This tough and taut thriller, written by Raymond Chandler, is one of the great unsung film-noirs. Released in 1946, it stars Alan Ladd - on terrific form - as super-cool Second World War veteran Johnny Morrison who returns home to discover that his wife Helen (Doris Dowling) has been unfaithful, fooling around with Eddie Harwood (Howard Da Silva), the oily owner of the Blue Dahlia nightclub. Distraught, Johnny wanders off into the night, leaving his gun behind. Helen winds up dead, but who shot her and why? Johnny - the prime suspect - is determined to uncover the truth. While on the killer's trail, he teams up with sultry Joyce - Veronica Lake - who, by chance, is the estranged wife of Eddie Harwood...
Brilliantly directed by George Marshall, it's a fine movie. Ladd and Lake's scenes are terrific, and, surprisingly, the fight sequences are quite tough for the time. Also look out for a strong performance from William Bendix as Johnny's shell-shocked war buddy Buzz Wanchek.
Highly recommended.
The Blue Dahlia is a Film programme that first aired in 1946 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
