Alan Ladd, the True Quiet Man
“I have the face of an aging choirboy and the build of an undernourished featherweight.”
“If you can figure out my success on the screen, you’re a better man than I.”
Alan Ladd was born on 3 September 1913, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, as an only child to the American Alan Ladd Sr. and English Selina Rowley Ladd (stage name Ina Raleigh). His childhood was filled with hunger and homelessness, and more tragedy. His father, a freelance accountant who was away on travels a lot, died unexpectedly of a heart attack when Alan was only four years old. He was there when it happened and saw his father collapse. His mother, who had come to the United States in 1907, had no friends or family who she could turn to. There was only a little insurance money to help mother and son out.
A year after his father's death, on 3 July 1918, little Alan played with matches and accidentally burnt down the shabby apartment where he lived with his mother. With hardly any possessions, Alan's mum Ina packed up and went to Oklahoma City with her son. When Alan commenced school, he was a weak child, malnourished, and small in size. His height didn't go unnoticed by his classmates and he fell victim to continuous teasing. (I read somewhere that malnutrition had contributed to his small size.)
“I’m the most insecure guy in Hollywood. If you had it good all your life, you figure it can’t ever be bad, but when you’ve had it bad, you wonder how long a thing like this will last.”
At the age of eight, Alan helped to support the family earning money with little odd jobs like picking fruit and delivering papers. It was a hard childhood where he didn't have much chance to be a normal kid. Due to malnutrition Alan suffered from stomach ailments. Because of his illness (and time spent on the long journey west and on finding a permanent place to live) he fell several grades behind in school and was therefore the oldest boy in his class but also the smallest. He was called Tiny and hated his nickname.
It wasn't until high school (he enrolled in North Hollywood High School in 1930) that he experienced better times through his involvement in theater and sports. He excelled in swimming and track and was determined to train for the Olympics of 1932. Sadly it wasn't meant to be and an accident (he hit his head while practising a high dive) prevented him from participating in the Olympic trials. He quit sports and turned to theater. He enjoyed the school production he had a part in and met his future wife Marjorie Jane 'Midge' Harrold. After high school graduation in 1934 at age twenty, Ladd was able to secure a number of odd jobs (despite the stock market crash and people losing their jobs all over the country) and even briefly ran his own burger joint (called Tiny's Patio). Then he worked as a grip on the Warner Brothers studio lot and took acting lessons with money borrowed from a friend. He married Marjorie Jane in October 1936 and their son Alan Jr. was born on 22 October 1937. Alan's mum, now a widow and alcoholic, moved in with them in their small apartment.
It wasn't until high school (he enrolled in North Hollywood High School in 1930) that he experienced better times through his involvement in theater and sports. He excelled in swimming and track and was determined to train for the Olympics of 1932. Sadly it wasn't meant to be and an accident (he hit his head while practising a high dive) prevented him from participating in the Olympic trials. He quit sports and turned to theater. He enjoyed the school production he had a part in and met his future wife Marjorie Jane 'Midge' Harrold. After high school graduation in 1934 at age twenty, Ladd was able to secure a number of odd jobs (despite the stock market crash and people losing their jobs all over the country) and even briefly ran his own burger joint (called Tiny's Patio). Then he worked as a grip on the Warner Brothers studio lot and took acting lessons with money borrowed from a friend. He married Marjorie Jane in October 1936 and their son Alan Jr. was born on 22 October 1937. Alan's mum, now a widow and alcoholic, moved in with them in their small apartment.
On 29 November 1937 tragedy struck again for Alan. His mother committed suicide in front of his eyes by taking ant poison. She had asked him for money and not knowing what it was for he lent it to her. One can only imagine what devastating effect this must have had on Alan. His later depression and reliance on alcohol was a result from this horrifying incident.
Alan tried his luck in the movie business. He was part of the Universal Pictures studio school for actors for a short while (together with Tyrone Power). But he was too short and too blond and Universal dropped him. He began to lend his beautiful voice to radio productions which attracted the attention of Sue Carol, a former actress turned agent looking for new talent. She signed him to a contract and got him bit parts in movies like the uncredited role as a reporter in Citizen Kane.
