The Blue Dahlia
Eventually, "The Blue Dahlia" was released to great acclaim (Raymond Chandler was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay), quickly followed by "O.S.S.", and finally, "Two Years Before the Mast". The first two films were solid hits, each earning over $2 million in rentals in the U.S. and Canada; "Two Years Before the Mast" was a blockbuster, earning over $4 million and ranking among the top 10 most popular films of the year. Ladd's roles in "This Gun for Hire", "The Glass Key", and "The Blue Dahlia", firmly established him as a no-nonsense tough guy in a popular genre of crime films later to become known as film noir.