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Alan Ladd Movies

Want to know the best Alan Ladd movies?  How about the worst Alan Ladd movies?  Curious about Alan Ladd box office grosses or which Alan Ladd movie picked up the most Oscar nominations? Need to know which Alan Ladd movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well, you have come to the right place…. because we have all of that information.

In the hierarchy of movie-tough guys, Alan Ladd (1913-1964), is an honored name.  Ladd was an American actor who found success in film during the 1940s and early 1950s.  We think the best current comparison to Ladd is Bruce Willis.  Each specialized in box office hit action movies and each got very little respect for their acting abilities.  Ladd’s IMDb page shows 98 acting credits from 1932-1964. This page will take a statistical look at 50 Alan Ladd movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information.  His uncredited roles, his cameo roles and his television appearances were not included in the table.

Drivel part:  So after getting sidetracked on some other UMR movie page projects….we felt it was time to start knocking out some of the performers from our Request Hotline page.  So Søren, Flora & Dan…here is finally your requested Alan Ladd UMR movie page.

Alan Ladd in 1942’s This Gun For Hire

Alan Ladd Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.

Year Movie (Year) Rating S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1953 Shane (1953)
AA Best Picture Nom
1947 Wild Harvest (1947)
1946 The Blue Dahlia (1946)
1945 Salty O'Rourke (1945)
1946 Calcutta (1946)
1946 O.S.S. (1946)
1946 Two Years Before The Mast (1946)
1948 Whispering Smith (1948)
1949 Chicago Deadline (1949)
1947 Saigon (1947)
1948 Beyond Glory (1948)
1964 The Carpetbaggers (1964)
1944 And Now Tomorrow (1944)
1947 Variety Girl (1947)
1943 China (1943)
1942 Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
1942 This Gun For Hire (1942)
1955 The McConnell Story (1955)
1954 O'Rourke of the Royal Mounted (1954)
1954 Drum Beat (1954)
1942 The Glass Key (1942)
1950 Branded (1950)
1957 Boy On a Dolphin (1957)
1949 The Great Gatsby (1949)
1952 Thunder in the East (1952)
1951 Red Mountain (1951)
1952 Botany Bay (1952)
1942 Lucky Jordan (1942)
1982 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
1952 The Iron Mistress (1952)
1955 Hell On Frisco Bay (1955)
1949 Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1949)
1950 Appointment with Danger (1950)
1941 The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
1958 The Proud Rebel (1958)
1942 Joan of Paris (1942)
1954 Hell Below Zero (1954)
1956 Santiago (1956)
1953 Paratrooper (1953)
1954 The Black Knight (1954)
1957 The Big Land (1957)
1960 All the Young Men (1960)
1941 The Black Cat (1941)
1953 Desert Legion (1953)
1958 The Badlanders (1958)
1962 13 West Street (1962)
1960 Guns of the Timberland (1960)
1941 Paper Bullets (1941)
1958 The Deep Six (1958)
1959 The Man in The Net (1959)
1960 One Foot in Hell (1960)
1961 Duel of Champions (1961)
1942’s The Glass Key

Alan Ladd Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table

The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.