Alan's break-out role came in 1942 with This Gun For Hire opposite Veronica Lake (which became a big success and they would go on making more films together). His bad guy was a different one from the loud-mouthed and fast-talking gangsters portrayed by Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. Here was a killer who was soft-spoken, stone-faced and even gentle with cats. He also had something different to offer in the looks department. As opposed to Robinson, Cagney and Bogart, Alan was a pretty boy with a stoic and quiet manner. The New York Times stated in Alan's obituary on 30 January 1964: "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." During the rest of his career Alan would frequently play tough guys (mostly in film noirs and westerns), often on the wrong side of the law, but always with a buried conscience. In many cases he would redeem himself with the help of a female character.
Coming back to Alan's career ....
With This Gun For Hire his career really lifted off and he became Paramount's hottest commodity. I never realised or knew how big of a star he was but apparently his name alone was a guarantee for sales, be it at the box-office or magazines. For several years to come he was America's top male star. In between he also briefly went into military service. Initially he was classified 4-F (rejected for military service, for physical, mental or moral reasons) due to stomach problems but he started his military service in January 1943. Joining the Army Air Forces, he reached the rank of corporal but his stomach problems persisted and he was given an honourable medical discharge in November 1943. After the army he went back to Paramount to make movies again and was also still active in radio. In 1948 he lent his voice to the series Box 13 where he played Dan Holiday, a reporter-turned-novelist. The show had an original run from January 1948 until December 1948 and lasted 52 episodes. A lot of these episodes are on YouTube (don't know if all episodes are) so I will definitely check them out. I had never heard of the series before doing this post and it's so wonderful to listen to Alan's voice that I'm excited that the show is available to us.
I'm not going to bother with naming all of the films in Alan's filmography (you can see the list of films on IMDB) but it's noteworthy that in the early 1950s Alan no longer wished to work for Paramount. The studio had been his surrogate home for a long time, ever since he started his career, and his decision to leave was made for professional reasons and financial gain. He was tired of the roles Paramount dealt him but the studio didn't want to give him different roles because they had carefully constructed his screen persona and found him too valuable to change that image. Alan had always gone along with that because he felt grateful towards the studio for his career (after having been so poor) but now he wanted to move on. Still, the break with Paramount felt like leaving his family and their comfortable surroundings and this upset him a great deal.
So in 1952 his contract with Paramount ended and Shane, made earlier, wasn't released until 1953. While Alan's fame was already starting to fade at this point, Shane proved to be his biggest success and would become his trademark role. He also considered this his personal favourite film. For Shane, the most popular performance of 1953, he received the Photoplay Gold Medal (together with Marilyn Monroe for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). He also got his handprints and footprints added to Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 1954.
During the rest of his career Alan would work as a freelancer with Warwick Films, Universal and Warner Bros and also started his own production company, Jaguar Productions, in 1954. The films for his own company would be released through Warner Bros.
Alan tried his luck in the movie business. He was part of the Universal Pictures studio school for actors for a short while (together with Tyrone Power). But he was too short and too blond and Universal dropped him. He began to lend his beautiful voice to radio productions which attracted the attention of Sue Carol, a former actress turned agent looking for new talent. She signed him to a contract and got him bit parts in movies like the uncredited role as a reporter in Citizen Kane.
Alan's break-out role came in 1942 with This Gun For Hire opposite Veronica Lake (which became a big success and they would go on making more films together). His bad guy was a different one from the loud-mouthed and fast-talking gangsters portrayed by Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. Here was a killer who was soft-spoken, stone-faced and even gentle with cats. He also had something different to offer in the looks department. As opposed to Robinson, Cagney and Bogart, Alan was a pretty boy with a stoic and quiet manner. The New York Times stated in Alan's obituary on 30 January 1964: "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." During the rest of his career Alan would frequently play tough guys (mostly in film noirs and westerns), often on the wrong side of the law, but always with a buried conscience. In many cases he would redeem himself with the help of a female character.
