Alan Ladd

Alan Ladd

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Alan Ladd
Ladd in 1953
Born	Alan Walbridge Ladd (1913-09-03)September 3, 1913 Hot Springs, Arkansas, U.S.
Died	January 29, 1964(1964-01-29) (aged 50) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Cerebral edema caused by accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol[1]
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Education	North Hollywood High School
Occupation	Actor, film and television producer
Years active	1932–64
Spouse(s)	Marjorie Jane Harrold (m. 1936; div. 1941) Sue Carol (m. 1942–64)
Children	Alan Ladd, Jr. (b. 1937) Alana Ladd (b. 1943) David Ladd (b. 1947)
Relatives	Jordan Ladd (granddaughter)
Website
www.cmgww.com/stars/ladd/

Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film and television producer. Ladd found success in film the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in Westerns and film noirs where he was often paired with Veronica Lake. His popularity diminished in the late 1950s, though he continued to appear in popular films until his death from cerebral edema in January 1964.^[2]

Contents

[show]

• 1 Early life
• 2 Career
  • 2.1 Stardom
  • 2.2 Leaving Paramount
• 3 Height
• 4 Personal life
• 5 Death
• 6 Select radio credits
  • 6.1 Regular series
• 7 Filmography
• 8 Box office ranking
• 9 References
• 10 External links

 

Early life

Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was the only child of Ina Raleigh Ladd and Alan Ladd, Sr. He was of English ancestry. His father died when he was four, and his mother relocated to Oklahoma City where she married Jim Beavers, a housepainter. The family then moved again to North Hollywood, California where Ladd became a high school swimming and diving champion and participated in high school dramatics at North Hollywood High School, graduating on February 1, 1934. He opened his own hamburger and malt shop, which he called Tiny's Patio. He worked briefly as a studio carpenter (as did his stepfather) and for a short time was part of the Universal Pictures studio school for actors. But Universal decided he was too blond and too short and dropped him.^[3]

Career

Intent on acting, he found work in small theatres.^[4] He had short term stints at MGM and RKO, and eventually started getting steady work on radio.^[5][6]

Ladd was heard on radio by the agent Sue Carol who signed him to her books and enthusiastically promoted her new client, starting with the 1939 film Rulers of the Sea, in which he played a character named "Colin Farrell." Ladd began by appearing in dozens of films in small roles, including Citizen Kane, in which he played a newspaper reporter towards the end of the film. He first gained some wide recognition with a featured role in the wartime thriller Joan of Paris, 1942.^[7]

Stardom

Ladd with Brian Donlevy and Esther Fernández in Two Years Before the Mast (1946).

For his next role, Sue Carol found a vehicle which made Ladd's career: the 1942 adaptation of Graham Greene's novel This Gun for Hire in which he played "Raven," a hitman with a conscience.^[5] once Ladd had acquired an unsmiling hardness, he was transformed from an extra to a phenomenon. Ladd's calm slender ferocity make it clear that he was the first American actor to show the killer as a cold angel." – David Thomson (A Biographical Dictionary of Film, 1975) ^[8]

Both the film and Ladd's performance played an important role in the development of the "gangster" genre: "That the old fashioned motion picture gangster with his ugly face, gaudy cars, and flashy clothes was replaced by a smoother, better looking, and better dressed bad man was largely the work of Mr. Ladd." – New York Times obituary (January 30, 1964).^[8] Ladd was teamed with actress Veronica Lake in this film, and despite the fact that it was Robert Preston who played the romantic lead, the Ladd-Lake pairing captured the public's imagination, and would continue in another three films. (They appeared in a total of seven films together, but three were only guest shots in all-star musical revues.)

