| (This is from Lucky Jordan) |
Like my Ten Favorite Lists, this is arranged by my own personal preference, not by which of his movies I think is objectively the best.
You might notice that my top ten list is slightly different from the list of my Ten Favorite Alan Ladd Movies that I shared back in 2017. Part of that is because I simply hadn't yet seen some of these movies when I made that list. And part of it is because my affections have shifted a little after many rewatches. I should probably make an updated Ten Favorites list for him!
1. Branded (1950)
2. Shane (1953)
3. And Now Tomorrow (1944)
4. The Blue Dahlia (1946)
5. The Great Gatsby (1949)
6. Whispering Smith (1948)
7. China (1943)
8. Calcutta (1946)
9. Red Mountain (1951)
10. This Gun for Hire (1942)
| (On the set of Shane) |
Movies 11-20 are all extremely rewatchable, I simply haven't felt pulled to rewatch them quite as often as I have my top ten picks. But they're all solidly enjoyable, and Alan is lovely in them.
11. Captain Carey, USA (1949)
12. Saigon (1947)
13. The Proud Rebel (1958)
14. Appointment with Danger (1950)
15. Saskatchewan (1954)
16. The Glass Key (1942)
17. Drum Beat (1954)
18. O.S.S. (1946)
19. Santiago (1956)
20. Hell on Frisco Bay (1955)
| (With his son David Ladd on the set of Saskatchewan) |
Movies 21-25 are all really good too. I'd say the top twenty-five of my favorites are films that can be enjoyed by basically anyone, whether they're an Alan Ladd fan or not. They're all-around good stuff. Movies 26-32 might be a little less so... but I've seen two of those only once, so they might move up on this list after another watching.
21. Chicago Deadline (1949)
22. The Iron Mistress (1952)
23. The Big Land (1957)
24. Two Years Before the Mast (1946)
25. Lucky Jordan (1942)
26. Botany Bay (1952)
27. Guns of the Timberland (1960)
28. Wild Harvest (1947)
29. The Light of Western Stars (1940)
30. Her First Romance (1940)
Alan has minor roles in The Light of Western Stars, Her First Romance, and Paper Bullets, so it's not shocking that I don't put them high on this list. He's undeniably the star of One Foot in Hell, but if you read my review of it from a week or so ago, you'll see that it's an unpleasant movie. I can appreciate it, but I don't like it, so it goes at the bottom.
31. Paper Bullets (Gangs, Inc.) (1941)
32. One Foot in Hell (1960)
| (This is from Her First Romance) |
Happy birthday, Alan Ladd! <3