Synopsis
Handsome leading man Alan Ladd found success in the 1940s and '50s, first as the tough guy in several films noir co-starring Veronica Lake and then as the stoic hero in Westerns such as Shane (1953). Turner Classic Movies and Universal are proud to present this three-film collection that showcases Ladd's talents in a range of genres from thriller to adventure, as well as the work of such directors as Irving Pichel and Frank Tuttle, and writers the likes of Richard Maibaum and Seton I. Miller. LUCKY JORDAN (1942) Directed by Frank Tuttle (who also directed Ladd's breakthrough film This Gun for Hire the same year), LUCKY JORDAN stars Ladd as a racketeer who gets drafted into the US Army and will do anything to get out of it even go AWOL. As he tries to escape, he soon finds himself dealing with a backstabbing second-in-command, a patriotic WAC who wants him to change his ways and enemy spies in this comedic crime thriller co-starring Helen Walker. TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST (1946) Ladd takes to the high seas in this adventure film based on the 1834 travel book by Richard Henry Dana Jr. that exposed the conditions of sailors aboard merchant ships. Ladd stars as Charles Stewart, the spoiled son of a ship magnate who gets shanghaied onto one of his father's ships. He spends the next year under the tyrannical rule of the ship's captain and eventually finds the courage to lead the crew to mutiny. The film was directed by John Farrow and costars Brian Donlevy, William Bendix and Howard Da Silva. O.S.S (1946) Writer Richard Maibaum is most famous for his work on the James Bond series (he wrote 13 of the franchise's first 15 films), and his ability to write taut spy thrillers is on display in this film starring Ladd and Geraldine Fitzgerald. Set during World War II, Ladd and Fitzgerald play members of an American spy ring who are sent into France with the objective of destroying the French railway system. But as their mission gets more complicated, Ladd must decide between obeying his commands and being a hero.