Ladd and Lake became a particularly popular pairing because, at 5'1", she was one of the few Hollywood actresses shorter than he.^[9] In his memoirs, actor/producer John Houseman wrote of Ladd: "Since he himself was extremely short, he had only one standard by which he judged his fellow players: their height".^[10] To compensate for Ladd's height, during the filming of Boy on a Dolphin, co-starring the much taller Sophia Loren, the cinematographer used special low stands to light Ladd and the crew built a ramp system of heavy planks to enable the two actors to stand at equal eye level.^[11] In outdoor scenes, trenches were dug for Loren to stand in.^[12] For the film Saskatchewan, director Raoul Walsh had a six-inch hole dug for co-star Hugh O'Brian to stand in, while using the excavated dirt to build a mound for Ladd to stand on, thereby overcoming the one-foot disparity in height.^[13]

Ladd went on to star in many Paramount Pictures' films,^[14] with a brief timeout for military service in the United States Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit.^[15]

He appeared in Dashiell Hammett's story The Glass Key, his second pairing with Lake, and Lucky Jordan with Helen Walker. His cool, unsmiling persona proved popular with wartime audiences, and he was quickly established as one of the top box office stars of the decade.^[16]

In 1946, he starred in a trio of silver screen classics: the big screen adaptation of Richard Henry Dana's maritime classic, Two Years Before the Mast (for which he also received critical acclaim), the Raymond Chandler original mystery The Blue Dahlia (his third pairing with Lake), and the World War II espionage thriller O.S.S..

He formed his own production companies for film and radio and then starred in his own syndicated series Box 13, which ran from 1948–49. Ladd and Robert Preston starred in the 1948 western film, Whispering Smith, which in 1961 would become a short-lived NBC television series, starring Audie Murphy. In the 1949 version of The Great Gatsby, Ladd had the featured role of Jay Gatsby.

Jean Arthur and Alan Ladd in Shane (1953)

Ladd played the title role in the 1953 western Shane. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It was listed at No. 45 on the American Film Institute's 2007 ranking of "100 Years ... 100 Movies."

Ladd made the Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll three times: in 1947, 1953, and 1954.^[3] In 1954 exhibitors voted him the most popular star among British filmgoers.^[17]

In 1950 the Hollywood Women's Press Club voted him the easiest male star to deal with in Hollywood.^[18]

Leaving Paramount

When former agent Albert R. Broccoli formed Warwick Films with his partner Irving Allen, they heard Ladd was unhappy with Paramount and was leaving the studio. With his wife and agent Sue Carol, they negotiated for Ladd to appear in the first three of their films made in England and released through Columbia Pictures: The Red Beret (1953); Hell Below Zero (1954), based on the Hammond Innes book The White South; and The Black Knight also (1954). All three were co-written by Ladd's regular screenwriter Richard Maibaum, the last with additional dialogue by Bryan Forbes.^[19][20] In 1954 Ladd formed a new production company, Jaguar Productions, originally releasing his films through Warner Bros. and then with All the Young Men through Columbia.

Ladd's pictures became less distinguished as the decade went on. He turned down the chance to play the role of Jett Rink in Giant (1956) which was subsequently played by James Dean and became one of the biggest hits of the decade.

In November 1962, he was found lying unconscious in a pool of blood with a bullet wound near his heart, in what might have been an unsuccessful suicide attempt.^[3][21] In 1963 Ladd's career looked set to make a comeback when he filmed a supporting role in The Carpetbaggers, which became one of the most popular films of 1964. He would not live to see its release.

Height

Few biographical sources refrain from speculation on Ladd's height, which legend contends was slight. Reports of his height vary from 5 ft 5 in to 5 ft 9 in (1.65 m – 1.75 m), with 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) being the most generally accepted today. His U.S. Army enlistment record, however, indicates a height of 5 ft 7 in.^[3][22][23]

Personal life

Ladd married a high school sweetheart, Marjorie Jane "Midge" Harrold in October 1936.^[24][25] Their only child, a son named Alan Ladd, Jr., was born on October 22, 1937.^[26] They divorced in July 1941.^[27]

