1959 Israel GIGI Movie FILM POSTER Hebrew LESLIE CARON Chevalier MINNELLI Jewish 1 of 3Only 1 left — 3 watchers1959 Israel GIGI Movie FILM POSTER Hebrew LESLIE CARON Chevalier MINNELLI Jewish 2 2 of 31959 Israel GIGI Movie FILM POSTER Hebrew LESLIE CARON Chevalier MINNELLI Jewish 3 3 of 3 See More
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1959 Israel GIGI Movie FILM POSTER Hebrew LESLIE CARON Chevalier MINNELLI Jewish

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Seller: judaica-bookstore ✉️ (2,810) 100%, Location: TEL AVIV, IL, Ships to: WORLDWIDE, Item: 285619858482 1959 Israel GIGI Movie FILM POSTER Hebrew LESLIE CARON Chevalier MINNELLI Jewish.

DESCRIPTION : Here for sale is an EXCEPTIONALY RARE and ORIGINAL POSTER for the ISRAEL 1959 PREMIERE of the legendary ACADEMY and GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS winner MUSICAL film "GIGI" in the small rural town of NATHANYA in ISRAEL.  Starring LESLIE CARON , MAURICE CHEVALIER and LOUIS JOURDAN to name only a few . Directed by VINCENTE MINNELLI , Script and lyrics by ALAN JAY LERNER , Music and songs by FREDERICK LOEWE , Arranged and conducted by ANDRE PREVIN , Based on the novella by COLETTE . The cinema-movie hall " CINEMA SHARON" , A local Israeli version of "Cinema Paradiso" was printing manualy its own posters , And thus you can be certain that this surviving copy is ONE OF ITS KIND.  Fully DATED 1959 . Text in HEBREW and ENGLISH . Please note : This is NOT a re-release poster but PREMIERE - FIRST RELEASE projection of the film , A year and half after its release in 1958 in the USA. The ISRAELI distributors of the film have given it a quite archaic and amusing HEBREW text   . The poster also advrtises an ALAN LADD film in matinee show. GIANT size around 24" x 38" ( Not accurate ) . Printed in red and blue . The condition is very good .  ( Pls look at scan for accurate AS IS images ) Poster will be sent rolled in a special protective rigid sealed tube.

AUTHENTICITY : The POSTER is fully guaranteed ORIGINAL from 1959 , It is NOT a reproduction or a recently made reprint or an immitation , It holds a with life long GUARANTEE for its AUTHENTICITY and ORIGINALITY.   PAYMENTS : Payment method accepted : Paypal & All credit cards. SHIPPMENT : SHIPP worldwide via registered airmail is $ 25 . Poster will be sent rolled in a special protective rigid sealed tube. Handling around 5-10 days after payment. 

Gigi is a 1958 American Metrocolor musical romantic comedy film directed by Vincente Minnelli. The screenplay by Alan Jay Lerner is based on the 1944 novella of the same name by Colette. The film features songs with lyrics by Lerner; music by Frederick Loewe, arranged and conducted by André Previn. In 1991, Gigi was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The American Film Institute ranked it #35 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions. The film is considered the last great MGM musical and the final great achievement of the Freed Unit, headed by producer Arthur Freed, although he would go on to produce several more films, including the musical Bells Are Ringing in 1960. The film was the basis for an unsuccessful stage musical produced on Broadway in 1973. A pre-Broadway production of the musical, newly adapted by Heidi Thomas (Call the Midwife, Cranford, Upstairs Downstairs) and directed by Eric D. Schaeffer (Follies, Million Dollar Quartet) is planned to run the Kennedy Center in January 2015.[4]Set in turn-of-the-20th century Paris, the film opens with Honoré Lachaille (Maurice Chevalier) among high society in the Bois de Boulogne. A charming old roué, he cynically remarks that "Like everywhere else, most people in Paris get married, but not all. There are some who will not marry, and some who do not marry. But in Paris, those who will not marry are usually men, and those who do not marry are usually women." So marriage is not the only option for wealthy young bon vivants like his nephew Gaston (Louis Jourdan), who is bored with life. The one thing Gaston truly enjoys is spending time with Madame Alvarez (Hermione Gingold), whom he calls Mamita, and especially her granddaughter, the precocious, carefree Gilberte, aka Gigi (Leslie Caron). Following the family tradition, Madame Alvarez sends Gigi to her sister, Great Aunt Alicia (Isabel Jeans), to be groomed as a courtesan and learn etiquette and charm. To Alicia, love is an art, and a necessary accomplishment for Gigi's social and economic future. The young girl initially is a very poor student who fails to understand the reasons behind her education. She enjoys spending time with Gaston, whom she regards as an elder brother.After Gaston publicly embarrasses his cheating mistress and tries to rebuild his reputation with endless parties, he decides to take a vacation by the sea. Gigi proposes if she beats him at a game of cards he must take her and Mamita along. He accepts, and she happily wins. During their holiday, Gigi and Gaston spend many hours together, and the two learn Honoré and Mamita once were romantically involved before becoming comfortable friends. Alicia insists Gigi's education must increase dramatically if she is to catch a prize such as Gaston. Gigi is miserable with her lessons, but endures them as a necessary evil, though she still seems awkward and bumbling to her perfectionist great-aunt. When Gaston sees Gigi in an alluring white gown, he tells her she looks ridiculous and storms out, but later returns and apologizes, offering to take her to tea to make amends. Mamita refuses, telling him a young girl seen in his company might be labeled in such a way as could damage her future. Enraged yet again, Gaston storms out and wanders the streets of Paris in a fury.Realizing he has fallen in love with Gigi, who no longer is the child he thought her to be, Gaston returns to Mamita and proposes he take Gigi as his mistress, promising to provide the girl with luxury and kindness. The young girl declines the offer, telling him she wants more for herself than to be passed between men, desired only until they tire of her and she moves on to another. Gaston is horrified at this portrayal of the life he wishes to give her, and leaves stunned. Gigi later decides she would rather be miserable with him than without him. Prepared to accept her fate as Gaston's mistress, Gigi emerges from her room looking like a woman. Gaston is enchanted and takes her to dinner at Maxim's, where she seems perfectly at ease. The stares of other patrons make Gaston extremely uncomfortable as he realizes Gigi's interpretation of things may have been accurate after all, and discovers his love for her makes the idea of her as his mistress an unbearable one. He leaves the party with Gigi in tow and takes her home without explanation. After wandering the streets throughout the night, he returns to Mamita's home and humbly asks for Gigi's hand in marriage.The final sequence reverts to Honoré Lachaille, proudly pointing out Gaston and Gigi riding in their carriage in the Bois de Boulogne, which is filled with high society. The couple