Elizabeth Short

Today marks the date of birth in 1924 of Elizabeth Short. She became the victim of one of the most gruesome and notorious (and still unsolved) crimes in our country's history, the infamous "Black Dahlia" murder of January 1947.

I mention this mainly because she was originally from the Boston area. She was born in Hyde Park, and her family moved to Medford a few years later. As a teenager she dropped out of school and spent winters with a relative in Florida because she had respiratory problems. Later she moved to California, hoping to be discovered and break into movies, but of course that didn't happen.

I first became aware of Beth Short's unfortunate story when I read James Ellroy's novel The Black Dahlia, a fictionalized account of the case, more than two decades ago. I learned that the real case had never been solved or closed, and interest remains high more than 60 years later.

There are numerous theories and endless speculation as to who committed the crime, and there are a number of web sites about the case and about Beth Short. It's kind of amazing how much of the information is inaccurate or contradictory (that's just the internet, I guess). Of course there have been a number of books on the subject, and unfortunately many of the inaccuracies are perpetuated through those as well.

I've read two of these books, Severed by John Gilmore and Black Dahlia Avenger by Steve Hodel; I didn't know at the time, and I was kind of embarrassed to learn, that apparently neither of these is particularly well regarded, especially by writer Larry Harnisch, who wrote an article about the case for the Los Angeles Times in 1996. He maintains this web site and says he is writing his own book (though I don't see anything by him listed on Amazon).

You may remember that a movie based on Ellroy's book came out a few years ago. It's pretty terrible, and I recommend you not bother with it. I do recommend Ellroy's book, especially if you're a fan of mysteries or noir.

A mile or so from my house, there is a marker in the approximate location of her childhood home. It's on Salem Street heading west toward Medford Square, just before the rotary and ramps for route 93. (I assume the house was removed when the highway and ramps were built.) It's only a couple of feet back from the edge of the sidewalk, a large, upright piece of granite with a plaque set into it.

I had intended to take a picture of the marker to accompany this post, but I kept forgetting to bring my camera when we went in that direction (and there isn't really any good spot to pull over anyway, since it's right next to a rotary with an onramp to 93 north). In this picture you can read the plaque. I've read that when the marker was proposed in the early 1990s, there were some who opposed it. But I'm glad the city has chosen to remember Beth Short.