On March 15, 1942, Ladd married his agent and manager, former film actress Sue Carol, with whom he had two children, Alana (born 1947) and David Alan.^[28] Alan Ladd, Jr., is a film executive and producer and founder of The Ladd Company. Actress Alana Ladd, who co-starred with her father in Guns of the Timberland and Duel of Champions, is married to the veteran talk radio broadcaster Michael Jackson. Actor David Ladd, who co-starred with his father as a child in The Proud Rebel, was married to Charlie's Angels star Cheryl Ladd (née Stoppelmoor), 1973–80. Their daughter is actress Jordan Ladd.^[29]

Death

On January 29, 1964, Ladd was found dead in his Palm Springs, California home.^[30] His death was attributed to cerebral edema caused by an acute overdose of "alcohol and three other drugs"; his death was ruled accidental.^[1] Ladd suffered from chronic insomnia and regularly used sleeping pills and alcohol. It was determined that he had not taken a lethal amount of either, but that the combination can produce a synergistic reaction in which one plus one equals ten or even fifty."^[3] He was entombed in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. Not until June 28, 1964 did Carpetbaggers producer Joseph E. Levine hold an elaborate premiere screening in New York City with an afterparty staged by his wife at The Four Seasons Restaurant.^[31]

Ladd has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1601 Vine Street.^[32] His handprint appears in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theater, in Hollywood. In 1995, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.^[33]

Select radio credits

Regular series

• Box 13: 52 episodes (22 August 1948 – 14 August 1949)