are elegant, beautiful, and happily married. Honoré has been a framing device for the film, which can be seen as a romantic victory of love over cynicism. Cast Leslie Caron as Gilberte "Gigi" Louis Jourdan as Gaston Lachaille Maurice Chevalier as Honoré Lachaille Hermione Gingold as Madame Alvarez Isabel Jeans as Aunt Alicia Eva Gabor as Liane d'Exelmans Jacques Bergerac as Sandomir John Abbott as Manuel Musical numbers Overture – Orchestra "Honoré's Soliloquy" – Honoré "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" – Honoré "It's a Bore" – Gaston, Honoré "The Parisians" – Gigi "The Gossips" – Honoré, Chorus "She is Not Thinking of Me" – Gaston "The Night They Invented Champagne" – Gigi, Gaston, Madame Alvarez "I Remember It Well" – Madame Alvarez, Honoré "About Gigi" – Aunt Alicia, Madame Alvarez, Gigi "Gaston's Soliloquy" – Gaston "Gigi" – Gaston "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore" – Honoré "Say a Prayer for Me Tonight" – Gigi "Thank Heaven for Little Girls (Reprise)" – Honoré, Chorus (Note: The album sleeve of the Gigi soundtrack makes a curious cameo appearance on certain versions of the Pink Floyd Ummagumma album cover.) Production Development Hollywood producer Arthur Freed first proposed a musical-ization of the Colette novella to Alan Jay Lerner during the Philadelphia tryout of My Fair Lady in 1954. When Lerner arrived in Hollywood two years later, Freed was battling the Hays Code in order to bring his tale of a courtesan-in-training to the screen. Another roadblock to the project was the fact Colette's widower had sold the rights to her novella to Gilbert Miller, who planned to produce a film version of the 1954 stage adaptation by Anita Loos. It cost Freed more than $87,000 to purchase the rights from Miller and Loos.[5] Lerner's songwriting partner Frederick Loewe had expressed no interest in working in Hollywood, so Lerner agreed to write the screenplay only. He and Freed discussed casting; Lerner favored Audrey Hepburn, who had starred in the Broadway production written by Loos, but Freed preferred Leslie Caron, who had co-starred in An American in Paris for him. Both agreed Maurice Chevalier would be ideal for aging boulevardier Honoré Lachaille, and Lerner proposed Dirk Bogarde for Gaston. Lerner agreed to write the lyrics if Freed could convince Bogarde and designer Cecil Beaton to join the project. He decided to approach Loewe once again, and when he suggested they compose the score in Paris, Loewe agreed.[6] In March 1957, the duo began working in Paris. When Chevalier, who already had agreed to appear in the film, first heard "Thank Heaven for Little Girls," he was delighted. When he discussed his waning interest in wine and women in favor of performing for an audience in cabarets, Chevalier inadvertently inspired the creation of another tune for his character, "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore." The lyrics for another of his songs, the duet "I Remember It Well" performed with Hermione Gingold as his former love Madame Alvarez, were adapted from words Lerner had written for Love Life, a 1948 collaboration with Kurt Weill.[7] "Say a Prayer for Me Tonight," a solo performed by Gigi, had been written for Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady but was removed during the pre-Broadway run. Lerner disliked the melody, but Loewe, Freed, and Minnelli voted to include it in the film.[8] Having second thoughts about Audrey Hepburn, Freed asked Lerner to meet with her in Paris, but she declined the role. The producer then asked him to fly to London to speak to Leslie Caron, who was living there with her husband Peter Hall. Lerner was surprised to discover the star had become Anglicized to the point of losing her French accent. She had recently starred in an unsuccessful stage production of Gigi, but when she heard Lerner's interpretation of the story greatly differed from that of the play, she accepted his offer. Her singing voice was dubbed by Betty Wand, though Caron filmed mainly to her own tracks (a brief clip of Caron's voice is heard in the DVD extras.) Dirk Bogarde expressed interest as well, but ultimately was unable to free himself from his contract with J. Arthur Rank. Recalling Louis Jourdan from his performance in Three Coins in the Fountain, Freed offered him the role of Gaston.[9] Filming In late April, Freed and Minnelli and their respective entourages arrived in Paris. The weather had become unseasonably hot, and working in non-air-conditioned hotel rooms was uncomfortable. Minnelli began scouting locations while Freed and Lerner discussed the still incomplete script. Lerner had taken liberties with Colette's novella; the character of Honoré, nonexistent in the original book and very minor in the Loos play, was now a major figure. Gigi's mother, originally a significant character, was reduced to a few lines of dialogue delivered off-screen. Lerner also expanded the focus on Gigi's relationship with her grandmother.[10] By mid-July, the composers had completed most of the score but still were missing the title tune. Loewe was at the piano while Lerner was indisposed in the bathroom, and when the former began playing a melody the latter liked, he later recalled he jumped up, "[his] trousers still clinging to [his] ankles, and made his way to the living room. 'Play that again,' he said. And that melody ended up being the title song for Gigi."[11] In September, the cast and crew flew to California, where several interior scenes were filmed, among them the entire scene in Maxim's, which included a musical number by Jourdan. Lerner was unhappy with the look of the scene as it had been shot by Minnelli, and at considerable expense the restaurant was recreated on a soundstage and the scene was reshot by director Charles Walters, since Minnelli was overseas working on a new project.[12] The film title design uses the artwork of Sem's work from the Belle Époque. Release Following completion of the film, it was previewed in Santa Barbara in January 1958. Audience reaction was overwhelmingly favorable (88% rated it either "outstanding" or "good"), but Lerner and Loewe were dissatisfied with the end result. Lerner felt it was twenty minutes too long and most of the action too slow. The changes he proposed would cost an additional $300,000, money Freed was loath to spend. The songwriting team offered to buy 10% of the film for $300,000, then offered $3 million for the print. Impressed with their belief in the film, MGM executives agreed to the changes, which included eleven days of considerable reshooting, putting the project at $400,000 over budget. At a preview in Encino, audience reaction changed from "appreciation to affection," and Lerner felt the film finally was ready for release. It premiered at the Royale Theatre, a legitimate theatrical venue in New York City, on May 15, 1958.[13] Box Office According to MGM records, the film earned $6.5 million in the US and Canada and $3.2 million elsewhere during its initial theatrical release, resulting in a profit of $1,983,000.