Hollywoodland Noir

Tinseltown, The Dream Factory, La-La Land. In the aftermath of World War II, it is a place where some dreams are born, and many others go to die. Everyone thinks that he has what it takes, but in a dog-eat-dog place like Hollywoodland, many are wrong. Ex G.I.s desperate for work crowd the hotels and bars, inured to violence and tortured by what they’ve been through. Young ingénues sing, dance and act their way up the ladder, and sometimes, you have to step on people to keep climbing. Men return after long absences to find that their wives and girlfriends have gotten more—complicated. Faded stars yearn for past glory, and everyone comes from somewhere else. Some of these gents and dames don’t want you to know where they’re really from, or what they’re really about. Or sometimes who they really are. Secrets, lies, glamour and booze all flow freely, and a select few call the dance. Private eyes, insurance investigators, spouses trying to save their marriage, and other white knights ply their trade, untangling webs of sleaze that people have killed to keep quiet, and will again. But even they are tempted, nearly every day. People gamble when they get dazzled by the footlights, but only the house really ever wins. For the chance to be a star, it’s all worth it. All you need is that one big break…