Broken: The Black Dahlia Murder - Part Three: City of Broken Dreams
Once Upon A Crime
Esther Ludlow
4.6 • 5K Ratings
🗓️ 4 November 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 1946, Elizabeth Short – the young woman the world would later know as The Black Dahlia – returned to California chasing love, glamour, and a new beginning. Instead, she found herself drifting through a postwar Los Angeles filled with promise, danger, and people who would soon become key figures in one of the most infamous unsolved murders in American history.
In this episode, we follow Beth — now calling herself Betty — from Long Beach to Hollywood and finally to San Diego in the final weeks before her disappearance. Along the way, she crosses paths with men who offer affection and opportunity, but whose motives aren’t always as pure as they seem.
From the glitzy Florentine Gardens nightclub to the humble home of the French family, this chapter reveals the pattern that defined Elizabeth’s life: charm and tragedy, hope and heartbreak, played out against the glittering — and unforgiving — backdrop of midcentury Los Angeles.
About This Series
BROKEN: The Black Dahlia Murder is a six-part Once Upon a Crime original series.
Through extensive research, historical records, and firsthand accounts, Esther Ludlow uncovers the truth behind America’s most infamous unsolved murder, separating fact from fiction to rediscover the real woman behind the myth.
📚 Sources
Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder by John Gilmore
The Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood by William J. Mann (upcoming)
Contemporary newspaper archives, LAPD records, and witness interviews
🎧 Next Time on Broken
In Part Four – The Lost Week, we trace Elizabeth Short’s final known days and nights — a week shrouded in rumor, mystery, and new revelations. Author William J. Mann joins us to discuss his groundbreaking research uncovering what really happened between her last sighting in San Diego and the moment her body was discovered in Los Angeles.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This podcast details true crime cases. |
| 0:03.5 | It contains adult themes and may contain descriptions of violence. |
| 0:07.3 | It is not intended for children. |
| 0:09.2 | Listener discretion is advised. |
| 0:19.3 | Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Once Upon a Crime. |
| 0:23.7 | This is part three of the series Broken, the Black Dahlia Murder. |
| 0:28.7 | In the last part of our story, Elizabeth Short's life turned tragic when her war hero fiancé |
| 0:34.8 | was killed in a plane crash. Beth's dreams of a life of home and family had been dashed. |
| 0:41.3 | She went home to Massachusetts to heal her broken heart and find a way to move on. |
| 0:46.3 | Through letters, she reconnected with her first serious bow, Lieutenant Gordon Fickling. |
| 0:52.3 | Gordon asked her to come to California, where he was now stationed. |
| 0:57.1 | She agreed, and in the summer of 1946, |
| 1:00.6 | Beth Short once again packed her bags and headed to the Golden State. |
| 1:05.1 | We'll pick up her story from there. |
| 1:07.8 | This is Part 3 of Broken, City of Broken Dreams. |
| 1:24.6 | Hey, True Crime fans. I've got some killer news for you. Once Upon a Crime now has its very own online merch shop. |
| 1:32.3 | You can grab exclusive podcast gear from our fan favorite teas to cozy hoodies and more. |
| 1:37.5 | Show your love for the show and get your hands on some wickedly cool merch at once upon a crime.dashery.com. |
| 1:43.9 | Grab the link in the show notes and bookmark it to check back often. |
| 1:47.7 | We'll be adding fresh logo gear and fun seasonal designs all year long. |
| 1:52.6 | Gear up with Once Upon a Crime merch. |
| 1:55.0 | Our stories may end in murder, but your outfits will slay. |
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