[14] Critical reception Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called it "a musical film that bears such a basic resemblance to My Fair Lady that the authors may want to sue themselves." He added, "But don't think this point of resemblance is made in criticism of the film, for Gigi is a charming entertainment that can stand on its own two legs. It is not only a charming comprehension of the spicy confection of Colette, but it is also a lovely and lyrical enlargement upon that story's flavored mood and atmosphere . . . Vincente Minnelli has marshaled a cast to give a set of performances that, for quality and harmony, are superb."[15] Abel Green of Variety called the film "100% escapist fare" and predicted it "is destined for a global boxoffice mopup." He added, "Alan Jay Lerner's libretto is tailor-made for an inspired casting job for all principals, and Fritz Loewe's tunes (to Lerner's lyrics) already vie with and suggest their memorable My Fair Lady score . . . Miss Caron is completely captivating and convincing in the title role . . . Skillful casting, performance and presentation have endowed realism to the sum total . . . Director Minnelli's good taste in keeping it in bounds and the general sound judgment of all concerned . . . distinguishes this Arthur Freed independent production. The Metrocolor rates recognition for its soft pastels under Joseph Ruttenberg's lensing; the Beaton costumes, sets and general production design are vivid physical assets at first sight. The skillful integration of words-and-music with the plot motivation makes this Gigi a very fair lady indeed as a boxoffice entry."[16] Time Out New York said, "The dominating creative contribution comes from Minnelli and Cecil Beaton . . . The combination of these two visual elitists is really too much - it's like a meal consisting of cheesecake, and one quickly longs for something solid and vulgar to weigh things down. No doubt inspired by the finicky, claustrophobic sets and bric-à-brac, the cast tries (with unfortunate success) to be more French than the French, especially Chevalier. The exception is Gingold, who inhabits, as always, a world of her own."[17] TV Guide rated the film 3½ out of five stars, calling it "Overbaked but enjoyable, and a banquet for the eyes, thanks to the visual wonder of the Minnelli-Beaton teaming . . . Caron . . . leads the cast in a contest to see who can be the most French. The winner is Chevalier, in a performance that makes one feel as if you're gagging on pastry . . . Perhaps if the sweetness of Gigi was contrasted with elements of honest vulgarity, the picture could balance itself out . . . Ten minutes into the movie, you've resolved the plot and are left to wallow in lovely frou-frou. [The film] makes wonderful use of the usual Parisian landmarks, and benefits from extraordinary period costumes and sets."[18] Awards and nominations Gigi won a record-breaking 9 Academy Awards (at the 1959 Awards ceremony); however, this record only lasted for one year, as Ben-Hur broke this record the following year with 11 Oscars. In tribute to Gigi's domination of the Oscars, the MGM switchboard answered calls the following day with "M-Gigi-M". Academy Awards Best Picture (winner) Best Director (Vincente Minnelli, winner) Best Adapted Screenplay (Alan Jay Lerner, winner) Best Art Direction (E. Preston Ames, F. Keogh Gleason, Henry Grace, and William A. Horning, winners) Best Cinematography (Joseph Ruttenberg, winner) Best Costume Design (Cecil Beaton, winner) Best Film Editing (Adrienne Fazan, winner) Best Original Score (André Previn, winner) Best Original Song ("Gigi" by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, winners) Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (winner) Best Director – Motion Picture (Vincente Minnelli, winner) Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (Hermione Gingold, winner) Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Leslie Caron, nominee) Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Maurice Chevalier, nominee) Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Louis Jourdan, nominee) Popular culture The album cover appears on the cover for Pink Floyd's Ummagumma (1969) album, designed by Storm Thorgerson. For the US/Canada and Australian releases the cover was airbrushed out because of fears of copyright infringement. The artwork was restored in the later CD releases in all territories. Television journalist Barbara Walters announced on her daytime talkshow The View that Gigi is her favorite movie of all time.[19] Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (French pronunciation: ​[lɛsli kaʁɔ̃]; born 1 July 1931) is a French film actress and dancer who appeared in 45 films between 1951 and 2003. Her autobiography Thank Heaven, was published in 2010 in the UK and US, and in 2011 in a French version. Caron is best known for the musical films An American in Paris (1951), Lili (1953), Daddy Long Legs (1955), Gigi (1958), and for the non-musical films Fanny (1961), The L-Shaped Room (1962), and Father Goose (1964). She received two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. In 2006, her performance in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit won her an Emmy for guest actress in a drama series. She speaks French, English, and Italian. She is one of the few dancers or actresses who have danced with Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Rudolf Nureyev. Caron was born in Boulogne-sur-Seine, Seine (now Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine), France, the daughter of Margaret (née Petit), an American dancer on Broadway, and Claude Caron, a French chemist.[1] While her older brother Aimery Caron became a chemist like his father, Caron was prepared for a performing career from childhood by her mother.[citation needed] Career Caron started her career as a ballerina. Gene Kelly discovered her in Roland Petit Company "Ballet des Champs Elysées", and cast her to appear opposite him in the musical An American in Paris (1951), a role in which a pregnant Cyd Charisse was originally cast. This role led to a long-term MGM contract and a sequence of films which included the musical The Glass Slipper (1955) and the drama The Man with a Cloak (1951), with Joseph Cotten and Barbara Stanwyck. Still, Caron has said of herself: "Unfortunately, Hollywood considers musical dancers as hoofers. Regrettable expression."[2] She also starred in the successful musicals Lili (1953), with Mel Ferrer; Daddy Long Legs (1955), with Fred Astaire, and Gigi (1958) with Louis Jourdan and Maurice Chevalier. In 1953, Caron was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starring role in Lili. For her performance in the British drama The L-Shaped Room (1962), she won the BAFTA (Best British Actress) and Golden Globe awards, and was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar.[3] In the 1960s and thereafter, Caron worked in European films as well. Her later film assignments included Father Goose (1964), with Cary Grant; Ken Russell's Valentino (1977), in the role of silent-screen legend Alla Nazimova; and Louis Malle's Damage (1992). Sometime in 1970, Caron was one of the many actresses considered for the lead role of Eglantine Price in Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks, losing the role to British actress Angela Lansbury. In 1967, she was a member of the jury of the 5th Moscow International Film Festival.[4] In 1989, she was a member of the jury at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival.[5] She has continued to act, appearing in the film Chocolat (2000). During the 1980s, she appeared in several episodes of the soap opera Falcon Crest as Nicole Sauguet. She is one of the few actors from the classic era of MGM musicals who are still active in film—a group that includes Debbie Reynolds, Dean Stockwell, Rita Moreno, Margaret O'Brien and June Lockhart. Her other recent credits include Funny Bones (1995) with Jerry Lewis and Oliver Platt; The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (2000) with Judi Dench and Cleo Laine; and Le Divorce (2003), directed by James Ivory, with Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts. On 30 June 2003, Caron traveled to San Francisco to appear as the special guest star in The Songs of Alan Jay Lerner: I Remember It Well, a retrospective concert staged by San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon Company. In 2007, her guest appearance on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit earned her a 2007 Primetime Emmy Award. On 27 April 2009, Caron traveled to New York as an honored guest at a tribute to Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe at the Paley Center for Media.[6] On 8 December 2009, Caron received the 2,394th Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In February 2010, she played Madame Armfeldt in A Little Night Music at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, which also featured Greta Scacchi and Lambert Wilson.[7] Maurice Auguste Chevalier (September 12, 1888 – January 1, 1972) was a French actor, Cabaret singer and entertainer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including Louise, Mimi, Valentine, and Thank Heaven for Little Girls and for his films, including The Love Parade and The Big Pond. His trademark attire was a boater hat, which he always wore on stage with a tuxedo. Chevalier was born in Paris. He made his name as a star of musical comedy, appearing in public as a singer and dancer at an early age before working in four menial jobs as a teenager. In 1909, he became the partner of the biggest female star in France at the time, Fréhel. Although their relationship was brief, she secured him his first major engagement, as a mimic and a singer in l'Alcazar in Marseille, for which he received critical acclaim by French theatre critics. In 1917, he discovered jazz and ragtime and went to London, where he found new success at the Palace Theatre. After this, he toured the United States, where he met the American composers George Gershwin and Irving Berlin and brought Dédé to Broadway in 1922. He also developed an interest in acting, and had success in the operetta Dédé. When talkies arrived, he went to Hollywood in 1928, where he played his first American role in Innocents of Paris. In 1930, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his roles in The Love Parade (1929) and The Big Pond (1930), which secured his first big American hit, Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight. In 1957, he appeared in Love in the Afternoon, which was his first Hollywood film in more than 20 years. In the early 1960s, he made eight films, including Can-Can in 1960 and Fanny the following year. In 1970, he made his final contribution to the film industry where he sang the title song of the Disney film The Aristocats. He died in Paris, on January 1, 1972, aged 83. Vincente Minnelli (February 28, 1903 – July 25, 1986) was an American stage director and film director, famous for directing such classic movie musicals as Meet Me in St. Louis, Gigi, The Band Wagon, and An American in Paris. In addition to having directed some of the most famous and well-remembered musicals of his time, Minnelli made many comedies and melodramas.[1] He was married to Judy Garland from 1945 until 1951; they were the parents of Liza Minnelli. Following his high school graduation, Minnelli moved to Chicago, where he lived briefly with his maternal grandmother and an aunt. His first job was at Marshall Field's department store as a window dresser. He later worked as a photographer for Paul Stone, who specialized in photographing actors from Chicago's theater district. His interest in the theater grew and he was greatly interested in art and immersed himself in books on the subject. Minnelli's first job in the theater was at the Chicago Theatre where he worked as a costume and set designer. Owned by Balaban and Katz, the theater chain soon merged with a bigger national chain of Paramount-Publix and Minnelli sometimes found himself assigned to work on shows in New York City. He soon left Chicago and rented a tiny Greenwich Village apartment. He was eventually employed at Radio City Music Hall shortly after its 1932 opening as a set designer and worked his way up to stage director – he was also tasked to serve as a color consultant for the original interior design of the Rainbow Room.[6] After leaving Radio City Music Hall the first play Minnelli directed was a musical revue for the Shuberts titled At Home Abroad which opened in October 1935 and starred Beatrice Lillie, Ethel Waters, and Eleanor Powell. The revue was well received and enjoyed a two year run. Minnelli later worked on The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, Hooray for What!, Very Warm for May, and The Show is On. Minnelli's reputation grew and he was offered a job at MGM in 1940 by producer Arthur Freed.[7] With his background in theatre, Minnelli was known as an auteur who always brought his stage experience to his films. The first movie that he directed, Cabin in the Sky (1943), was visibly influenced by the theater. Shortly after that, he directed Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), during which he fell in love with the film's star, Judy Garland. The two had first met on the set of Strike Up the Band (1940), a Busby Berkeley film for which Minnelli was asked to design a musical sequence performed by Garland and Mickey Rooney.[8] The two began a courtship that eventually led to their marriage in June 1945. Their one child together, Liza Minnelli, grew up to become an Academy Award-winning singer and actress. The Minnelli family is thus unique in that father, mother and child all won Oscars.