Aside from the intriguing story in which we're kept guessing how this will all work out for Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter), I was left a bit distracted by the idea that Casey Mayo (Richard Conte) would offer the backing of his Los Angeles Chronicle for her defense when it came to a criminal trial. How does that fit with a newspaper's objective to remain impartial in reporting the news? That wound up nagging at me for the rest of the picture.
But as for the remainder of the story, I thought the writers did a good job of keeping the audience guessing. Although I felt the final resolution to the death of Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr) was handled a little awkwardly. The idea that Rose MIller (Ruth Storey) would emerge as the murderer was telegraphed early when she tried to have it out with Harry over his two-timing her. However it didn't pass the sniff test that she would have arrived right after Norah left his apartment with absolutely no hint that something just happened there.
One thing these old time pictures do is bring us back to a simpler time when a couple hamburgers and five cups of coffee would go for a dollar and forty cents at Bill's Beanery. This was well before diners offered a free fill as standard. Doing the math would make that single cup cost a dime along with forty five cents for a burger, not a bad bargain, even if it was almost seventy years ago.
Seeing Nat King Cole performing the Blue Gardenia title song was a neat treat, but did you notice - the film makers found a way to interject that tune in various ways throughout the story. Besides seeing Cole do it in person, you also had that creep Harry play it on his record player, and Casey Mayo select it from the diner's table top juke box. I don't know if that song was ever a big hit, but the film makers sure gave it a push for the popular crooner.
But as for the remainder of the story, I thought the writers did a good job of keeping the audience guessing. Although I felt the final resolution to the death of Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr) was handled a little awkwardly. The idea that Rose MIller (Ruth Storey) would emerge as the murderer was telegraphed early when she tried to have it out with Harry over his two-timing her. However it didn't pass the sniff test that she would have arrived right after Norah left his apartment with absolutely no hint that something just happened there.
One thing these old time pictures do is bring us back to a simpler time when a couple hamburgers and five cups of coffee would go for a dollar and forty cents at Bill's Beanery. This was well before diners offered a free fill as standard. Doing the math would make that single cup cost a dime along with forty five cents for a burger, not a bad bargain, even if it was almost seventy years ago.
Seeing Nat King Cole performing the Blue Gardenia title song was a neat treat, but did you notice - the film makers found a way to interject that tune in various ways throughout the story. Besides seeing Cole do it in person, you also had that creep Harry play it on his record player, and Casey Mayo select it from the diner's table top juke box. I don't know if that song was ever a big hit, but the film makers sure gave it a push for the popular crooner.