Who's Who in The Black Dahlia

Dark Places

James Ellroy

In addition to this sordid tale, Ellroy called on his own experience with his mother's murder in 1958. For that, he wrote My Dark Places, but there's little doubt that the bleak, tortured mood of Dahlia derives from his persistent inner demons. In a 2005 interview with CBS News, Ellroy said of Elizabeth Short, "She's a ghost and a blank page to record our fears and desires."

Brian De Palma

Brian De Palma, renowned for such films as Casualties of War, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Scarface and Dressed to Kill, took on the challenge of adapting Ellroy's story for the screen. Set in Los Angeles just after WWII, the novel features two LAPD police officers, Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard, as the narrators. The sex murder involves them in an investigation of the case, which leads to knowledge of corruption in their midst, and for Bucky, corruption in himself. (Ellroy stayed on this theme with his next three novels, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, and White Jazz.) Reportedly, Ellroy visited the Black Dahlia set during filming and appeared to be pleased.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Josh Friedman penned the screenplay, an early version of which was reviewed by "The Stax Report." Friedman, who adapted The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, apparently worked on it for several years. At the time of the review, Stax reported that Ellroy had expressed doubt to a British reporter that his book would ever get to the Big Screen. At that time, too, there was talk that Tom Cruise might star. Stax gave the script a thumbs up, due to its brisk pace, exploration of personal and political corruption, and "tragically-flawed protagonist."