The Blue Gardenia

I never heard of this movie, somehow, even though it's right up my noir alley, includes artists, newspapermen, normal working people, Tiki-culture, a diner, Los Angeles, and Anne Baxter. Not to mention that it's based on a book by Vera Caspary and directed by Fritz Lang, who, besides being one of the most important figures in cinema history, can be a lot of fun. This came out in 1953, the same year as The Big Heat, which I suppose overshadows it, but still The Blue Gardenia has a lot going for it. Anne Baxter lives with two roommates—three young woman who work as switchboard operators. It kind of reminded me of the young, working women, rooming together, in some series books I've read. After her GI boyfriend dumps her, she's distraught and goes on a date with a sleazebag artist, played by Raymond Burr. They go to the Blue Gardenia, where Nat King Cole is singing, and she drinks way too many Pearl Divers, a fruity rum drink (I missed the boat on those, too). Anne Baxter plays a convincing intoxication. I won't say more, since it's a mystery, and maybe others missed this one as I did. Richard Conte gets involved—he's an actor I've never given much thought to (even though he's in one million movies, including Tony Rome and The Godfather) and he's really likable here. The best thing about this movie, though, is seeing this odd slice of the world in a slightly different way than the average movie, regardless of genre.