The Black Dahlia

The story of the Black Dahlia is one of Hollywood's most famous unsolved mysteries. The gruesome murder of an aspiring actress in Los Angeles has sparked much speculation and rumor about both the life and death of the young girl. Even the origin of the name Black Dahlia is disputed by some. Tangled up in the dark side of Hollywood's glamour, the mystique of the Black Dahlia has inspired several books and a 2006 film, but the crime remains unsolved.

 

Identification

• The term Black Dahlia refers to Elizabeth Short. Her body was found cut in half at the waist on January 15, 1947, in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, by a passerby. Evidence at the scene suggested she'd been beaten and sexually molested. The grisly details of her death captured public attention, and a clever newspaper reporter dubbed the unfortunate girl after "The Blue Dahlia", a popular movie at the time about a murdered young girl. Some speculate that Beth Short was actually called Black Dahlia.

History

• Elizabeth Short was born in Massachusetts in 1924 and raised by a single mother. Even from a young age, she was troubled and frequently moving. Because of poor health she lived in Florida during the winter months and worked as a waitress. In 1943, at age 19, she moved to California to live with her father. The two eventually settled in Los Angeles, but Elizabeth soon moved out. She was arrested that same year for underage drinking and sent back to Massachusetts by the authorities.

Features

• Short moved back to Florida that winter and socialized with a long line of men, including at least a few U.S. servicemen. She met and was briefly engaged to a pilot named Maj. Matthew M. Gordon Jr. She also became reacquainted with an old boyfriend. When Maj. Gordon died in a plane crash in 1945, Short moved back to Los Angeles, where her old beau was stationed. She continued to work odd jobs, mostly waiting tables, and living in a variety of inexpensive hotels, rooming houses and hotels. She went missing on January 9, 1947, having been last seen at the Biltmore hotel in San Diego, and was found dead nearly a week later.

Considerations

• The existing information about Elizabeth Short is mostly speculation. A childhood friend with whom she corresponded claimed Short hoped her move to California would lead to a life as an actress, but it's not certain she ever seriously pursued a career in the movies. What is clear is that her striking beauty led her to live on the charity of her many male admirers, most of whom bought her gifts, took her to dinner and gave her cash. It's said she crossed paths with some legitimate Hollywood stars, even Marilyn Monroe, but there is no evidence supporting this assertion. The grisly details of her murder, plus the fact that dozens of attention-seekers confessed to the crime, only fueled the sensational press coverage of the Elizabeth Short/Black Dahlia case.

Significance

• Hundreds of individuals were considered suspects and thousands were questioned by police, but the murderer of Elizabeth Short was never identified. Some believe she might have fallen victim to a serial killer, others speculate a Hollywood mogul was involved, but neither claim has been substantiated. The legend of the Black Dahlia eventually moved from the newspaper headlines to works of popular art, straying ever farther from the facts of the case because most were highly fictionalized. References to Elizabeth Short abound in novels set in 1940s Hollywood and the autobiographies of those tangentially related to the investigation. In 2002, pop icon Marilyn Manson released a series of paintings based on the murder. The 2006 film titled "The Black Dahlia" and directed by Brian DePalma was very loosely based on the actual life and death of Elizabeth Short.