In that same year 1942, Alan and his agent Sue Carol fell in love and got married (they would stay married until Alan's death in 1964). Carol had a daughter Carol Lee from a previous marriage, Alan already had a son Alan Jr., and together they would have two more children, daughter Alana in 1943 and son David in 1947. (All four children were later active in the film industry: Carol Lee and Alana were both actresses, David was an actor and producer, and Alan Jr. had a successful career as a producer and president of 20th Century-Fox and later of The Ladd Company.) In order to uphold a squeaky clean screen image Alan had to keep his first marriage and first-born child a secret from the public for much of his career. This meant there was no mention of it in the fan magazines. Sue played along and helped Paramount to maintain this image, even though it was a heavy weight on Alan's shoulders. When his stardom waned, he finally came out with the truth. His fans did not criticise him for it but he had to live with the guilt for the rest of his life. The burden only added to the demons he already had.
Coming back to Alan's career ....
With This Gun For Hire his career really lifted off and he became Paramount's hottest commodity. I never realised or knew how big of a star he was but apparently his name alone was a guarantee for sales, be it at the box-office or magazines. For several years to come he was America's top male star. In between he also briefly went into military service. Initially he was classified 4-F (rejected for military service, for physical, mental or moral reasons) due to stomach problems but he started his military service in January 1943. Joining the Army Air Forces, he reached the rank of corporal but his stomach problems persisted and he was given an honourable medical discharge in November 1943. After the army he went back to Paramount to make movies again and was also still active in radio. In 1948 he lent his voice to the series Box 13 where he played Dan Holiday, a reporter-turned-novelist. The show had an original run from January 1948 until December 1948 and lasted 52 episodes. A lot of these episodes are on YouTube (don't know if all episodes are) so I will definitely check them out. I had never heard of the series before doing this post and it's so wonderful to listen to Alan's voice that I'm excited that the show is available to us.
I'm not going to bother with naming all of the films in Alan's filmography (you can see the list of films on IMDB) but it's noteworthy that in the early 1950s Alan no longer wished to work for Paramount. The studio had been his surrogate home for a long time, ever since he started his career, and his decision to leave was made for professional reasons and financial gain. He was tired of the roles Paramount dealt him but the studio didn't want to give him different roles because they had carefully constructed his screen persona and found him too valuable to change that image. Alan had always gone along with that because he felt grateful towards the studio for his career (after having been so poor) but now he wanted to move on. Still, the break with Paramount felt like leaving his family and their comfortable surroundings and this upset him a great deal.
So in 1952 his contract with Paramount ended and Shane, made earlier, wasn't released until 1953. While Alan's fame was already starting to fade at this point, Shane proved to be his biggest success and would become his trademark role. He also considered this his personal favourite film. For Shane, the most popular performance of 1953, he received the Photoplay Gold Medal (together with Marilyn Monroe for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes). He also got his handprints and footprints added to Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 1954.
During the rest of his career Alan would work as a freelancer with Warwick Films, Universal and Warner Bros and also started his own production company, Jaguar Productions, in 1954. The films for his own company would be released through Warner Bros.
As the years came and went and his good looks started to fade (his face got puffy), his films weren't doing so well at the box-office and he grew steadily more depressed. Always having been insecure about his acting abilities and never being able to cope with the traumas of his life, he took to the bottle in combination with prescription pills more frequently. He suffered from insomnia as well and sedatives and alcohol helped him to sleep. Late 1962 Alan found himself in a hospital bed in Woodland Park Community Hospital near Hollywood, recovering from a gunshot wound in the chest. He was questioned by detectives and told them that he had heard noises in his house and believed them to be caused by a prowler. He had taken a gun and had stumbled, accidentally shooting himself. Whether the self-inflicted gunshot injury was an accident or an attempted suicide is not clear.
But then, on 29 January 1964, he was found dead at his Palm Springs home of an overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol at the age of 50. Again questions arose whether it was accidental or not. The official autopsy ruled out suicide but if it would have been suicide, no one would have questioned it. Alan had been haunted by demons from his past and together with his insecurities and fading stardom, it was just too much to handle. His final film, The Carpetbaggers, was released after his death and became a box-office hit.
