set-up: a volatile romantic triangle, the violent repercussions and the fatal consequences that inevitably follow. But while the film has many typical noir elements, it is also distinguished by Chandler’s sympathetic exploration of the debilitating effects of active military duty. From the break-up of the Morrison marriage to Buzz’s clearly shell-shocked state (powerfully conveyed by character actor and noir regular William Bendix), The Blue Dahlia effectively registers the personal fallout from America’s WW2 involvement. With excellent performances from all the cast, particularly the established noir duo of Ladd and Lake, and a lively jazz soundtrack (the ‘monkey music’ that drives Buzz to distraction), this is a film noir with a difference.