The Blue Gardenia

Infobox_Film
name = The Blue Gardenia


imdb_id = 0045564
producer = Alex Gottlieb
director = Fritz Lang
writer = Vera Caspary (story)
Charles Hoffman
starring = Anne Baxter
Richard Conte
Ann Sothern
Raymond Burr
music = Raoul Kraushaar
cinematography = Nicholas Musuraca
editing =
distributor = Warner Bros.
released = March 23, 1953
runtime = 88 min.
language = English

"The Blue Gardenia" is a 1953 black-and-white film noir directed by Fritz Lang. The first of Lang's "newspaper noir" movie trio -- with "While the City Sleeps" and "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" (both 1956) -- "The Blue Gardenia" criticizes newspaper coverage of a sensational murder case. Nat King Cole sings the title song and appears in the movie. The theme song was written by Nelson Riddle. Film director and writer Peter Bogdanovich called the film "A particularly venomous picture of American life." The director of cinematography was RKO regular, Nicholas Musuraca then working at Warner Brothers.

Plot

Anne Baxter stars as Norah Larkin, a single woman whose heart is broken after receiving a "Dear John" letter, wakes up after a night of drinking to find herself accused of murder. This was after passing out in the apartment of victim Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr). Named "The Blue Gardenia Murderess" by newspaper columnist Casey Mayo (Richard Conte), Norah tries to remember the details of her ill-fated night. She eventually teams with the newspaper man to help solve the mystery.

Main cast

* Anne Baxter - Norah Larkin
* Richard Conte - Casey Mayo
* Ann Sothern - Crystal Carpenter
* Raymond Burr - Harry Prebble
* George Reeves - Police Capt. Sam Haynes

External links

*imdb title|0045564
* [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/01/14/blue_gardenia.html Senses of Cinema]