The Blue Gardenia

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The Blue Gardenia

Released Mar 23, 1953

1h 30m

Crime

Drama

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84%

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19 Reviews

62%

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1,000+ Ratings

Deeply distraught that her GI ex-boyfriend plans to marry another woman, Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter) agrees to go out on a date with lothario Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr). Norah's drunken night out with Prebble ends in a hazily remembered confrontation and the next day a startling discovery: Harry has been murdered, and the police have found Norah's personal effects at the scene. Tipped off to the breaking news, reporter Casey Mayo (Richard Conte) invites Norah to tell her side of the story.

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

The weakness in this case clearly lies in a script by Charles Hoffman, which is hackneyed and tedious from beginning to end.

Feb 25, 2013

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TIME Magazine

The somewhat wilted plot manages to take on an unaccustomed bloom in Fritz Lang's direction and the acting of an adept cast.

Feb 25, 2013

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Variety Staff

Variety

A stock story and handling keep The Blue Gardenia from being anything more than a regulation mystery melodrama.

Jul 6, 2010

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Fritz Lang transforms the rather conventional low budget thriller into a paranoid nightmare, his cheap sets and flat backdrops a tawdry world peopled by cynics and opportunists preying upon the guileless...

Dec 3, 2022

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

This noir entry would probably be considered a very minor Fritz Lang film, but he made it fast (90 minutes), entertaining, and not without much-welcome doses of humor. Good fun.

Rated: A

Nov 29, 2022

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Kimberly Pierce

Ticklish Business

All in all, The Blue Gardenia ever-so-slightly misses out on its potential... Ultimately, an hour and a half only allows you so much time, and this is a frustrating realization in a world as rich as the one Lang crafts in The Blue Gardenia

Rated: 3/5

May 1, 2022

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acsdoug D

Low budget and not populated with the greatest actors, I still enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/19/24

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nick s

A well executed film noir. The story was fairly simple and didn't have any unexpected twists, but it was enjoyable to watch all the same. Great acting.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/09/23

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Steve D

Baxter is great and the sarcastic tone works well.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/04/23

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Luca D

A very bland noir. It keeps a subtle sense of suspense, other than that the acting is just decent. The plot twist at the end is not really interesting or surprising at all. Probably won't watch again.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/09/21

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paul d

Fritz Lang's Blue Gardenia is is a very well made film, even if it is rather straightforward. Anne Baxter and Richard Conte head an excellent cast, and we identify easily with them and are rooting for them right from the beginning. This has crime, suspense, drama and a bit of romance. The cinematography raises the quality and glamour of the story, as Nat King Cole does for the score !

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

only OK, in light of todays more sophisticated audiences

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Fritz Lang

Director

Anne Baxter

Norah Larkin

Richard Conte

Casey Mayo

Ann Sothern

Crystal Carpenter

Raymond Burr

Harry Prebble

Jeff Donnell

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Synopsis

Deeply distraught that her GI ex-boyfriend plans to marry another woman, Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter) agrees to go out on a date with lothario Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr). Norah's drunken night out with Prebble ends in a hazily remembered confrontation and the next day a startling discovery: Harry has been murdered, and the police have found Norah's personal effects at the scene. Tipped off to the breaking news, reporter Casey Mayo (Richard Conte) invites Norah to tell her side of the story.

Director: Fritz Lang
Producer: Alex Gottlieb
Screenwriter: Charles Hoffman
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 23, 1953, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 10, 2017
Runtime: 1h 30m

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