Alan Ladd was a most unlikely movie star. Handsome and athletic, yet insecure about his short height, and haunted by an unhappy childhood, the actor worked hard to get a break in movies, doing handyman work on sets and bit parts, all without much success. Radio proved his ticket to the big time, catching the attention of a woman who not only became his second wife, but also helped Ladd land some lucrative contracts leading to memorable roles in early films such as This Gun for Hire and The Glass Key, where he played tough but vulnerable killers. Although he would routinely rank as one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the '40s, Ladd's fear of flying and his desire to be near his family limited his choice of parts in later years. His best role, of course, was as the mysterious gunfighter in George Stevens' classic Shane. After that, his career was slowly unraveled by alcoholism, personal demons, and bad career moves, though he garnered good reviews for his final role as Nevada Smith in the lurid soaper The Carpetbaggers. This program presents a fond look at the life and troubled career of a once great star now half forgotten by today's movie audience, with friends and family recalling him as a regular guy on the set, and a strict but loving father at home (the documentary avoids unsavory details, such as a self inflicted gunshot wound Ladd suffered a couple of years before his death). Good film clips will please the fans, but the actor's relative obscurity may limit the audience. Still most collections will want to consider this, as well as other volumes in The Hollywood Collection on more recognized stars, such as Joan Crawford: Always the Star (VL-7/99), Cary Grant: The Leading Man, Audrey Hepburn: Remembered, and Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero. Aud: P. (S. Rees)
Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man
(1998) 58 min. $14.98. MPI Home Video. PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 0-7886-0196-2. Vol. 15, Issue 5
Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man
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