Nothing alive and pretty is ever permanent...

Brilliant portrayal of a sad and brutal true story

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

Richard Carlson, Charles Drake, Kathleen Hughes, and Barbara Rush in It Came from Outer Space (1953)

Sterling Hayden and Joan Leslie in Hellgate (1952)

Dorothy Malone, Virginia Mayo, and Zachary Scott in Flaxy Martin (1949)

Gene Tierney and George Montgomery in China Girl (1942)

Marilu Henner, Peter Boyle, Frederic Forrest, David Patrick Kelly, and Lydia Lei in Hammett (1982)

Charley Chase and Hal Roach in Dollar Dizzy (1930)

Dan Duryea and Elsie Albiin in Terror Street (1953)

Look, we're kinda "one for all and all for one" here, you know?

Don't let me change a thing. I probably won't be here very long, anyway.

No. Grandmama used to say, "Nothing alive and pretty is ever permanent". Grandmama was right, I guess.

Lucie Arnaz in Who Is the Black Dahlia? (1975)

Efrem Zimbalist Jr. in Who Is the Black Dahlia? (1975)

Brooke Adams

Donna Mills

Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Robert W. Lenski

In 1947 Los Angeles, a police detective tries to solve the shocking, grisly murder of 22-year-old aspiring actress Elizabeth Short, whose nude body was dumped in a lot after being bisected with surgical precision. The detective in...

Joseph Pevney

Who Is the Black Dahlia?

Real Life Film Noir

&quot;This is about a murder that really happened. Nobody made it up. As far as I know, there&apos;s never been another one before or since, quite like it --- ever!&quot; 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&apos;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 &quot;The Black Dahlia&quot;. 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 &quot;Who Is The Black Dahlia?&quot; 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&apos;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&apos;s music is appropriately downbeat and depressing.

Some viewers may find the plot to be slow. Certainly, the film&apos;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&apos;s final VO, Sgt. Hansen reflects: &quot;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.&quot;

"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."

In 1947 Los Angeles, a police detective tries to solve the shocking, grisly murder of 22-year-old aspiring actress Elizabeth Short, whose nude body was dumped in a lot after being bisected with surgical precision. The detective interviews people who knew Short, who was called "The Black Dahlia" because of the black outfits she wore.

bappamtv

Who Is the Black Dahlia?

🎭 Top Cast

🎬 Technical Specs

🏷️ Keywords

🎯 Categories

⭐ Featured Review

💡 Did You Know?

🎬 More Like This

📖 Synopsis