Pretty sad story, isn't it? I'd like to believe that there were plenty of happy times in Alan's life too. Which made me think about his marriage to Sue. She'd been his agent and was instrumental in building his screen career and image. They had a working relationship before they became lovers. She was also seven years his senior and you could argue that Alan, without parents, felt attracted to a motherly figure and might have felt a sense of gratitude towards Sue for launching his career. I read that their marriage was a sound one and that Alan even refused to take his wedding ring off during a film's production. I also read a couple of articles in the fan magazines (while browsing through the wonderful archive available via Media History Project) where they paint a pretty picture of the Ladds' lives together. The general gist is that they were right for each other and that their marriage was happy. Knowing how the Hollywood publicity machine works, I'm not inclined to believe everything what fan magazines let us believe (especially with the knowledge that Alan had to keep his first marriage and child a secret) and I'm also not entirely convinced that their happy marriage was really based on deep romantic love. What I do believe is that there was a genuine friendship and companionship there and that Alan was happy to have a family of his own.
If there was one thing that could have broken up the Ladds' marriage, it was Alan's involvement with June Allyson. He and June had met during the filming of The McConnell Story (1955) and fell in love. Both were married at the time (Allyson to Dick Powell), and although the affair was believed not to be a sexual one, there was a strong attraction and emotional connection between the two and reportedly Alan had never gotten over June. The story goes that Sue had called Dick and told him to warn his wife to leave her husband alone. When Alan got word of this, he stormed out of the house angrily and took refuge at the ranch to be alone. Sue called her friend, gossip columnist Louella Parsons, to tell her that all rumours concerning the affair between her husband and June Allyson were unfounded. Parsons published a story saying that there had been a misunderstanding between the Ladds and that the couple was happily reunited. But the truth was different. It was said that the heavy drinking that played a part in Alan's death really started after the quarrel with Sue over June Allyson. I never know exactly what to believe, reading bits and pieces here and there with no sources to back them up, and I haven't read the biographies on Ladd and Allyson which might shed some light on their affair. But the rumours were there and maybe the affair also illustrates that what Alan had with Sue (the security and solid marriage) wasn't enough. Probably his heart longed for more. From what I could find in the fan magazines, Alan's involvement with June is only briefly mentioned. They don't call it an affair and the rumour is merely brushed aside.
I watched the documentary Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man (1999) (where I took the title for my blog post from and to which I will refer from now on as just the documentary) but no mention of Alan and June is made either. I love documentaries where information is coming from the horse's mouth so to speak (in this case Hollywood co-workers and family members) so I paid attention to what they say about Sue. Son David says about his parents' meeting: "Either it was love at first sight or client at first sight ... I'm not sure which, but she talked to him about restarting his film career and he was at first quite reluctant because he said, 'You know ... I did that for like ten years and I got so much rejection', and I think because he was a little smitten with her he finally agreed and said 'Alright, I'll give it a try'." Mona Freeman, who stars with Alan in Branded, says that Sue was on the set all the time but the truth was that Alan wanted her and needed her there. Marilyn Henry, biographer, says that Alan knew Sue was absolutely right for him and that he'd said to the studio: "I'll do anything you want me to do for stardom's sake but I won't give up Sue Carol." Peter Hansen, also a co-star from Branded, says: "Sue was taking care of everything, checking the scripts and rewrites. She was managing him in his career. I don't know if this made things at home all that much happy." And Samuel Goldwyn Jr. says that Sue and Alan had a very unusual relationship.
So yes, Sue was certainly important for Alan, in the first place for his career. (She didn't always make the right decisions. It was said that she had made Alan turn down the role of Jett Rink in Giant because he would only get third billing.) I can believe that Alan was smitten with her when they first met and that it was only natural for her, as his agent, to take charge of things. But I also sense that Sue was maybe too controlling and it could be that he wanted to get away from that. Fact is that their marriage lasted until Alan's death and that he had not chosen to be with June Allyson and jeopardise his marriage, probably because he valued his family life too much. It's also a fact that Alan got more depressed in the end and that Sue couldn't help him. For sure there were demons from his past plaguing him but it could be that June was still on his mind and that Sue and her controlling ways had also contributed to his depression. David Ladd says about his mother in the documentary: "I'm sure that after my father died she'd probably questioned herself as to whether she had done everything she could to help him. Or had she done too much to help him?"
