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Black Dahlia and the Hotel Cecil: L.A.’s Noir Folklore
The Guardian has jumped into it again with the Black Dahlia case, finding that it can’t resist the yarn about Elizabeth Short “rumored to have had her last drink at the hotel bar.” The Guardian, in...
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Black Dahlia: ‘Ghostland’ and Another Good Story Ruined
“Ghostland” by Colin Dickey, Page 136. OK, who can spot the mistake in the highlighted passage? (And yes, Dickey is about to invoke the name of Kenneth Anger, who has caused more grief for historians...
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Black Dahlia: ‘Heaven Is Here!’ Progress Report
A little over a year ago, on Dec. 18, 2015, I walked out the doors of the Los Angeles Times after 27 years, having asked a security guard to take this picture of my farewell. And yes, I’m wearing my...
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Black Dahlia: Why Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Jeanne French
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. Here’s a partial print of the killer’s...
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Black Dahlia: The BBC Gets It Wrong
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...
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Black Dahlia: The Brits Get It Wrong (Again)
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...
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Black Dahlia: ‘Severed’ Author John Gilmore Dead at 81 (Updated)
John Gilmore is dead? Really? Hidden in yet another rehash of the Black Dahlia case for the 70th anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s killing is word from Tony Mostrom in L.A. Weekly that “Severed” author...
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Black Dahlia: Today is Jan. 15 — Trim Your Roses
Today is Jan. 15, and the Daily Mirror marks the anniversary of Elizabeth Short’s death by pruning back the roses.
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Black Dahlia: Remembering ‘Severed’ Con Man John Gilmore
I promised I would tell a few tales about the late John Gilmore, author of “Severed.” It’s on L.A. Review of Books. (Though prone to exaggeration, Gilmore actually had a few small roles as an actor,...
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Black Dahlia: Random Old Crap Listed as ‘Black Dahlia Clone’
I’m continually surprised by the ingenuity of some EBay vendors in stretching to impossible lengths to find a link to the Black Dahlia case The vendor in question has listed some random old flea...
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Black Dahlia: Black Dahlia Voodoo Doll Listed on EBay
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: As far as the history and...
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Black Dahlia: Don’t Spend Money on the FBI Files
Every so often, some EBay vendor gets the clever idea of selling the FBI’s files on the Black Dahlia case. In this instance, it’s someone in the UK selling Part 1 | and Part 2. Of course, you can...
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Black Dahlia: Another Entry in the George Hodel ‘Black Dahlia Avenger’ Franchise
Variety announces “One Day She’ll Darken.” While the rest of the world was consumed with the Senate vote on a “skinny repeal” of Obamacare, my inbox exploded with news of a purported “Black Dahlia TV...
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Black Dahlia: ‘Hard-Boiled Hollywood’ and the ‘Blah Dahlia’
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...
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Black Dahlia – Piu Eatwell’s ‘Black Dahlia, Red Rose’ Exhumes Leslie Dillon
Since I learned a few months ago that British writer Piu Eatwell was going to “solve” the Black Dahlia case in the forthcoming book “Black Dahlia, Red Rose,” I have been waiting to see if she would...
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Black Dahlia: Leslie Dillon, Paul De River and the LAPD — Part 1
The Paul De River/Leslie Dillon/LAPD coverup conspiracy theory in the 1947 Black Dahlia murder is getting some traction with the upcoming release of Piu Eatwell’s “Black Dahlia, Red Rose,” which...
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Black Dahlia: Leslie Dillon, Paul De River and the LAPD – Part 2
“The Sexual Criminal,” by Dr. Joseph Paul De River, in a revised edition with an introduction by Brian King published in 2000. More about this book later. It will be important. Where does one start in...
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Black Dahlia: Leslie Dillon, Paul De River and the LAPD – Part 3
The Mirror (that would be the other Mirror) jumps on the Dahlia Murder “Solved!” bandwagon. Nobody “enjoys a good murder” as much as the Brits, so we are seeing a wave of publicity for Piu Eatwell’s...
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Black Dahlia: Leslie Dillon, Paul De River and the LAPD – Part 4
Feb. 24, 1949: Leslie Dillon files a claim against the city of Los Angeles for the LAPD’s massive screw-up in the Dahlia case. And yes, he collected. Dear 67.171.61.65, a Comcast user from Spokane,...
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Black Dahlia: Leslie Dillon, Paul De River and the LAPD – Part 5
Dr. J. Paul De River analyzes accused killer R. Bernard Finch based on the left and right sides of his face in the Jan. 27, 1960, Herald-Express. In case you just tuned in, we’re exploring some of the...
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