The Blue Gardenia

Casey Mayo (Richard Conte) is the star reporter of the newspaper world and everybody knows him by his reputation as writer and a playboy. Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr) is a star commercial artist and a playboy too it seems when we meet him amidst the pool of female telephone receptionists. Both men are cruising for a date, and Crystal (Ann Southern) readily offers her phone number to Mayo, who gives it over to Prebble with Crystal's flirtatious objections. Another side of Prebble's character is seen later when he coldly rebuffs a former lover over the phone when she pleads for his attention. Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter), Crystal (Ann Southern) and Sally (Jeff Donnell) live together in what seems like a one-bedroom house and share the household duties. Each woman is shown to have a particular personality in a household built on positive outlook about life and careers. Norah plans a solitary dinner doting on the picture of her fianc, a GI stationed in Korea, but is heartbroken when his letter to her states that he is marrying someone else. Norah tries to rebound by meeting Harry Prebble who has phoned for Crystal. At dinner Prebble plies Norah with drink and charm and lures her back to his studio apartment. When he tries to force himself on her, she hits him with a poker and runs out drunken and confused. Prebble is found dead the next morning, and Norah, blanking from the alcohol she consumed, and seeing news headlines believes she may have killed him. Casey Mayo, trying to develop a story angle, comes up with the idea of publishing an open letter to the "Blue Gardenia Murderess", to turn herself in with protection from the newspaper. Norah contacts Mayo pretending to be a friend of the murderess with information on the case and the two begin to fall in love. The Police catch up with Norah soon after, and Mayo, reviewing the circumstances surrounding the murder aids the Police in further questioning of possible suspects with a startling discovery.