  • Sort Alan Ladd movies by his co-stars
  • Sort Alan Ladd movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort Alan Ladd movies by yearly domestic box office rank
  • Sort Alan Ladd movies by how they were received by critics and audiences.  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Alan Ladd movie received.
  • Sort Alan Ladd movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score.  UMR puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
R Movie (Year) UMR Co-Star Links Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) Review Oscar Nom / Win UMR Score
R Movie (Year) UMR Co-Star Links Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) B.O. Rank by Year Review Oscar Nom / Win UMR Score S
1 Shane (1953)
AA Best Picture Nom
Jean Arthur 22.70 445.1 629.00 5 87 06 / 01 99.5
2 Wild Harvest (1947) Dorothy Lamour &
Robert Preston
6.90 218.9 218.90 37 80 00 / 00 97.3
3 The Blue Dahlia (1946) Veronica Lake 7.40 249.5 249.50 47 79 01 / 00 97.2
4 Salty O'Rourke (1945) Gail Russell &
William Bendix
5.80 201.6 201.60 57 65 01 / 00 93.5
6 Calcutta (1946) Gail Russell &
William Bendix
7.60 254.1 254.10 39 65 00 / 00 93.5
5 O.S.S. (1946) Geraldine Fitzgerald 7.60 254.1 254.10 40 65 00 / 00 93.5
7 Two Years Before The Mast (1946) Brian Donlevy 11.90 399.2 399.20 10 65 00 / 00 93.4
8 Whispering Smith (1948) Robert Preston 7.50 220.3 220.30 26 64 00 / 00 92.9
9 Chicago Deadline (1949) Donna Reed 5.80 159.4 159.40 41 75 00 / 00 92.4
10 Saigon (1947) Veronica Lake 6.10 193.1 193.10 48 64 00 / 00 92.3
11 Beyond Glory (1948) Donna Reed 6.30 185.5 185.50 42 66 00 / 00 92.1
12 The Carpetbaggers (1964) George Peppard 36.30 453.6 453.60 4 61 00 / 00 92.0
13 And Now Tomorrow (1944) Susan Heyward 6.50 236.9 236.90 40 60 00 / 00 91.7
14 Variety Girl (1947) Mary Hatcher &
All-Star Cast
9.70 309.0 309.00 18 59 00 / 00 91.3
15 China (1943) Loretta Young &
William Bendix
7.10 279.8 279.80 30 58 00 / 00 91.0
16 Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) Susan Peters &
All-Star Cast
8.30 335.7 335.70 13 55 02 / 00 90.6
17 This Gun For Hire (1942) Veronica Lake 3.10 123.9 123.90 89 80 00 / 00 90.2
18 The McConnell Story (1955) June Allyson 10.00 226.0 226.00 29 55 00 / 00 90.1
19 O'Rourke of the Royal Mounted (1954) Shelley Winters 6.40 164.2 164.20 50 63 00 / 00 88.9
20 Drum Beat (1954) Charles Bronson 8.60 218.9 218.90 33 48 00 / 00 87.7
21 The Glass Key (1942) Veronica Lake 2.80 114.6 114.60 102 74 00 / 00 87.3
22 Branded (1950) Charles Bickford 6.30 153.9 153.90 34 61 00 / 00 87.1
23 Boy On a Dolphin (1957) Sophia Loren 8.60 179.8 179.80 21 53 00 / 00 87.0
24 The Great Gatsby (1949) Shelley Winters 5.60 151.8 151.80 45 58 00 / 00 85.5
25 Thunder in the East (1952) Deborah Kerr &
Charles Boyer
5.60 118.7 118.70 58 63 00 / 00 83.0
26 Red Mountain (1951) Lizabeth Scott 5.70 134.3 134.30 43 57 00 / 00 82.4
27 Botany Bay (1952) James Mason 5.60 118.7 118.70 55 60 00 / 00 81.5
28 Lucky Jordan (1942) Sheldon Leonard 2.50 101.3 101.30 104 64 00 / 00 80.7
29 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) Steve Martin &
Rachel Ward
18.20 72.7 72.70 40 72 00 / 00 80.5
30 The Iron Mistress (1952) Virginia Mayo 6.60 140.1 231.30 38 51 00 / 00 80.2
31 Hell On Frisco Bay (1955) Edward G. Robinson 4.50 102.7 182.20 76 62 00 / 00 79.8
32 Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1949) Wanda Hendrix 4.50 123.3 123.30 66 50 01 / 01 77.5
33 Appointment with Danger (1950) Jack Webb &
Harry Morgan
4.10 101.4 101.40 74 58 00 / 00 76.7
34 The Reluctant Dragon (1941) Robert Benchley 1.50 62.3 62.30 145 70 00 / 00 76.4
35 The Proud Rebel (1958) Olivia de Havilland 4.30 83.9 83.90 55 62 00 / 00 75.8
36 Joan of Paris (1942) Paul Henreid &
Thomas Mitchell
1.40 58.2 133.10 153 69 01 / 00 75.1
37 Hell Below Zero (1954) Stanley Baker 3.40 87.6 87.60 98 57 00 / 00 72.4
38 Santiago (1956) Rossana Podestà 5.70 122.1 122.10 52 45 00 / 00 70.6
39 Paratrooper (1953) Stanley Baker 5.20 101.6 166.90 61 49 00 / 00 67.7
40 The Black Knight (1954) Peter Cushing 3.70 94.9 94.90 87 49 00 / 00 65.1
41 The Big Land (1957) Virginia Mayo 4.50 95.1 184.60 50 48 00 / 00 64.7
42 All the Young Men (1960) Sidney Poitier 4.10 70.5 70.50 66 55 00 / 00 63.6
43 The Black Cat (1941) Broderick Crawford 0.90 38.0 38.00 181 65 00 / 00 62.2
44 Desert Legion (1953) Arlene Dahl 5.00 97.9 97.90 62 43 00 / 00 58.3
45 The Badlanders (1958) Ernest Borgnine 2.80 54.3 117.80 83 55 00 / 00 55.4
46 13 West Street (1962) Rod Steiger 1.70 26.6 26.60 106 63 00 / 00 53.4
47 Guns of the Timberland (1960) Jeanne Crain 2.00 34.8 34.80 100 52 00 / 00 35.0
48 Paper Bullets (1941) Joan Woodbury 0.60 27.1 27.10 205 53 00 / 00 32.4
49 The Deep Six (1958) William Bendix 2.20 42.8 42.80 101 47 00 / 00 30.1
50 The Man in The Net (1959) Carolyn Jones 1.80 34.4 34.40 123 46 00 / 00 24.4
51 One Foot in Hell (1960) Don Murray 2.40 40.4 40.40 94 44 00 / 00 24.2
52 Duel of Champions (1961) Franca Bettoia 0.40 5.6 5.60 136 53 00 / 00 20.6
Alan Ladd in 1964's The Carpetbaggers...his last movie was the biggest box office hit of his career
Alan Ladd in 1964’s The Carpetbaggers…his last movie was the biggest box office hit of his career

