FAQ

While investigating the murder of advertizing executive Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney), Detective Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) interviews the prime suspects-journalist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), who helped launch Laura's career, and Laura's fiancé, playboy Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price)-and finds himself falling in love with her portrait.

Laura is a 1943 novel by American writer Vera Caspary (1899-1987). Caspary first wrote the story as a 1939 play titled 'Ring Twice for Lora' before adapting the play into the novel. The novel was adapted for the film by Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Elizabeth 'Betty' Reinhardt.

After questioning Laura and determining that she did not kill Diana Redfern, Mark searches Lydecker's house where he finds a clock identical to the one at Laura's apartment. He opens the clock but does not find the shotgun that he's after. He returns to Laura's apartment where Laura has just informed Lydecker that she doesn't want to see him again. Lydecker can sense the growing attraction between Larua and Mark, and he storms out. Mark examines Laura's clock and finds the shotgun hidden inside. Having figured out that it was Lydecker who killed Diana, Mark explains that Lydecker must have come over to kill Laura but mistakenly shot Diana in the dark and hid the gun in the clock. After locking the doors and telling Laura to let no one in, Mark leaves to arrest Lydecker. Laura goes into the bedroom to prepare for bed and is surprised when Lydecker enters the room, having snuck back into her apartment through the kitchen door. When Laura notices that he is carrying the shotgun, Lydecker informs her that, if he can't have her, no one will. In the final scene, just as Lydecker raises the shotgun to blow Laura away, Mark and two policemen break into the apartment, having realized that Lydecker never left the building. One of the policement shoots Lydecker and he falls to the floor. 'Goodbye, Laura,' he says. 'Goodbye, my love.'