Tag Archives: lapd

Black Dahlia: ‘Hard-Boiled Hollywood’ and the ‘Blah Dahlia’

Posted on August 7, 2017 by

Hard-Boiled Hollywood: Crime and Punishment in Postwar Los Angeles By Jon Lewis University of California Press, 233 pages.   “Sometimes it’s interesting to see just how bad bad writing can be. This promised to go the limit.” — Joe Gillis, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, 2017, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Black Dahlia Voodoo Doll Listed on EBay

Posted on May 9, 2017 by

One of the strangest Black Dahlia items I have ever seen – a “Black Dahlia Voodoo Doll” — has been listed on EBay, complete with a box and a set of spells. The vendor says:

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Found on EBay, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Black Dahlia: Today is Jan. 15 — Trim Your Roses

Posted on January 15, 2017 by

Today is Jan. 15, and the Daily Mirror marks the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death by pruning back the roses.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: The Brits Get It Wrong (Again)

Posted on January 11, 2017 by

  Remember what I said Monday about the Brits having a huge appetite for gruesome crimes but a distaste for the facts?  Here we have an even better example, from the Sun. I won’t critique the entire article (why bother) … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: The BBC Gets It Wrong

Posted on January 9, 2017 by

We are approaching the 70th anniversary of the killing of Elizabeth Short and it’s no trick for lazy writers to run off five yards of poorly researched copy on the Black Dahlia. The latest example is by James Bartlett for … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Why Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Jeanne French

Posted on January 4, 2017 by

LA. Weekly has taken a deep dive into the Jeanne French case. I won’t get into all of it here, except to show why Dr. George Hodel didn’t kill Jeanne French.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Black Dahlia: A Crime Graphic Novel by James Ellroy, David Fincher, Matz and Miles Hyman

Posted on June 13, 2016 by

Take a close look: “The Black Dahlia ™.” Does that mean the publisher is trying to trademark “The Black Dahlia?”  Good luck with that.   I picked up a copy of the new graphic novel version of James Ellroy’s “The … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Art & Artists, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Black Dahlia: Can You Identify the Black Dahlia? (Updated)

Posted on June 8, 2016 by

I thought an animated gif of the two images would make it easier to see the similarities or differences between the two photos. Which woman in the above images is Elizabeth Short? 1. Woman No. 1 is Elizabeth Short. 2. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Black Dahlia: Can You Identify the Black Dahlia? Part 2

Posted on June 7, 2016 by

Here’s another photo comparison. And be sure to take a good look.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Black Dahlia: Can You Identify the Black Dahlia? (Updated)

Posted on May 28, 2016 by

OK, let’s have some fun. Does either of these photographs show Elizabeth Short? 1. The woman on the left is Elizabeth Short. 2. The woman on the right is Elizabeth Short. 3. Both women are Elizabeth Short. 4. Neither woman … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments

Black Dahlia: Dr. George Hodel, Here We Go Again

Posted on May 28, 2016 by

The latest on Steve Hodel’s allegations, in the Guardian. There are several thousand things I would rather do that poke holes in Steve Hodel’s “theories” once again. As long-time readers know, I have been fact-checking Steve Hodel’s “case” against his … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

L.A. Murders 1991 – 2014

Posted on May 19, 2016 by

Here is a useful infographic from the spring issue of Blueprint, published by UCLA. Jim Newton has the cover story on Jerry Brown and an interview with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.

Posted in 1991, 2014, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: BuzzFeed Goes ‘Drunk History’ on an Unsolved Murder

Posted on April 7, 2016 by

Since “Drunk History” debuted, I have been waiting for the show to do a version of the Black Dahlia case. But BuzzFeed Videos beat them to it. Our hosts Ryan and Brent cruised L.A. and free-associated about the murder of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Today is Jan. 15 — Trim Your Roses

Posted on January 15, 2016 by

Today is Jan. 15, and the Daily Mirror marks the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death by pruning back the roses.

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia: Janice Knowlton Rants

Posted on September 18, 2015 by

As I noted previously, I have been digitizing all my notes, audio cassettes and videos. Today, I came across a recording of a 1997 voicemail message from the late Janice Knowlton, who made increasingly bizarre claims about her father, the … Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Will Fowler on South Norton Avenue, October 1996

Posted on August 3, 2015 by

As I mentioned previously, I am slowly digitizing my Black Dahlia files. Here’s a frame grab from a video I shot of Will Fowler on South Norton Avenue in October 1996. Like many people who have written about the killing … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Hack Writing and the Birth of Urban Myths

Posted on July 30, 2015 by

Hollywood Citizen-News, Jan. 15, 1947. I’m slowly digitizing my files on the Elizabeth Short killing for easier access, and yesterday I was going through the Hollywood Citizen-News, which is one of the lesser sources on the case.  And, of course, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, Black Dahlia, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: From the Archives, 1998

Posted on February 5, 2015 by

  One of my projects while on sabbatical is digitizing my old videotapes. And look what I found!

Posted in 1998, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Hollywood, LAPD, Television | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Black Dahlia: Wikipedia Fail

Posted on January 17, 2015 by

Here is what’s wrong with Wikipedia: “The Black Dahlia” was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short … Short acquired the moniker posthumously by newspapers in the habit of nicknaming crimes they found particularly lurid. FAIL. Elizabeth Short was nicknamed the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, LAPD, Wikipedia | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Time Magazine and the Death of Research

Posted on January 16, 2015 by

Time magazine, more than a bit late to the party, jumps on the Dr. George Hodel bandwagon on the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death. Time was once famous for having an extensive research department. These days, however, writers  – at least … Continue reading →

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