Case Reopened: The Black Dahlia I've seen every documentary and primetime special on the case of The Black Dahlia. To date, nothing tops the production of Case Reopened. It airs on The Learning Channel October 10 and October 16 (see times below), along with two other segments on Lizzie Borden and The Zodiac Killer (reviews at crimelinks.com). I received the video via Fedex from Film Garden, the production company. A preview copy was aptly packaged in a plain black box. I expected another "hidden mystery-type" one-hour special, with the same pictures and discussions we've come to memorized in this murder case. I'll put the warning up front, for those who merely skim the first few lines of reviews - if you are extremely weak in the stomach, you've got two choices when it comes to this production: a) have a friend tape and edit out some scenes; or b) don't watch it. There's nothing closely resembling the "surgery" performed on the body, but there are a few re-enactments that are nothing short of revealing the most believed method of operation of this brutal killing. Those who have researched the case of The Black Dahlia, both professionally and on an amateur level, will find information that has not really been brought into the total limelight before. The segment includes interaction with Tony Valdez, John Gilmore, Brian Carr, as well as former LAPD officials - intermixed with vintage photos and some of the most "realistic" re-enactments produced in a series of its type. Various past and potential suspects are discussed, and might I suggest you grab pen and paper. Hosted by noted crime novelist Joseph Wambaugh, the Black Dahlia segment of Case Reopened is one not to be missed. If you don't receive The Learning Channel, the production company has indicated plans for video release. If there's a drawback to Case Reopened, it's that I found the segment, for once, to be too short. Yes, there's a lot that can be revealed in 47 minutes, and many might find long special documentaries to become, well, boring. But with the right production team and the right content, the length is not much of an issue to the viewers. It's a shame there's a time limit for prime time, because this could have run two hours, and I wouldn't have left my seat. CASE REOPENED AIR TIMES: The Zodiac (w/ Lawrence Block) October 10th – 8:00pm and 11:00pm October 16th – 5:00pm The Black Dahlia (w/ Joseph Wambaugh) October 10th – 9:00pm and 12:00am October 16th – 6:00pm Lizzie Borden (w/ Ed McBain) October 10th – 10:00pm and 1:00am October 16th – 7:00pm | Home | About Site | Beth Short | The Murder | The Investigation | Interviews | Articles | Media | | FAQ | Visitor Comments | Links | PR | Memorials | The Latest | Register | Contact | The Black Dahlia Web Site is © Pamela Hazelton. All Rights Reserved. Last update: October 8, 1999.