Whether Sue was the love of Alan's life or not, she had provided him with a family and security and had given him a sense of belonging. He loved being a family man and was crazy about his children. No matter how busy he was, he would always find the time to be with them, even though he could be very tough and strict with them.
Alan also loved his house and the ranch. He didn't like to travel (he had a fear of flying) and loved having his friends over at his house. David says in the documentary: "Family became everything to him. There was nowhere that he went that we didn't all go, whether it was on location in Europe or on location in Arizona. Wherever it was, we went as a family. (....) They bought a ranch in an area called Hidden Valley. That really became the place where my father was the happiest. And he began to ride his horses and live the life of a cowboy wannabe. It was always paradise being there with him and the family. I think for all of the children those were our fondest memories being there at the ranch." He also recalls that the time he spent with his father on the film The Proud Rebel was a wonderful time. Samuel Goldwyn Jr. comments in the documentary that Alan was very proud of his relationship with his son.
From what I've read Alan was a kind and gentle man, good-natured, and also a bit shy and aloof. In the documentary several of his co-workers talk about his nature and character. Patricia Medina says: "He was terribly introverted, rather shy, kind of surprised at having become an actor, not only an actor but a star ..." Mona Freeman says: "I don't think he realised what a good star, a big star he was. (...) He really had a lot of sensitivity. I don't think he knew it himself, but he really did. And it showed in his personal relationships with people, it showed on the screen. Even though he was the mean or the tough or the whatever ... he was sensitive. And there was a great gentleness about him." Lizabeth Scott also comments on how big a star he was at the time and how everybody loved him. Anthony Caruso, who starred in several films with Alan, says: "The most loyal man in the world." Edith Fellows says: "He was very shy, very sweet, and he was a gentleman. Sometimes I felt that he might be a little insecure." And Peter Hansen says: "He was a very uncommunicative man. I couldn't say that I ever got to know him. I don't know if anybody did. (....) If Alan had ambitions to go beyond the stereotype leading man that he was so good at, I don't know."
I also read that Alan was able to form lasting friendships with some of his co-workers, even though he was known to be a bit distant. William Bendix was his best friend (they starred in eight films together), and among his other friends were Van Heflin, Edmond O'Brien, Lloyd Nolan, Veronica Lake, Gail Russell and Virginia Mayo. But on set Alan always felt more comfortable around the crew than with the other actors or the studio executives. He had begun his days in Hollywood behind the scenes as a labourer and maybe he didn't feel like he rightly belonged to the cast as he was plagued by insecurities about his acting. He wanted to improve his acting skills, yet it was difficult to develop these skills since he was playing the same tough guy all over again. When he got the chance to play the title role in The Great Gatsby, he said to Geraldine Fitzgerald, "I won't be able to do it because I can't act, you know ..." But he did play Gatsby and the critics weren't positive in their reviews. The film wasn't popular at the box-office so Alan shied away from serious dramas from that moment on.
Many of his co-stars would comment on his insecurities as an actor. Robert Preston said: "He was an awfully good actor. So many people didn’t realise this. It’s said that the publicity department invented him, but they didn’t really have to. He would have made it without that — and I think his life would have been happier." Virginia Mayo adored him and said about him: "The whole problem with Alan’s psyche was his inability to remember that he was a big star. And he was the biggest …. The lack of artistic recognition affected him, affected him tragically …" (source)
Not everyone was positive about working with him. Loretta Young said: "I found him petulant ... I don't remember hearing him laugh, or ever seeing him laugh. Everything that concerned him was very serious ... He had a certain screen personality ... but as an actor ... I never made any contact with him. He wouldn't look at me. He'd say "I love you ...", and he'd be looking out there some place. Finally, I said "Alan, I'm he-ere!!"... I think he was very conscious of his looks. Alan would not look beyond a certain point in the camera because he didn't think he looked good ... Jimmy Cagney was not tall but somehow Jimmy was at terms with himself, always. I don't think Alan Ladd ever came to terms with himself." (source)
It's true that Alan was never confident about his good looks. This had mainly to do with his height. David Ladd says: "He got pegged as being short, 5'2″. But he was actually 5'6″ or 5'7″." His father always wanted to be bigger than his leading ladies. With taller actresses he would stand on top of boxes or the lady in question would stand in a trench. David says about his dad in the documentary: "He was a beautiful man, he was well-spoken, he was talented and he was a moviestar. But he never thought inside of himself that he was deserving of all this and I really do believe that he felt that at a moment's notice it would all be gone and that people would find him out and discover that he was a fraud." Alan was much affected by every negative thing written about him. He had said about himself: "I never fail to feel let down when I see myself on screen." And when he was asked in an interview what he would change about himself if he had the chance, he famously answered, "Everything."