[9] Though widely known for directing musicals, including An American in Paris (1951), Brigadoon (1954), Kismet (1955), and Gigi (1958), he also directed comedies and melodramas, including Madame Bovary (1949), Father of the Bride (1950), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Designing Woman (1957) and The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963). His last film was A Matter of Time (1976). During the course of his career he directed seven different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Spencer Tracy, Gloria Grahame, Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Arthur Kennedy, Shirley MacLaine and Martha Hyer. Grahame and Quinn won Oscars for their performances in one of Minnelli's movies. He received an Oscar nomination as Best Director for An American in Paris (1951) and later won the Best Director Oscar for Gigi (1958). According to Peter Bart in his book "The Gross" , Minnelli is among the most successful film directors of all time and unquestionably the most successful director in the 1940’s and ‘50’s, his films having 11 first place finishes on Variety’s opening release box office rankings. [10] He was awarded France's highest civilian honor, the Commander Nationale of the Legion of Honor, only weeks before his death in 1986. Minnelli's critical reputation has known a certain amount of fluctuation, being admired (or dismissed) in America as a "pure stylist" who, in Andrew Sarris' words, "believes more in beauty than in art."[11] His work reached a height of critical attention during the late 1950s and early 1960s in France with extensive studies in the Cahiers du Cinéma magazine, especially in the articles by Jean Douchet and Jean Domarchi, who saw in him a cinematic visionary obsessed with beauty and harmony, and an artist who could give substance to the world of dreams. Minnelli served as a juror at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival. The MGM compilation film That's Entertainment! showed clips from many of his Alan Jay Lerner (August 31, 1918 – June 14, 1986) was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, and later Burton Lane, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film. He won three Tony Awards and three Academy Awards, among other honors Frederick Loewe (/ˈloʊ /,[1] originally German Friedrich (Fritz)[2] Löwe [ˈløːvə]; June 10, 1901 – February 14, 1988[3]), was an Austrian-American composer. He collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on the long-running Broadway musicals My Fair Lady and Camelot, with book and lyrics by Lerner, both of which were made into films. **** Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film and television producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in Westerns such as Shane (1953) and in films noir. He was often paired with Veronica Lake, in noirish films such as This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key (1942) and The Blue Dahlia (1946). His other notable credits include Two Years Before the Mast (1946), Whispering Smith, his first Western and color film, (1948) and The Great Gatsby (1949). His popularity diminished in the late 1950s, though he continued to appear in popular films until his accidental death due to a lethal combination of alcohol, a barbiturate, and two tranquilizers.[2] Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early career 1.2 Sue Carol 1.3 This Gun for Hire and stardom 1.4 Army service 1.5 Return to filmmaking 1.6 Suspension 1.7 The Great Gatsby 1.8 Shane 1.9 Freelance star: Warners, Universal, Warwick 1.10 Jaguar Productions 1.11 Later films 2 Death 3 Height 4 Personal life 5 Select radio credits 5.1 Regular series 6 Filmography 6.1 Unmade films 7 Awards 8 Box office ranking 9 Theatre 10 References 11 External links Biography[edit] Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on 3 September 1913. He was the only child of Ina Raleigh (also known as Selina Rowley) (25 November 1888 – 1937), and Alan Ladd (1874–1920), a freelance accountant.[3] His mother was English, from County Durham and had migrated to the USA in 1907 when she was nineteen. His father died of a heart attack when Ladd was six. On 3 July 1918 a young Alan accidentally burned down the family home while playing with matches. His mother moved to Oklahoma City, where she married Jim Beavers, a housepainter (d. 1936).[4] In the early 1920s an economic downturn led to Ladd's family moving to California, a journey which took four months. They lived in a migrant camp in Pasadena at first before moving to the San Fernando Valley where Beavers went to work at FBO Studios as a painter.[5] Ladd enrolled in North Hollywood High School on 18 February 1930. He became a high school swimming and diving champion and participated in high school dramatics in his senior year, including the role of "Koko" in The Mikado. His diving skills led to his appearance in an aquatic show, Marinella in July 1933.[6] Early career[edit] Ladd's performance in The Mikado was seen by a talent scout. In August 1933 Ladd was one of a group of young "discoveries" signed to a long-term contract with Universal Pictures.[7] The contract had options which could go for seven years, but they were all in the studio's favor. Ladd appeared unbilled in a film, Once in a Lifetime (1932), but the studio eventually decided Ladd was too blond and too short and dropped him after six months. (All of Ladd's fellow "discoveries" would be dropped, including a young Tyrone Power.)[8][9] At 20, Ladd graduated from high school on 1 February 1934.[10] He worked in the advertising department of the San Fernando Sun Valley Record, eventually becoming the newspaper's ad manager. When the paper changed hands Ladd lost his job. He sold cash registers and borrowed $150 to open up his own hamburger and malt shop across from his old high school, which he called Tiny's Patio (his nickname at high school was "Tiny"). However he was ultimately unable to make a success of the shop. In another attempt to break into the film industry, Ladd went to work at Warner Bros. as a grip, and ended up staying two years. He was injured falling off a scaffold and decided to quit.[11] Ladd managed to save and borrow enough money to attend an acting school run by Ben Bard, who had taught him when he was under contract at Universal. Ladd wound up appearing in several stage productions for Bard.[12][13] Bard later recalled Ladd "was such a shy guy he just wouldn't speak up loud and strong. I had to get him to lower his voice too, it was too high. I also insisted that he get himself a decent set of dentures."[14] In 1936 Ladd played an unbilled role in Pigskin Parade. He had short term stints at MGM and RKO, but only got regular professional acting work when he turned to radio. Ladd's rich, deep voice was ideal for that medium and in 1936 he ended up being signed by station KFWB as their sole radio actor. He stayed for three years at KFWB doing up to 20 shows a week.[13][15] Sue Carol[edit] Ladd was playing the roles of a father and son on radio one night when heard by the agent Sue Carol (b 30 October 1903). She was impressed and called the station to talk to the actors and was told it was the one person.[13] She arranged to meet him and impressed by his looks she signed him to her books and enthusiastically promoted her new client in films as well as radio. Ladd's first notable part under Carol's management was the 1939 film Rulers of the Sea (1939), in which he played a character named "Colin Farrell" at $250 a week.