Ask anyone who follows true crime what our city's most notorious case might be, the case that lives on in public imagination and nonfiction and fictional works alike, and the Black Dahlia is the almost instant answer.
If a year passes without a Black Dahlia film or documentary it is an anomaly. And did a fictive version of Elizabeth Short make a cameo on "American Horror Story" this year, interacting with modern people and their modern spirits? Why yes she did.
Meaning that a look back at the startling and historic murder case continues to draw people drawn to Los Angeles history and true crime and noir and the 1940s.
Meaning that a 65th anniversary tour? Tickets go fast. So fast that Esotouric, which is leading the Saturday, Jan. 7 day, says there are only two tickets left. But there will be another Black Dahlia-focused day on Saturday, April 14.
A ticket is $58.
If you've ever boarded the Esotouric bus, you know that Richard Schave and Kim Cooper know their hard-boiled history and present it in a clear way loaded with dates, names, and side color. We wouldn't be surprised if people who know the case from top to bottom are on the bus, ready to solve it once and for all, but bet a few first-timers eager to see some resolution will be taking a seat as well.
Here's hoping the memory of Elizabeth Short may one day find peace and that the notorious date of Jan. 15, 1947 can be put to rest. Surely the crime will forever be linked with our city's most noirish chapter, whether the case is closed in a satisfactory manner or not. Let's continue to focus on the former.