Alan's fans probably wouldn't want to change a thing about him. (He loved his fans by the way, was friendly with them and generously signed autographs and mailed publicity photos to whomever requested them. He was said to receive 20,000 fan letters a week.) Of course nobody would have wished any hardships on him but the fact that he'd had a difficult life made him special and interesting as an actor. He carried this internal life with him and brought something to the screen that was not acted. His performances were infused with an innate sadness. Let me conclude this post with what David Ladd said in the documentary: "I don't think in the final analysis there was a different road. The demons that my father had were his demons. They weren't demons that were created by anyone else. They were the things that were unresolved in his own self."
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
Pretty sad story, isn't it? I'd like to believe that there were plenty of happy times in Alan's life too. Which made me think about his marriage to Sue. She'd been his agent and was instrumental in building his screen career and image. They had a working relationship before they became lovers. She was also seven years his senior and you could argue that Alan, without parents, felt attracted to a motherly figure and might have felt a sense of gratitude towards Sue for launching his career. I read that their marriage was a sound one and that Alan even refused to take his wedding ring off during a film's production. I also read a couple of articles in the fan magazines (while browsing through the wonderful archive available via Media History Project) where they paint a pretty picture of the Ladds' lives together. The general gist is that they were right for each other and that their marriage was happy. Knowing how the Hollywood publicity machine works, I'm not inclined to believe everything what fan magazines let us believe (especially with the knowledge that Alan had to keep his first marriage and child a secret) and I'm also not entirely convinced that their happy marriage was really based on deep romantic love. What I do believe is that there was a genuine friendship and companionship there and that Alan was happy to have a family of his own.
If there was one thing that could have broken up the Ladds' marriage, it was Alan's involvement with June Allyson. He and June had met during the filming of The McConnell Story (1955) and fell in love. Both were married at the time (Allyson to Dick Powell), and although the affair was believed not to be a sexual one, there was a strong attraction and emotional connection between the two and reportedly Alan had never gotten over June. The story goes that Sue had called Dick and told him to warn his wife to leave her husband alone. When Alan got word of this, he stormed out of the house angrily and took refuge at the ranch to be alone. Sue called her friend, gossip columnist Louella Parsons, to tell her that all rumours concerning the affair between her husband and June Allyson were unfounded. Parsons published a story saying that there had been a misunderstanding between the Ladds and that the couple was happily reunited. But the truth was different. It was said that the heavy drinking that played a part in Alan's death really started after the quarrel with Sue over June Allyson. I never know exactly what to believe, reading bits and pieces here and there with no sources to back them up, and I haven't read the biographies on Ladd and Allyson which might shed some light on their affair. But the rumours were there and maybe the affair also illustrates that what Alan had with Sue (the security and solid marriage) wasn't enough. Probably his heart longed for more. From what I could find in the fan magazines, Alan's involvement with June is only briefly mentioned. They don't call it an affair and the rumour is merely brushed aside.