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1932	Tom Brown of Culver	Cadet
1932	Once in a Lifetime	Projectionist
1933	Saturday's Millions	Student
1936	Pigskin Parade	Student
1937	Last Train from Madrid !The Last Train from Madrid	Soldier
1937	Souls at Sea	Sailor
1937	All Over Town	Young Man
1937	Hold 'Em Navy	Chief Quartermaster
1938	Goldwyn Follies !The Goldwyn Follies	First Auditioning Singer
1938	Come on, Leathernecks!	Club Waiter
1938	Freshman Year	Student
1939	Mysterious Miss X !The Mysterious Miss X	Henchman
1939	Hitler, Beast of Berlin	Karl Bach
1939	Rulers of the Sea	Colin Farrell
1940	American Portrait	Young man/Old man	Short subject
1940	Blame It on Love		Short subject Uncredited
1940	Meat and Romance	Bill Allen	Short subject
1940	Unfinished Rainbows	Charles Martin Hall	Short subject
1940	Green Hornet !The Green Hornet	Gilpin, Student Pilot	Chapter 3
1940	Brother Rat and a Baby	Cadet in trouble
1940	In Old Missouri	John Pittman, Jr.
1940	Light of Western Stars !The Light of Western Stars	Danny, Stillwell Ranch Hand
1940	Gangs of Chicago
1940	Cross-Country Romance	Mr. Williams, First Mate
1940	Those Were the Days!	Keg Rearick
1940	Captain Caution	Newton, Mutinous Sailor
1940	Howards of Virginia !The Howards of Virginia	Backwoodsman
1940	Meet the Missus	John Williams
1940	Victory	Heyst as an 18-year-old
1940	Her First Romance	John Gilman
1941	I Look To You		Short subject
1941	Petticoat Politics	Higgins Daughter's Boyfriend
1941	Citizen Kane	Reporter smoking pipe at end	Uncredited
1941	Black Cat !The Black Cat	Richard Hartley
1941	Paper Bullets	Jimmy Kelly aka Bill Dugan
1941	Reluctant Dragon !The Reluctant Dragon	Al, Baby Weems storyboard artist
1941	They Met in Bombay	British Soldier
1941	Great Guns	Soldier in Photo Shop
1941	Cadet Girl	Harry, Musician
1941	Military Training	Lieutenant, Platoon Leader, County Fair	Short subject Uncredited
1942	Joan of Paris	"Baby"
1942	This Gun for Hire	Philip Raven
1942	Glass Key !The Glass Key	Ed Beaumont
1942	Lucky Jordan	Lucky Jordan
1942	Star Spangled Rhythm	Alan Ladd, Scarface Skit
1942	Letter from a Friend		Short subject
1943	China	David Jones
1943	Screen Snapshots: Hollywood in Uniform	Himself	Short subject
1944	Skirmish on the Home Front	Harry W. Average	Short subject
1944	And Now Tomorrow	Doctor Merek Vance
1945	Salty O'Rourke	Salty O'Rourke
1945	Duffy's Tavern	Himself
1945	Hollywood Victory Caravan	Alan Ladd	Short subject
1946	Two Years Before the Mast	Charles Stewart
1946	Blue Dahlia !The Blue Dahlia	Johnny Morrison, Lt.Cmdr., ret.
1946	O.S.S.	Philip Masson/John Martin
1946	Screen Snapshots: The Skolsky Party	Himself	Short subject
1947	My Favorite Brunette	Sam McCloud
1947	Calcutta	Neale Gordon
1947	Variety Girl	Himself
1947	Wild Harvest	Joe Madigan
1948	Saigon	Maj. Larry Briggs
1948	Beyond Glory	Capt. Rockwell "Rocky" Gilman
1948	Whispering Smith	Whispering Smith
1949	Eyes of Hollywood		Short subject
1949	Great Gatsby !The Great Gatsby	Jay Gatsby
1949	Chicago Deadline	Ed Adams
1950	Captain Carey, U.S.A.	Captain Webster Carey
1950	Branded	Choya
1951	Appointment with Danger	Al Goddard
1951	Red Mountain	Capt. Brett Sherwood
1952	Iron Mistress !The Iron Mistress	Jim Bowie
1952	Thunder in the East	Steve Gibbs
1952	A Sporting Oasis	Himself	Short subject
1953	Botany Bay	Hugh Tallant
1953	Desert Legion	Paul Lartal
1953	Shane	Shane
1953	Red Beret !The Red Beret	Steve "Canada" McKendrick
1954	Hell Below Zero	Duncan Craig
1954	Saskatchewan	Thomas O'Rourke
1954	Black Knight !The Black Knight	John
1954	Drum Beat	Johnny MacKay	Producer
1955	McConnell Story !The McConnell Story	Capt. Joseph C. "Mac" McConnell, Jr.
1955	Hell on Frisco Bay	Steve Rollins	Producer
1956	Santiago	Caleb "Cash" Adams	Producer
1956	A Cry in the Night	Opening narrator	Producer
1957	Big Land !The Big Land	Chad Morgan	Producer
1957	Boy on a Dolphin	Dr. James Calder
1958	Deep Six !The Deep Six	Alexander "Alec" Austen	Producer
1958	Proud Rebel !The Proud Rebel	John Chandler
1958	Badlanders !The Badlanders	Peter Van Hoek ("The Dutchman")
1959	Man in the Net !The Man in the Net	John Hamilton	Producer
1959	Island of Lost Women	–	Executive producer
1960	Guns of the Timberland	Jim Hadley	Executive producer
1960	All the Young Men	Sgt. Kincaid	Executive producer
1960	One Foot in Hell	Mitch Garrett
1961	Duel of Champions	Horatio
1962	13 West Street	Walt Sherill	Producer
1964	Carpetbaggers !The Carpetbaggers	Nevada Smith	Released posthumously

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1953	Better Living TV Theatre	Himself	September 6, 1953 episode
1954	Red Skelton Revue	Guest (Old West Sketch)	Episode 1.1
1954-1958	General Electric Theater	Various roles	3 episodes Executive producer (2 episodes)
1955	Kings Row	Himself	Episode: "Lady In Fear"
1957-1958	The Bob Cummings Show	Himself	2 episodes
1959	Schlitz Playhouse of Stars	–	Episode: "Ivy League"

Box office ranking

For a number of years, film exhibitors voted him amongst the top stars at the box office.

Year	USA	Britain
1943	15th[34]
1945	15th[35]
1946	14th[36]	8th[37]
1947	10th	7th[38]
1950	(did not make top 25)	8th
1949	17th[39]	7th[40]
1951	17th	8th[41]
1952	16th[42]
1953	4th[43]	3rd
1954	6th[44]	1st[45]
1955	17th	5th[46]
1956	25th