[16] He also received attention for a small part in Hitler – Beast of Berlin (1939). Ladd tested unsuccessfully for the lead in Golden Boy (1939) but obtained many small roles, such as the serial The Green Hornet (1940), Her First Romance (1940), The Black Cat (1941) and the Disney film The Reluctant Dragon (1941). Most notably he had a small uncredited part in Citizen Kane, playing a newspaper reporter towards the end of the film. Ladd's career gained extra momentum when he was cast in a featured role in a wartime drama made at RKO, Joan of Paris (1942). It was only a small part but it involved a touching death scene which brought him attention within the industry.[13][17] RKO would eventually offer Ladd a contract at $400 a week.[16] However he soon received a better offer over at Paramount. This Gun for Hire and stardom[edit] Ladd with Brian Donlevy and Esther Fernández in Two Years Before the Mast (1946). Paramount had owned the film rights to Graham Greene's novel, A Gun for Sale since 1936 but waited until 1941 before making a movie out of it, changing the title to This Gun for Hire. Director Frank Tuttle was struggling to find a new actor to play the role of "Raven", a hitman with a conscience.[13] Ladd auditioned successfully and Paramount signed him to a long-term contract in September 1941 for $300 a week.[18] The New York Times reported shortly afterwards that: Tuttle and the studio are showing more than a passing enthusiasm for Ladd. He has been trying to get a foothold in pictures for eight years but received no encouragement although he tried every angle known to town—extra work, bit parts, stock contracts, dramatic schools, assault of the casting offices. Sue Carol, the former silent star who is now an agent, undertook to advance the youth's career two years ago and only recently could she locate an attentive ear. Then the breaks began.[19] "Once Ladd had acquired an unsmiling hardness, he was transformed from an extra to a phenomenon. Ladd's calm slender ferocity make it clear that he was the first American actor to show the killer as a cold angel". – David Thomson (A Biographical Dictionary of Film, 1975) [20] Both the film and Ladd's performance played an important role in the development of the "gangster" genre: "That the old fashioned motion picture gangster with his ugly face, gaudy cars, and flashy clothes was replaced by a smoother, better looking, and better dressed bad man was largely the work of Mr. Ladd." – New York Timesobituary (January 30, 1964).[20] Ladd was teamed with actress Veronica Lake in this film, and despite the fact that it was Robert Preston who played the romantic lead, the Ladd-Lake pairing captured the public's imagination, and would continue in another three films. (They appeared in a total of seven films together, but three were only guest shots in all-star musical revues.) Even during the filming of This Gun for Hire Paramount knew they had a potential star and announced Ladd's next film, an adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's story The Glass Key. This had been a successful vehicle for George Raft several years earlier and Paramount wanted "a sure-fire narrative to carry him on his way."[21] (There had been talk Ladd would appear in another story of Hammett's, Red Harvest,[22] but this was never made.) The movie was Ladd's second pairing with Lake. His cool, unsmiling persona proved popular with wartime audiences, and he was voted by the Motion Picture Heraldas one of the ten "stars of tomorrow" for 1942.[23][24][25] His salary was raised to $750 a week.[26] According to critic David Shipman: Paramount of course were delighted. The majority of stars were earmarked as such when they appeared on the horizon—from Broadway or from wherever they came; if it seemed unlikely that public acceptance would come with one film they were trained and built up: the incubation period was usually between two and five years. As far as Ladd was concerned, he was a small-part actor given a fat part faute de mieux and after his second film for them he had not merely hit the leading-men category, but had gone beyond it to films which were constructed around his personality.[27] Ladd then appeared in a lighter vehicle, Lucky Jordan (1943), with Helen Walker, playing a gangster who tries to get out of war service and tangles with Nazis. His new status was reflected by the fact he was the only actor billed above the title.[28] He had a cameo spoofing his tough guy image in Star Spangled Rhythm, which featured most of Paramount's stars, then starred in a more serious adventure story, China with Loretta Young for director John Farrow, with whom Ladd would make a number of movies. Young did not like working with Ladd: I found him petulant... I don't remember hearing him laugh, or ever seeing him laugh. Everything that concerned him was very serious... He had a certain screen personality... but as an actor... I never made any contact with him. He wouldn't look at me. He'd say, "I love you..." he'd be looking out there some place. Finally, I said,"Alan, I'm he-ere!!"... I think he was very conscious of his looks. Alan would not look beyond a certain point in the camera because he didn't think he looked good... Jimmy Cagney was not tall but somehow Jimmy was at terms with himself, always. I don't think Alan Ladd ever came to terms with himself.[29] Ladd's next film was meant to be opposite Betty Hutton, Incendiary Blonde, but he had to be inducted into the army on 18 January after reprising his performance in This Gun for Hire on radio for Lux Radio Theatre.[30] Army service[edit] Ladd briefly served in the United States Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit.[31] Ladd was initially classified 4-F unfit for military service because of stomach problems, but began his military service in January 1943. He was posted to the Walla Walla Army Air Base at Walla Walla, Washington, attaining the rank of Corporal. He attended the Oscars in March 1943[32] and in September appeared in a trailer promoting a war loan drive, Letter from a Friend.[33] While Ladd was in the armed services, a number of films which had been announced for him were either postponed, and/or made with different actors, including Incendiary Blonde, The Story of Dr. Wassell, Ministry of Fear and The Man in Half Moon Street. Paramount started promoting Ladd replacements such as Sonny Tuftsand Barry Sullivan.[34] Old Ladd films were reissued with him being given more prominent billing, such as Hitler, Beast of Berlin.[35] He was reportedly receiving 20,000 fan letters a week.[36] The New York Times reported that "Ladd in the brief period of a year and with only four starring pictures to his credit... had built up a following unmatched in film history since Rudolph Valentino skyrocketed to fame."[33] In December 1943 he would be listed as the 15th most popular star in the US.[37] Ladd fell ill and went to military hospital in Santa Barbara for several weeks in October.