Possibly Interesting Facts About Alan Ladd

  1. Alan Walbridge Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on September 3rd, 1913.

2. Alan Ladd was a swimming and diving champion in high school.

3. Alan Ladd has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1601 Vine Street.  He received his star in 1960.

4.  Alan Ladd He and Veronica Lake made seven movies together: 1942’s This Gun For Hire, 1942’s The Glass Key, 1942’s Star Spangled Rhythm,  1945’s Duffy’s Tavern, 1946’s The Blue Dahlia (1946), 1947’s Variety Girl and 1948’s Saigon (1948). In Variety Girl (1947), Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) and Duffy’s Tavern (1945), they appear as themselves.

5.  Alan Ladd was the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of superhero Green Lantern/Alan Scott (created in 1940). Ladd was 27 years old at the point. The Green Lantern’s full name is Alan Ladd Wellington Scott.

6.  Alan Ladd was ranked in the annual Top 10 Box Office Stars 3 times:  His was ranked 10th in 1947, 4th in 1953 and 6th in 1954.

7.  Alan Ladd was married two times in his life. He had 3 children.  His son, Alan Ladd, Jr. won an Oscar® for producing 1995’s Braveheart.  His son, David Ladd, earned a Golden Globe® nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1958’s The Proud Rebel.  His daughter, Alana Ladd, appeared in four of her father’s movies….including a part in Shane.  His granddaughter, Jordan Ladd, has over 50 IMDb acting credits.

8.  Alan Ladd was strongly considered for or actually attached to these roles:  Kirk Douglas role in Detective Story, Gregory Peck role in Roman Holiday, James Dean role in Giant, John Wayne role in The Sons of Katie Elder, Spencer Tracy role in Bad Day At Black Rock and William Holden role in Submarine Command.

9.  Check out Alan Ladd’s movie career compared to current and classic stars on our Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time page.

10.  Many people might have first discovered Alan Ladd in 1982’s Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.  Check out You Tube view to see his brief but impressive appearance in that movie ..

Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences.

Figured it might be interesting to see the process of what it takes to put these pages together.  How we put together our Alan Ladd page.

Steve’s Alan Ladd You Tube Video

 

(Visited 2 times)

114 thoughts on “Alan Ladd Movies”

Comments navigation

Older comments
  1. Mike HoF 2020 says:
    April 5, 2024 at 6:54 pm

    Hi Mr. Cogerson,

    The multiplier for box office rentals only is about 3.4 for most,
    This varies when a movie post less box office data in less cities.
    This causes the multiplier for the less to increase.
    The number of cities posting this data can be as low as 1 out of 23 or as high as 23 out of 23.
    The current number of cities currently I use is 23.
    I am currently doing the 1940s.
    I have completed the 1950s and 160s.
    thx for your cooperation

    Reply
  2. Mike HoF 2020 says:
    April 5, 2024 at 6:18 pm

    Hi Mr. Cogerson,

    Whispering Smith made an estimated Box Office $714, 000 dollars in 1948.
    $ 2.800.000 in 1949 grosser list

    Thx

    Reply
  3. John says:
    April 5, 2024 at 9:48 am

    Whispering Smith has to be one of the most underrated Westerns of all. It has action, plot, music, romance, suspense, scenery and tragedy – two friends in deadly conflict

    Reply
    1. Cogerson says:
      April 5, 2024 at 3:20 pm

      Hey John. I have sadly not seen Whispering Smith. I will have to track that one down and watch it. It does have a spot in the Top 10 when looking at UMR’s rankings.

      Reply
  4. Dan says:
    October 9, 2021 at 9:01 am

    Alan Ladd is the # 61 most connected actor of the 1940’s.

    Reply

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