I watched the documentary Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man (1999) (where I took the title for my blog post from and to which I will refer from now on as just the documentary) but no mention of Alan and June is made either. I love documentaries where information is coming from the horse's mouth so to speak (in this case Hollywood co-workers and family members) so I paid attention to what they say about Sue. Son David says about his parents' meeting: "Either it was love at first sight or client at first sight ... I'm not sure which, but she talked to him about restarting his film career and he was at first quite reluctant because he said, 'You know ... I did that for like ten years and I got so much rejection', and I think because he was a little smitten with her he finally agreed and said 'Alright, I'll give it a try'." Mona Freeman, who stars with Alan in Branded, says that Sue was on the set all the time but the truth was that Alan wanted her and needed her there. Marilyn Henry, biographer, says that Alan knew Sue was absolutely right for him and that he'd said to the studio: "I'll do anything you want me to do for stardom's sake but I won't give up Sue Carol." Peter Hansen, also a co-star from Branded, says: "Sue was taking care of everything, checking the scripts and rewrites. She was managing him in his career. I don't know if this made things at home all that much happy." And Samuel Goldwyn Jr. says that Sue and Alan had a very unusual relationship.
So yes, Sue was certainly important for Alan, in the first place for his career. (She didn't always make the right decisions. It was said that she had made Alan turn down the role of Jett Rink in Giant because he would only get third billing.) I can believe that Alan was smitten with her when they first met and that it was only natural for her, as his agent, to take charge of things. But I also sense that Sue was maybe too controlling and it could be that he wanted to get away from that. Fact is that their marriage lasted until Alan's death and that he had not chosen to be with June Allyson and jeopardise his marriage, probably because he valued his family life too much. It's also a fact that Alan got more depressed in the end and that Sue couldn't help him. For sure there were demons from his past plaguing him but it could be that June was still on his mind and that Sue and her controlling ways had also contributed to his depression. David Ladd says about his mother in the documentary: "I'm sure that after my father died she'd probably questioned herself as to whether she had done everything she could to help him. Or had she done too much to help him?"
Whether Sue was the love of Alan's life or not, she had provided him with a family and security and had given him a sense of belonging. He loved being a family man and was crazy about his children. No matter how busy he was, he would always find the time to be with them, even though he could be very tough and strict with them.
Alan also loved his house and the ranch. He didn't like to travel (he had a fear of flying) and loved having his friends over at his house. David says in the documentary: "Family became everything to him. There was nowhere that he went that we didn't all go, whether it was on location in Europe or on location in Arizona. Wherever it was, we went as a family. (....) They bought a ranch in an area called Hidden Valley. That really became the place where my father was the happiest. And he began to ride his horses and live the life of a cowboy wannabe. It was always paradise being there with him and the family. I think for all of the children those were our fondest memories being there at the ranch." He also recalls that the time he spent with his father on the film The Proud Rebel was a wonderful time. Samuel Goldwyn Jr. comments in the documentary that Alan was very proud of his relationship with his son.
From what I've read Alan was a kind and gentle man, good-natured, and also a bit shy and aloof. In the documentary several of his co-workers talk about his nature and character. Patricia Medina says: "He was terribly introverted, rather shy, kind of surprised at having become an actor, not only an actor but a star ..." Mona Freeman says: "I don't think he realised what a good star, a big star he was. (...) He really had a lot of sensitivity. I don't think he knew it himself, but he really did. And it showed in his personal relationships with people, it showed on the screen. Even though he was the mean or the tough or the whatever ... he was sensitive. And there was a great gentleness about him." Lizabeth Scott also comments on how big a star he was at the time and how everybody loved him. Anthony Caruso, who starred in several films with Alan, says: "The most loyal man in the world." Edith Fellows says: "He was very shy, very sweet, and he was a gentleman. Sometimes I felt that he might be a little insecure." And Peter Hansen says: "He was a very uncommunicative man. I couldn't say that I ever got to know him. I don't know if anybody did. (....) If Alan had ambitions to go beyond the stereotype leading man that he was so good at, I don't know."
I also read that Alan was able to form lasting friendships with some of his co-workers, even though he was known to be a bit distant. William Bendix was his best friend (they starred in eight films together), and among his other friends were Van Heflin, Edmond O'Brien, Lloyd Nolan, Veronica Lake, Gail Russell and Virginia Mayo. But on set Alan always felt more comfortable around the crew than with the other actors or the studio executives. He had begun his days in Hollywood behind the scenes as a labourer and maybe he didn't feel like he rightly belonged to the cast as he was plagued by insecurities about his acting. He wanted to improve his acting skills, yet it was difficult to develop these skills since he was playing the same tough guy all over again. When he got the chance to play the title role in The Great Gatsby, he said to Geraldine Fitzgerald, "I won't be able to do it because I can't act, you know ..." But he did play Gatsby and the critics weren't positive in their reviews. The film wasn't popular at the box-office so Alan shied away from serious dramas from that moment on.