[38] On 28 October, he was given an honorable medical discharge because of a stomach disorder complicated by influenza.[39][40] Return to filmmaking[edit] When Ladd returned from the army, Paramount announced a series of vehicles for him, including And Now Tomorrow[41] and Two Years Before the Mast.[42] And Now Tomorrow was a melodrama starring Loretta Young as a wealthy deaf woman who is treated (and loved) by her doctor, Ladd; Raymond Chandler co-wrote the screenplay and it was filmed in late 1943 and early 1944. According to Shipman: It was a pitch to sell Ladd to women filmgoers, though he had not changed one iota and he did not have a noticeable romantic aura. But Paramount hoped that women might feel that beneath the rock-like expression there smouldered fires of passion, or something like. His black-lashed eyes, however, gave nothing away; it was 'take me as I am' or 'I'm the boss around here'. He never flirted nor even seemed interested (which is one of the reasons he and Lake were so effective together).[43] In March 1944 Ladd took another physical and was re-classified 1A. He would have to be re-inducted into the army, but a deferment was given to enable Ladd to make Two Years Before the Mast (the release of which was postponed two years).[44][45][46] He was meant to be re-inducted on 4 September 1944[45] but Paramount succeeded in getting this pushed back again to make Salty O'Rourke.[47] He also found time to make a cameo a big screen version of Duffy's Tavern.[48] Ladd's re-induction was then set for May 1945. Paramount commissioned Raymond Chandler to write an original screenplay for him, The Blue Dahlia, which was made relatively quickly in case the studio lost Ladd to the army once again.[49][50] However, in May 1945 General Lewis Hershey released all men 30 or over from induction in the army and Ladd was free from the draft. Along with several other film stars released from their draft obligations, Ladd promptly enlisted with the Hollywood Victory Committee for the entertainment industry's overseas arm, volunteering to tour for USO shows.[51] Ladd next made Calcutta, which reteamed him with John Farrow and William Bendix. Release for this film was also delayed. Suspension[edit] Ladd was meant to make California with Betty Hutton but he refused to report for work in August 1945. "It wasn't on account of the picture", said Ladd. "There were other issues." Ladd wanted more money, and Paramount responded by suspending him.[52][53] The two parties reconciled in November with Ladd getting a salary increase to $75,000 per film, but without story approval or the right to do outside films, which he had wanted.[43][54][55] Exhibitors voted him the 15th most popular star in the country.[56] "When a star's off the screen he's 'dead'", Ladd later reflected. "I like my home and my security and I don't intend to jeopardize them by being difficult at work."[57] Ladd's next film was a wartime thriller, O.S.S.[58] This was produced by Richard Maibaum who convinced Ladd that he should play the title role in an adaptation of The Great Gatsby, to which Paramount held the film rights; Ladd became enthusiastic at the chance to change his image, but the project was delayed by a combination of censorship wrangles and studio reluctance.[59] The Blue Dahlia was eventually released to great acclaim, quickly followed by O.S.S. and, finally Two Years Before the Mast. The first two films were solid hits, each earning over $2 million in rentals in the US and Canada; Two Years Before the Mast was a blockbuster, earning over $4 million and being one of the ten most popular films of the year. Ladd earned a reported $88,909 for the 12 months up to June 1946.[60] (The following year he would earn $107,000.[61]) In 1947 he was ranked among the top ten most popular stars in the US. That year saw finally the release of Calcutta along with Wild Harvest, where he reteamed with Robert Preston. Ladd made a cameo appearance as a detective in the Bob Hope comedy My Favorite Brunette (1947). Ladd made another cameo in an all-star Paramount film, Variety Girl, singing Frank Loesser's "Tallahassee" with Dorothy Lamour. He was reteamed with Lake for the final time in Saigon, then made his first Western since he became a star (and first movie in colour), Whispering Smith (1948). He followed this with a melodrama with Farrow, Beyond Glory (1948), which featured Audie Murphy in his film debut (and was released before Whispering Smith).[62] Ever since he had become a star, Ladd continued to appear in radio, usually in dramatisations of feature films for such shows as Lux Radio Theatre and Screen Directors Playhouse. He created roles played both by himself, but also other actors, including the part of Rick Blaine in an adaptation of Casablanca. In 1948 he starred and produced a regular weekly series for syndication, Box 13, which ran for 52 episodes. The Great Gatsby[edit] Ladd's next role was a significant change of pace, playing Jay Gatsby in the 1949 version of The Great Gatsby, written and produced by Richard Maibaum. This film had been planned since 1946, but production was delayed due to a combination of difficulties with the censor, and Paramount's reluctance for Ladd to play such a challenging part. It was not a big success at the box office and its mixed critical and commercial reception caused Ladd to shy away from serious dramatic roles afterwards. His next films were more typical fare: Chicago Deadline, playing a tough reporter; Captain Carey, U.S.A., as a vengeful ex-OSS agent, for Maibaum; and Appointment with Danger, as a postal inspector investigating a murder with the help of nun Phyllis Calvert (shot in 1949 but not released until 1951). Paramount purchased the screen rights to the play Detective Story as a possible vehicle for Ladd,[63] and he was keen to do it, but the role ended up going to Kirk Douglas. Instead Ladd was cast in Branded, a Western. In February 1950 Paramount announced that Ladd would star in a film version of the novel Shane.[64] Before he made that film, he appeared in another Western, Red Mountain, produced by Hal Wallis. In 1950 the Hollywood Women's Press Club voted Ladd the easiest male star to deal with in Hollywood.[65] The following year a poll from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association listed Ladd as the second most popular male film star in the world, after Gregory Peck.[66] Shane[edit] Jean Arthur and Ladd in Shane (1953) In 1951 Ladd's contract only had one more year to run. "Paramount is like a home to me", he said, "and I'd like to remain on the lot for one picture a year. But I want to be free to take pictures at other studios if offered to me."[67] The main studio Ladd was in discussion with was Warner Bros. He also received a six-year offer to make a TV series, Adventure Limited.[68] In May 1951 Ladd announced he had formed his own production company, Ladd Enterprises, to produce films, radio and TV when his Paramount contract ended in November 1952. He optioned the novel Shadow Riders of the Yellowstone by Les Savage.