Jean Ellroy

[Ipreferfantasy]

This is a long time forgotten episode that is rarely seen. I'm a big fan of UM and have been unable to find any updates or even the original episode. This story is of a woman who was murdered in the back in the fifties while out on a date. I don't remember much about the case but in typical UM fashion they refer to the pair as "the dishwater blonde" and "the swarthy man." Her son grew up to be an author of murder mysteries. Just wondering if any hardcore UM dorks remember this episode or have any news on the case?

[Latka Gravas]

I recently watched the Jean Ellroy segment (S08) for the first time, and am slightly surprised there's not more discussion on this.

I remember first being aware of this when watching the documentary on the special features of The Black Dahlia (2006 film) DVD. In the doc., well-known author James Ellroy (who wrote the novel that the movie was based on) was talking about how this horrific death of his mother strongly influenced his life & led to his decision to become a crime author, etc.

Since the crime occurred in 1958, it's probable that the suspect has passed away at this point. In the segment, there was an interview with the only person that remembers seeing the suspect & Jean Ellroy that night (at least, she was the only person they found); she was a waitress/car-hop who saw both of them come to the drive-in where she worked on two different occasions that night. However, the mysterious "blonde woman" that was allegedly seen with Jean E. and the man (at a separate bar/restaurant) has never been found; I question whether this blonde woman existed in the first place.

[infinityluxe]

Originally Posted by Latka Gravas

I recently watched the Jean Ellroy segment (S08) for the first time, and am slightly surprised there's not more discussion on this.

I remember first being aware of this when watching the documentary on the special features of The Black Dahlia (2006 film) DVD. In the doc., well-known author James Ellroy (who wrote the novel that the movie was based on) was talking about how this horrific death of his mother strongly influenced his life & led to his decision to become a crime author, etc.

Since the crime occurred in 1958, it's probable that the suspect has passed away at this point. In the segment, there was an interview with the only person that remembers seeing the suspect & Jean Ellroy that night (at least, she was the only person they found); she was a waitress/car-hop who saw both of them come to the drive-in where she worked on two different occasions that night. However, the mysterious "blonde woman" that was allegedly seen with Jean E. and the man (at a separate bar/restaurant) has never been found; I question whether this blonde woman existed in the first place.

James Ellroy came off very creepy and strange to me in that segment. However, he is an excellent writer love his books. The Black Dahlia is a movie I have been meaning to watch for years and years and never got around to it. I know The Zodiac movie was out around the same time and I chose to watch that one and was deeply disappointed. James definitely is very eccentric these days. Seems as if his mother got herself linked up with a psycho. She was a working single mother back in those days and that was kind of unheard of and this made her a very easy target. Back in those days you just trusted people at face value. UM really made me conscious of online dating and meeting strangers. I prefer organic connections because you never know what type of person can creep their way into your life via DM.