The Blue Gardenia

The Blue Gardenia is a 1953 film noir directed by Fritz Lang. Norah, a young working woman played by Anne Baxter, gets a breakup letter from her soldier boyfriend and goes out for a night on the town. After a number of strong drinks, she goes home with a womanizing lech, Harry Prebble, and wakes up in his apartment with his dead body. Guilt-ridden hijinks ensue as Casey Mayo, local reporter, tries to track down woman responsible for this sensational crime.


 * Asshole Victim: Prebble gets Norah drunk, then takes her back to his apartment and basically tries to rape her. He's hard to feel bad for.
 * Eureka Moment: Mayo has one while sitting in the airport
 * False Confession: Mayo gets heaps of phone calls from women claiming to be the Blue Gardenia, but none of them have the right information about the case.
 * Sympathetic Murderer: It's really more like self-defense, so there's lots of sympathy to be had for Norah.
 * There Are No Police: Actually, there are police, but Casey Mayo gets more done with the power of reporting.