"The Black Dahlia" is the name given to a murder victim, Elizabeth Short who was found tortured and murdered in a vacant lot in Los Angeles in 1947. The "Black Dahlia" was the nickname given to Short who dressed completely in black. An ambititous but apparently promiscuous starlet, Short's body was found nude and "crudely cut in half" according to the Encyclopedia of American Crime. The book adds the case remains unsolved despite "a rash of confessions" from those who could not accurately account for various aspects of the case.
The new film is inspired by the James Ellroy book of the same name. A new paperback edition of the book is being released this year.
And that murder case has inspired other books too, with at least three seperate titles in PLCMC.
The mysterious death of actor George Reeves of TV's "Superman" fame is depicted in "Hollywoodland." This death occurred in Los Angeles too, but in 1959. Reeves had acceived fame on TV portraying the superhero Superman for several years. However, he soon after died of a gunshot wound which was determined to be a suicide but some questions remain. In the movie, the questions are investigated by a private detective. In print, however, Reeves life is covered in more detail for the less than wholesome actor in Hollywood Krypotonite: the Bulldog, the Lady, and the Death of Superman by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger.
And the interest in Reeves death just didn't translate into the mystery, sexy, speculation of the "Black Dahlia" story as the library system has only one copy of the Reeves book.
All the same, it's neat to have two period mysteries on the big screens.
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