SILVER

THE BLUE DAHLIA
The only original screenplay penned by legendary detective story writer Raymond Chandler was crafted under both deadline pressure (star Alan Ladd was leaving for military duty) and "the influence" (the script was banged out in a drunken fervor). No matter — it was a huge hit for Paramount, and the most famous pairing of Ladd and Veronica Lake, the most popular screen team of the 1940s. Ladd plays a returning vet suspected of murdering his unfaithful wife. (Note courtesy of Film Noir Foundation.) DIR George Marshall; SCR Raymond Chandler; PROD John Houseman. U.S., 1946, b&w, 96 min. NOT RATED

Followed by:
NIGHT EDITOR (1946)
A cop and his married socialite lover witness a brutal murder while necking in Lovers' Lane. Afraid to intervene, he's wracked by a guilty conscience. She gets totally turned on by the violence. These two are sooooo doomed. One of the raunchiest and most memorable "B" noirs ever, featuring several strange and unforgettable set pieces. Redoubtable gravel-voiced William Gargan stars as the libidinous lawman, with hot-to-trot Janis Carter portraying one of the frostiest femme fatales of the 1940s. (Note courtesy of Film Noir Foundation.) DIR Henry Levin; SCR Harold Jacob Smith, from the radio program by Hal Burdick; PROD Ted Richmond. U.S., 1946, b&w, 68 min. NOT RATED

AFI Member passes not accepted.