A gardênia azul

Los Angeles telephone operator Anne Baxter (as Norah Larkin) dresses up and celebrates her birthday with a photograph and letter from her handsome sweetheart in Korea. She expects they'll marry, when he returns to the USA. After receiving some startling news, Ms. Baxter accepts a date with lecherous sketch artist Raymond Burr (as Harry Prebble). He specializes in getting women drunk and taking sexual liberties. Events lead up to one character striking another with a fireplace poker. The killer called "The Blue Gardenia" is enthusiastically pursued by "Chronicle" newspaper columnist Richard Conte (as Casey Mayo). Baxter's roommates are chain-smoking Ann Sothern (as Crystal Carpenter) and paperback reader Jeff Donnell (as Sally Ellis). It helps that they are directed by Fritz Lang and photographed by Nicholas Musuraca. She doesn't really fit the role, but watching Baxter drown her sorrows and fend off Mr. Burr engages the viewer. A too tidy ending makes much of the preceding drama less interesting. Singing the title song beautifully, Nat "King" Cole makes a welcome appearance.

****** The Blue Gardenia (3/23/53) Fritz Lang ~ Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, Raymond Burr, Ann Sothern