Blue Gardenia, the

Warner Bros. Pictures and Image Entertainment presents "THE BLUE GARDENIA" (1953) (90 min/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) -- After learning that her boyfriend, a GI in Korea, has found someone else, Norah Larkin impulsively agrees to meet womanizer Harry Prebble for dinner --- Norah allows herself to get drunk and accept Prebble's invitation to his apartment --- When he tries to force himself on her, she hits him with a poker --- Unfortunately, Prebble is found dead the next morning, and Norah, not even remembering how she got home, thinks that she killed him --- Meanwhile, newspaperman Casey Mayo, looking for an angle, invites the "Blue Gardenia Murderess" to turn herself in to him.

Excellent noir from Fritz Lang, with a stand-out performance from Raymond Burr.

Under the production staff of:
Fritz Lang [Director]
Charles Hoffman [Screenwriter]
Vera Caspary [Story]
Alex Gottlieb [Producer]
Raoul Kraushaar [Original Film Score]
Nicholas Musuraca [Cinematographer]
Edward Mann [Film Editor]

BIOS:
1. Fritz Lang [Friedrich Christian Anton Lang] [Director]
Date of Birth: 5 December 1890 - Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]
Date of Death: 2 August 1976 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

2. Anne Baxter
Date of Birth: 7 May 1923 - Michigan City, Indiana
Date of Death: 12 December 1985 - New York City, New York

3. Richard Conte [aka: Richard Nicholas Peter Conte]
Date of Birth: 24 March 1910 - Jersey City, New Jersey
Date of Death: 15 April 1975 - Los Angeles, California

4. Ann Sothern [aka: Harriette Arlene Lake]
Date of Birth: 22 January 1909 - Valley City, North Dakota
Date of Death: 15 March 2001 - Ketchum, Idaho

5. Raymond Burr [aka: Raymond William Stacy Burr]
Date of Birth: 21 May 1917 - New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Date of Death: 12 September 1993 - Sonoma, California

the cast includes:
Anne Baxter ... Norah Larkin
Richard Conte ... Casey Mayo
Ann Sothern ... Crystal Carpenter
Raymond Burr ... Harry Prebble
Jeff Donnell ... Sally Ellis
Richard Erdman ... Al
George Reeves ... Police Capt. Sam Haynes
Ruth Storey ... Rose Miller
Ray Walker ... Homer
Nat 'King' Cole ... Himself

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 90 min on DVD ~ Image Entertainment ~ (04/11/2000)

The acting by both Anne Baxter and Raymond Burr is exceptional and elevates this to one of my favorite film noirs. Baxter is the young innocent Norah Larkin who is crushed when she receives a 'Dear Jane' letter from her boyfriend in Korea. Devastated and alone, she is easy prey for the slimey Harry Prebble portrayed by Raymond Burr in his pre-Perry Mason period. After a drunken night, Norah can't remember anything except that she was fighting off advances from Prebble. The newspapers are filled with the story of his murder and the mysterious blonde who left a blue gardenia behind. Viewers watch Norah slip deeper and deeper into paraonia as she frantically tries to conceal her involvement yet remember the details of her ill-fated night. Adding to the outstanding cast are Ann Sothern and Jeff Donnell as her roommates and Richard Conte as the newspaper reporter who makes an open appeal for the Blue Gardenia killer to come forward and trust him. As the police web (led by TV's Superman George Reeves) tightens around her, Norah turns to the reporter to help her, but....suffice it to say the happy-ever-after ending is a little too quick and easy. However, this is definitely worth watching and as an added plus you will be treated to the melodic voice of Nat "King" Cole singing the title song throughout the movie.

Having seen and enjoyed most of Fritz Lang's movies from his Berlin period, I bought this highly recommended DVD sight unseen. It was a great disappointment. Where to begin? The story is weak and predictable; the dialogue is very cliched; the acting--excepting Raymond Burr's wonderful performance as a sleazy artist--is unconvincing. Don't expect what the DVD label tells you--this is no "noir thriller" and it doesn't do anything to expose McCarthyism, despite Lang's pretentious comments. One nice touch: there is a brief 5 minute scene with Nat King Cole singing "Blue Gardenia" in what was becoming a new trend in early 1950's America: a Chinese restaurant. As a period piece, this film has some merit, but don't expect a well crafted noir film like the "Maltese Falcon", "Sunset Boulevard", or even "M" or "Dr Mabuse".