Who Did What Now, Episode 178: Black Dahlia – Part 1

Host: Katie Charlwood
Date: January 27, 2026

Episode Overview

In this first part of a two-episode dive, historian and sociologist Katie Charlwood tackles one of America's most infamous unsolved murders: the Black Dahlia case. With characteristic wit, empathy, and a distaste for sensationalism, Charlwood recounts the discovery of Elizabeth Short’s body, the ensuing media frenzy, and Short’s life leading up to her death. The episode is an unflinching yet respectful look at both the infamous crime and the young woman at its center, seeking to demythologize Elizabeth Short and refocus attention on her as a human, not just a victim.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Purpose and Approach

• Charlwood expresses frustration over how true crime often reduces female victims to footnotes, especially in cases permeated by salacious media coverage.
• Quote:
  “Elizabeth Short, the victim, is a footnote in her own story. And I hate it. I hate it so much. This happens all the time when it comes to… especially when women are the victims.” (03:56)
• She promises a factual, non-sensationalized retelling, with swearing out of "undiluted rage" (06:05).

2. Discovery of the Body (The Crime Scene)

• Date & Place: January 15, 1947. Mrs. Bertie Berzinger and her daughter discover what they think is a mannequin in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. It is, in fact, the mutilated body of Elizabeth Short.
  • Quote:
    “Spoiler alert, it was not a mannequin... Laying just a foot away from the sidewalk was a female body mutilated and cut in half.” (07:55)
• The scene is quickly contaminated by police, media, and onlookers. At one point, a human chain is formed to keep crowds at bay.
• Key police, press, and bystander actions are discussed with tangy asides:
  • Quote:
    “Between officers, detectives, journalists, photographers, and just, you know, nosy people. The crime scene was very much contaminated.” (12:54)

3. Press Involvement, Public Frenzy, and Identification

• Journalists race detectives to the scene, with Aggie Underwood and Will Fowler contending for the title of "first reporter."
• Media detail and photograph the crime, stirring public fascination and speculation.
• For identification, police try to send fingerprints to the FBI in D.C., but a snowstorm delays things. The LA Examiner helps by broadcasting the prints using the new “sound photo” machine—a proto-fax.
  • Quote:
    “In exchange for sending the victim's fingerprints, the examiner would receive exclusives in the case… Note, it wasn't uncommon for the press and the police to work together, like, especially back then.” (19:28)
• The FBI quickly identifies Elizabeth Short from prints taken during a job application (1943) and an underage drinking arrest (1940).

4. Elizabeth Short’s Life Story: Humanizing the “Black Dahlia”

a. Early Life and Family Upheaval (24:40)

• Born July 29, 1924, in Boston. Family hit hard by the Great Depression; her father fakes his suicide and abandons them.
• After twelve years, he resurfaces via letter; Elizabeth (“Beth”) seeks him out in California but finds only disappointment and emotional hardship.
  • Quote:
    “So 18 years old. Like, she's a teenager and she's just found out that her dad didn't die, which is like, she's already grieved for that... now she has to deal with the fact that he is not only alive, but... chose to not communicate with the family, to not mention anything, to leave them to struggle alone.” (34:25)

b. Health Struggles and Adolescence

• Beth suffers chronic respiratory problems and spends winters in Florida per doctor’s advice.
• Dropped out of high school, began working to get by.

c. Romances and Tragedy

• Moves to California, gets odd jobs, often described in the context of her relationships with men—a narrative Katie subverts and interrogates.
• Forms a serious relationship via correspondence with Major Matt Gordon, a decorated WWII fighter pilot.
  • They become engaged by mail, but Gordon dies in a plane crash in 1945, weeks before their planned wedding. Beth is devastated and, out of both heartbreak and survival, asks the Gordon family for help (which they refuse).
  • Quote:
    “It’s not just the ending of a relationship itself. It's heartbreak, sure, but there's a grief—a grief over the loss of not only the person, but the life you were expecting, the future you had planned.” (48:10)

d. Life in LA: Myths Versus Reality

• Common myth: Short aspired to be a Hollywood actress. Charlwood asserts there’s no credible evidence for this; Short likely came to LA for the climate and social opportunities.
• Short bounces from hotel to hotel due to LA’s postwar housing crisis, often portrayed as unstable or scandalous, when actually common for the era.
• She frequently relies on the generosity of men for meals and lodging, which leads to both material support and social judgment.

e. Social Circles and Last Days

• Lives for a time at Mark Hanson’s “bungalow” for women “financially embarrassed,” where she befriends Anne Toth.
  • Quote (on Anne’s defense of Elizabeth):
    “Anne believes 100% that Beth Short is a virgin, which is interesting because she's always portrayed as this sort of floozy…” (55:55)
• Despite rumors, multiple sources describe Short as reserved, with few vices.
• Experiences bouts of instability and anxiety, especially in her final weeks. Encounters strangers seeking her at a friend’s house, heightening her paranoia.

5. The Final Week

• Beth asks Robert “Red” Manley to drive her from San Diego to LA; they spend the night at a motel but, according to Red, nothing romantic happens.
• Manley drops Beth at LA’s Biltmore Hotel, where she claims to be meeting her sister. There is no record her sister was ever arriving.
  • Quote:
    “This is the last confirmed time anyone saw her alive.” (71:54)
• She is seen using hotel payphones that evening, then leaves around 10 pm.
• For a week, she vanishes—until her body’s discovery.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the case being mythologized:
  “It has been mythologized over the years… Elizabeth Short, the victim, is a footnote in her own story. And I hate it.” (03:41)

• On 1940s policing and press:
  “They actually had at one point to make a human chain just like around the perimeter just to stop more people from, like, trampling all over the crime scene.” (12:51)

• On Short’s reputation vs. reality:
  “She doesn't smoke and she doesn't drink and she would just kind of go to dinner with men, but she wouldn't be… drinking. She's very careful not to lose her inhibitions.” (60:40)

• On women and 'dating on a roster':
  “You don't get to swipe right …and then complain that women are dating people in a roster… If you have that mental capacity… go live your best life.” (62:14)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Podcast opening & context: 01:59
• Discovery of the body & crime scene: 07:55
• Press involvement & fingerprint identification: 17:00 – 22:00
• Revealing Elizabeth Short’s identity: 22:45
• Early life & family struggles: 24:40 – 34:30
• Romantic relationships & Gordon correspondence: 40:00 – 48:30
• Life in LA, myths debunked: 49:45 – 55:00
• Living at Mark Hanson's, friendships, social struggles: 55:40 – 63:00
• Last weeks: French family, paranoia, Red Manley: 64:00 – 71:54
• Final sighting at the Biltmore: 71:54 – 72:18
• Outro, reading/watching/listening recommendations: 78:30 – end

Recommendations (from Katie)

• Reading: No Bed of Her Own by Val Lytton
• Watching: The Maltese Falcon
• Listening: Fireside Mystery Theater (audio dramas, pulp noir vibe)

Overall Tone

Katie Charlwood blends dark humor, empathy, and acerbic historical realism to cut through myths. She’s direct (“I will probably swear… due to undiluted rage”), knowledgeable, and deeply invested in reclaiming the narrative for Elizabeth Short as a person and the Black Dahlia case as a nuanced historical event, not just lurid mystery.

Next Episode

Part 2 will cover the investigation, suspects, media circus, and the enduring legacy of the Black Dahlia case.

Summary compiled for listeners who want the facts, the humanity, and the history—without the salaciousness, but with all the drama and context.