Adventures in Alan Ladd, Alan Ladd, Blogathons, Lake and Ladd, Noir Or Never, Uncategorized

Announcing The Man Who Would Be Shane: The Alan Ladd Blogathon

palewriter2

As many of you know, Alan Ladd means a lot to me. He’s my favourite classic male film star, and I have spent many happy hours trying to watch as many films of his as possible. I’ve also started a blog series dedicated to him and have written a number of articles that feature his films. And so I feel, that for his 106th birthday, it is only fitting to celebrate this wonderful man and actor with a blogathon dedicated to his life and work.

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Alan was born in very reduced circumstances in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and his father died when he was a small child. He spent time in an itinerant camp as a child with his mother and stepfather for four months before they finally reached California. Whilst in school, Alan was extremely popular and an accomplished swimmer. Upon leaving school, he married his childhood sweetheart, and they lived in very reduced circumstances as Alan tried to procure work to support his wife and young son, Alan Jr.

Alan was repeatedly disappointed in his attempts to procure acting jobs, and after a decade of failed attempts, he finally retreated to radio, where he was very successful. This was how Alan became acquainted with Sue Carol, a former silent film actress turned talent agent, who would become his second wife, with whom he would have two children, David and Alana.

 

Alan’s breakout role was in This Gun For Hire in which he played the tragic hitman opposite, Veronica Lake, with whom he would make a number of successful films, such as The Blue Dahlia and Saigon. From this point on Alan shot to stardom and was Paramount’s biggest box office earner for over a decade. He was also consistently voted the most popular male star in Hollywood, meaning that during the 1940s and much of the 1950s, he received thousands of fan letters, which he made sure he replied to with a signed picture of himself. His fans and family were more important to him, in his own words, than his stardom.

 

Alan left an indelible mark on cinema, originating the signature trench coat and trilby outfit that is a famous part of film noir, inspiring his contemporaries Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum to adopt the same dress in their films. His influence on cinema has been incalculable, most notably with his most famous role, Shane, which many consider to be a tour de force Western due to Alan’s unforgettable performance.

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And so the blogathon dedicated to him will be held on the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th of September, 2019.

The Rules:

  1. Alan had a very long career and so his filmography is very impressive. Because of this, I will be allowing only two duplicates per entry, and three posts per participant. Please only submit new work, as I won’t be accepting any posts written previously.
  2. You can write about anything you like pertaining to Alan’s film career, television appearances he made, books written about him and his friendships and relationships with his fellow classic film stars etc.
  3. I will not be allowing any entries about his affair with June Allyson, as this as only been revealed fairly recently and I do not want either of their names to be attacked in any way. Also, if you must mention Alan’s alcoholism, please make sure it is relevant and respectful. This blogathon is dedicated to Alan’s life and work and I want to celebrate him, so let’s please keep things nice and not write anything derogatory or defamatory about him.
  4. Just to reiterate: the blogathon is being held on the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th of September, 2019. Please submit your entries either before or by that date. If you find that you need a little extension, me know.
  5. Please take one of the banners and put it somewhere on your site to promote the blogathon. I’d also very much appreciate it if you included one of the banners in your post for the blogathon.
  6. And most importantly, me know what you would like to write about for the blogathon, by either commenting on this post, emailing me at palewriterblog@gmail.com, contacting me  on twitter @noir_or_never. Please include the name of your blog and a link to it, as I don’t really want to act as an amateur sleuth and hunt for you! Please tell me your twitter handle as well so I can promote everything on there. If you don’t have a blog, that’s totally fine, just send your entry onto me and I’ll post it for you.
  7. Please check the participation list below to see what everyone else is covering and which subjects have been claimed twice.

I very much hope that you will join me and that you will enjoy writing all about wonderful Alan!

Participation List: 

Topics claimed twice: Appointment with Danger (1950)

Pale Writer: A Tribute to Alan and The Proud Rebel (1958)

The Stop Button: The Great Gatsby (1949)

The Poppity Talks Classic Films: Saskatchewan (1954)

Overture Books and Film: Saigon (1948)

Dubsism: Shane (1953)

The Midnite Drive In: Drum Beat (1954) and Whispering Smith (1948)

Hamlette’s Soliloquy: O.S.S. (1946) and Captain Carey U.S.A (1949)

Caftan Woman: Appointment With Danger (1950)

Silver Screen Classics: This Gun For Hire (1942)

Cinematic Catharsis: The Blue Dahlia (1946)

Classic Film Obsession: Branded (1950)

Critica Retro: Beast of Berlin (1938)

Movierob: The Glass Key (1942), Appointment with Danger (1950) and The Proud Rebel (1958)

Realweemidget Reviews: Mad About Ladd Tag Post

Pure Entertainment Preservation Society: A “Breened” version of The Proud Rebel and an Alan Fashion Friday look

Virginia Mach Hagler: Thunder in the East (1952)

 

The Banners:

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Published by palewriter2

I adore classic, James Bond and horror films and it's so lovely to be able to speak to other people about it.

