The Blue Dahlia

The Blue Dahlia (1946)

Timing: 1:36 (96 min)

6.7/10
167

6.589/10
794

7.1/10
10000

All about film

Video 2

Photo 22

Actors and characters

Release date

1946-04-16

Country

United States

Production

Paramount

Genre

Crime, Mystery

Budget

$0

Revenue

$2 700 000

Website

Director

George Marshall

Actors

Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix, Howard Da Silva, Doris Dowling, Tom Powers, Hugh Beaumont, Howard Freeman, Don Costello, Will Wright
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

John Houseman

Operator

Lionel Lindon

Composer

Victor Young

Artist

Audition

Robert Mayo

Editing

Arthur P. Schmidt
All team (47)

• A former alcoholic, Chandler had stopped drinking for health reasons shortly before starting work on the script. However, the work wasn't progressing, and Chandler decided that the only way to regain inspiration and finish the script was to get drunk. Chandler initially agreed to write the script without a fee, "as a favor" to producer John Houseman, but then asked for a case of whiskey as payment. As a result, Chandler drank heavily for several weeks, and after the binge, presented a completed script.
• After the fight scene with Alan Ladd's (1913-1964) character and two villains, one of the latter is shown with a broken leg. This was not in the script, but it happened that the actor actually broke his leg, and director George Marshall (1891-1975) made changes to the script (regarding the broken leg) without even consulting screenwriter Raymond Chandler (1888-1959).
• Veronica Lake (1922-1973) was cast as the female lead alongside Ladd, in part due to her height. Ladd was just over 1 meter 60 centimeters tall, while Lake was under 1 meter 50 centimeters. Ladd disliked the fact that Doris Dowling (1923-2004), who played his wife, was almost the same height as him (he even demanded that the role be given to another actress), so in all scenes with him, Dowling either sits or lies down.
• Chandler initially intended to make Baz the murderer, but the film was released shortly after the end of World War II, and he was advised that portraying a returning veteran as the killer would be inappropriate. Chandler therefore rewrote the ending and made another character the murderer.
• A former alcoholic, Chandler stopped drinking for health reasons shortly before beginning work on the script. However, the work wasn't progressing, and Chandler decided that the only way to regain inspiration and finish the script was to get drunk. Chandler initially agreed to write the script without a fee, “as a favor” to producer John Houseman, but then requested a case of whiskey as payment. Ultimately, over several weeks, Chandler drank heavily, and upon completion of his binge, presented the finished script.