Many of his co-stars would comment on his insecurities as an actor. Robert Preston said: "He was an awfully good actor. So many people didn’t realise this. It’s said that the publicity department invented him, but they didn’t really have to. He would have made it without that — and I think his life would have been happier." Virginia Mayo adored him and said about him: "The whole problem with Alan’s psyche was his inability to remember that he was a big star. And he was the biggest …. The lack of artistic recognition affected him, affected him tragically …" (source)
Not everyone was positive about working with him. Loretta Young said: "I found him petulant ... I don't remember hearing him laugh, or ever seeing him laugh. Everything that concerned him was very serious ... He had a certain screen personality ... but as an actor ... I never made any contact with him. He wouldn't look at me. He'd say "I love you ...", and he'd be looking out there some place. Finally, I said "Alan, I'm he-ere!!"... I think he was very conscious of his looks. Alan would not look beyond a certain point in the camera because he didn't think he looked good ... Jimmy Cagney was not tall but somehow Jimmy was at terms with himself, always. I don't think Alan Ladd ever came to terms with himself." (source)
It's true that Alan was never confident about his good looks. This had mainly to do with his height. David Ladd says: "He got pegged as being short, 5'2″. But he was actually 5'6″ or 5'7″." His father always wanted to be bigger than his leading ladies. With taller actresses he would stand on top of boxes or the lady in question would stand in a trench. David says about his dad in the documentary: "He was a beautiful man, he was well-spoken, he was talented and he was a moviestar. But he never thought inside of himself that he was deserving of all this and I really do believe that he felt that at a moment's notice it would all be gone and that people would find him out and discover that he was a fraud." Alan was much affected by every negative thing written about him. He had said about himself: "I never fail to feel let down when I see myself on screen." And when he was asked in an interview what he would change about himself if he had the chance, he famously answered, "Everything."
Alan's fans probably wouldn't want to change a thing about him. (He loved his fans by the way, was friendly with them and generously signed autographs and mailed publicity photos to whomever requested them. He was said to receive 20,000 fan letters a week.) Of course nobody would have wished any hardships on him but the fact that he'd had a difficult life made him special and interesting as an actor. He carried this internal life with him and brought something to the screen that was not acted. His performances were infused with an innate sadness. Let me conclude this post with what David Ladd said in the documentary: "I don't think in the final analysis there was a different road. The demons that my father had were his demons. They weren't demons that were created by anyone else. They were the things that were unresolved in his own self."
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*Alan Ladd, 1948;
*Baby Alan Ladd; *)
*Alan Ladd with his mother Ina; *)
*Alan Ladd with his first wife Marjorie Jane 'Midge' Harrold and first child Alan Jr.; *)
*Alan Ladd and Sue Carol; (4 photos)
*Alan Ladd and Marilyn Monroe, winners of the Photoplay Gold Medal;
*Alan Ladd and family during the handprints and footprints ceremony at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 1954; (2 gifs) **)
*Alan Ladd and Sue Carol and children Alana and David;
*Alan Ladd and Sue Carol and all children, Alana, David, Carol Lee and Alan Jr.;
*Alan Ladd and June Allyson during filming of The McConnell Story;
*Alan Ladd and Sue Carol;
*Alan Ladd and Sue Carol; *)
*Alan Ladd and family;
*Alan Ladd and family; **)
*Alan Ladd riding his horse at the ranch; **)
*Alan Ladd and his horse;
*Alan Ladd and family;
*Veronica Lake serving lunch to Alan Ladd and Sue Carol on location in Malibu during production of The Blue Dahlia;
*Alan Ladd and Van Heflin during the filming of Shane;
*Alan Ladd and best friend William Bendix;
*Alan Ladd and fans; (2 gifs) **)
*Alan Ladd signing photos. (2 photos)
*) screenshot by me, from the documentary Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man (1999)
**) gif by me, from the documentary Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man (1999)