85 thoughts on “Announcing The Man Who Would Be Shane: The Alan Ladd Blogathon”

  5. Pingback: The Queen Rests: A Wrap up of the Joan Crawford: Queen of the Silver Screen Blogathon – Pale Writer

  6. As you know, Dubsism is the home of a series you know “Sports Analogies Hidden In Classic Movies.” Well, there’s a new series in the works called “Movies Everybody Loves That I Hate.” The second episode was posted yesterday.

    The Alan Ladd movie classic “Shane” is on the list for an installment in this series, and despite the title, this would actually make a good fit for your event. One of the main points is “Shane” is only a classic because Ladd’s performance makes it one, and that if it weren’t for him, it;s just another western. In other words, I’m very complimentary of Ladd even though I find the film wanting in other areas.

    I’m willing to contribute it if you’re willing to have it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. That’s all good, Dub. As long as you’re respectful of Alan, which I know you will be, then I’m happy to have it. And I know you’d never dislike a movie for the sake of it. So thanks for joining 😊

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  12. Hello! I’m a huge Alan Ladd fan and would love to join the blogathon. I would select ‘Branded’ if it’s not already taken. Thank you! My blog is at classicfilmobsessions.blogspot.com

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. Hello – Just wondering if you received the e-mail I sent. If you did but are just not interested, that’s fine, just want to make sure my message didn’t get stuck in a spam filter somewhere.
    It’s lovely that so many people are signing up!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. That’s okay. I don’t have a blog, but I’d be happy to send in a review of…hmmm…
        Well, I’ve already got reviews for The Big Land and for Box Thirteen available and so far unpublished. So I could send one or both of them. I’ve also got China written up, and Duel of Champions (eek) but portions of both of those reviews have been previously published. I’ve also reviewed Paper Bullets/Gangs Inc, The Black Cat (1941) and The Light of Western Stars, which are all pre-This Gun For Hire examples of Alan Ladd in smaller roles. I will leave it up to you to pick two from my rather strange selection of reviews and I am 100% comfortable with leaving any editing up to you should you decide it be necessary. Your blog, your right to control content 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  14. Oh no, you’re going to insist I make a decision? Egads!

    All right, I’ll promise to send in a review of The Big Land

    I will have to look it over and see about changing some things so it’ll fit better with what I think you’re trying to do here! (Good things!)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
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  22. I would like to enter a review in your blogathon. I don’t have a blog or a website, just an email account and a facebook page. How and where do I submit the review? I’d like to do Thunder in the East. I’ve been a huge fan of Alan Ladd since 1951, just before I turned 12. Is it okay to reference other films briefly in the review? My Internet literacy level is just above the Dick and Jane level.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi Virginia. That’s perfect. Just email the review to me and I’ll post it for you. You may mention other films, but just make sure you focus on Thunder in the East.

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  23. Hello! This looks like a great blogathon. My first idea for a topic was to breen “The Proud Rebel” from 1958, since it is a Shurlock Era film and the blogathon runs through Thursday, but I see that two people have already claimed it. Would it still qualify to “breen” it as opposed to writing a plain review? It probably isn’t, so that’s fine. My other idea was to write that week’s Film Fashion Friday article about one of Alan Ladd’s costumes. If breening “Proud Rebel” doesn’t qualify, I’ll just write about his fashion. If it does, I’ll write about both!

    By the way, I would like to invite you to a blogathon my sister is hosting, “The Phantom of the Opera Blogathon.” Taking place on September 23-25, it will be dedicated to all things “phantom.” I don’t know if you are a “phan,” but we would love to have you join us! https://pureentertainmentpreservationsociety.wordpress.com/2019/08/14/its-here-the-phantom-of-the-opera-blogathon/.

    Yours Hopefully,

    Tiffany Brannan

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    2. Hi Tiffany ☀️ I think that you doing a “spin” on it means that I can definitely allow it! I will put you down for both of those!
      Thank you, I’ve already signed up and am really looking forward to it 😊

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  24. Hello again. Since we can do more than one film, I would like to do a partial review on 13 West Street. I don’t think anyone has chosen that one. This is in addition to Thunder in the East. My two reviews will be very different from the most of the ones out there already. Also what is a “breen”?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  25. And one more makes my three. I’d like to add Man In the Net as my third entry in the Blogathon. The three I’ve chosen are ones in which my take is different from the majority of reviews I’ve read on those films. I have them all in draft form now and will spend the rest of the week polishing them up. (I’ve seen all of Alan Ladd’s post 1942 films and quite a few of the ones that came before then.) You have many happy hours ahead of you as you watch the ones you haven’t yet seen.

    Liked by 1 person

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  30. I sent two reviews to the email address in the “Contact Me” link on the blog site. Hope that was the right address. I didn’t do the “banner” thing because I didn’t understand what that meant or how to do it. I’m technologically challenged.. Feel free to add one to each review anywhere you want. I’m probably the oldest person contributing here. I’ve loved Alan Ladd since I saw Branded on the big screen when I was 11 going on 12. That was more than 68 years ago. It’s good to get opinions from all age groups. I’m delighted that younger people are discovering what a wonderful actor Alan Ladd was, so maybe his memory won’t just fade completely away. But I’m discouraged at how many people, even my neighbor who is 60, have never seen Shane. So I am grateful for your blog.

    I have one more review to finish and will hopefully get it sent before the blogathon ends and will try to incorporate a banner.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
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