[69] The next month his deal with Warner Bros. was announced: one film a year for five years -[70] however he expressed a desire to continue to work with Paramount.[71] Ladd's final three movies for Paramount were Thunder in the East, Shane and Botany Bay.[72] Once Ladd finished Botany Bay, in February 1952 it was announced Ladd's contract with Paramount would end early and be amended so that he would make two more movies for the studio at a later date.[73] (In the event, Ladd did not make another film at Paramount until The Carpetbaggers.) Paramount staggered the release of Ladd's final films for the company, with Shane and Botany Bay not being released until 1953. Ladd later said that leaving Paramount was "a big upset" for him, and that he only left for "business reasons... future security for the children and ourselves".[74] Shane, in which he played the title character, was particularly popular. It premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in April 1953,[75] grossing over $114,000 in its four weeks there (a large sum at the time),[76] and in all earned $8 million in North America over its initial run,[77] and led to Ladd being voted one of the ten most popular stars in the country in 1953. Freelance star: Warners, Universal, Warwick[edit] Ladd's deal with Warners was for one film a year for ten years, starting from when his contract with Paramount expired. Warners guaranteed him $150,000 per film against 10% of the gross, making Ladd one of the best paid stars in Hollywood.[78] His first film for Warner Bros was The Iron Mistress (1952), in which Ladd played Jim Bowie. The arrangement with Warners was not exclusive, enabling Ladd to work for other studios. He made a film at Universal Studios, Desert Legion (1953), playing a member of the French Foreign Legion. Ladd was paid a fee and a percentage of the profits.[79] Ladd also signed an arrangement with Warwick Films to make two films in Britain, where the actor was very popular: a wartime saga, The Red Beret (1953), with Ladd as a Canadian soldier in a British unit; and a whaling story, Hell Below Zero (1954), based on the Hammond Innes book The White South.[80] Both movies were co-written by Richard Maibaum, with whom Ladd had worked at Paramount.[81] Ladd played a mountie in Saskatchewan for Universal in Canada, and returned to Britain for another with Warwick, a medieval swashbuckler The Black Knight (1954), where Ladd played the title role.[82] This meant Ladd spent 19 months out of the US and did not have to pay tax on his income for that period. It also caused his plans to enter independent production to be deferred.[83] Ladd's fee for his Warwick films was $200,000 as against 10% of the profits, plus living expenses.[84] Jaguar Productions[edit] When Ladd returned to Hollywood in 1954 he formed a new production company, Jaguar Productions, who would release through Warner Bros. This would be in addition to the films he would make with Warners solely as an actor. His first film for Jaguar was Drum Beat (1954), a Western directed by Delmer Daves which was reasonably successful at the box office.[85] For Warners themselves he then made The McConnell Story (1955), co-starring June Allyson, which also proved popular. He signed to appear in some episodes of General Electric Theater on TV.[86] The first of these, "Committed", was based on an old episode of Box 13 which Ladd was considering turning into a TV series.[87] However, despite Ladd's presence, a series did not result. Ladd next made a film for Jaguar, Hell on Frisco Bay (1955), which was co-written by Martin Rackin and directed by his old This Gun for Hire associate, Frank Tuttle. Rackin went on to write and produce Ladd's subsequent film, which he made for Warners, Santiago. For Jaguar, Ladd produced, but did not appear in A Cry in the Night. Ladd's instincts for choosing material was proving increasingly poor: George Stevens offered him the role of Jett Rink in Giant (1956), which he turned down because it was not the lead; James Dean took the part and the film became one of the biggest hits of the decade. He was meant to return to Paramount to make a Western, The Sons of Katie Elder, but he bought himself out of his Paramount contract for $135,000;[88][89] the film was made a decade later with John Wayne and was a big hit. Instead, Ladd signed a new four-year contract between Jaguar and Warner Bros, with his company having a budget of $6.5 million. The first film made under it was The Big Land (1957), a Western.[90][91] He made another TV film for General Electric Theater, "Farewell to Kennedy"; he hoped this would lead to become a series but that did not happen.[92] Ladd then received an offer to star in a film being made in Greece for 20th Century Fox, Boy on a Dolphin (1957). In March 1957, it was announced that Warners and Jaguar had re-negotiated their agreement and now Jaguar would make ten films for the studio, of which Ladd was to appear in at least six, starting with The Deep Six(1958). Warners would provide all the finance and split profits with Jaguar 50:50.[93][94][95] The second film under the contract was Island of Lost Women, which Ladd produced but did not appear in. Ladd's next film as actor saw him co-star against his son David in The Proud Rebel, made independently for Samuel Goldwyn Jr. According to Shipman, Ladd's "performance is his best work, sincere and likeable (due perhaps to an odd resemblance in long shot to Buster Keaton), but the film did not have the success it deserved: Ladd's own fans missed the bang-bang and [co star] Olivia de Havilland's fans were not persuaded that any film she did with Ladd could be that good.[96] He announced a six-picture deal with Warwick Productions[97] but ultimately did not work for Warwick again. MGM hired Ladd to make The Badlanders, a Western remake of The Asphalt Jungle; like many of Ladd's films around this time, it was a box office disappointment. Ladd was considered to play the lead in The Angry Hills but Robert Mitchum was eventually cast. Mitchum later told a journalist the producers met Ladd at his home after "he'd just crawled out of his swimming pool and was all shrunken up like a dishwasher's hand. They decided he wouldn't do for the big war correspondent."[98] Later films[edit] For Walter Mirisch at United Artists Ladd appeared in The Man in the Net. He produced a pilot for a TV series starring William Bendix called Ivy League.[99] That did not go to series; neither did another pilot Ladd produced for Paramount, The Third Platoon, which was written by a young Aaron Spelling.[100] Spelling also wrote Guns of the Timberland for Jaguar and Warners, in which Ladd appeared; it was his last movie for Warners. As an actor, he made All the Young Men with Sidney Poitier that was released through Columbia. One Foot in Hell (1960) over at 20th Century Fox saw Ladd play an out-and-out villain for the first time since the beginning of his career, but the result was not popular with audiences. "I'd like to retire from acting", he said in 1960. "I'd produce."[101] Ladd kept busy developing projects, some of which were vehicles for his son, David. Ladd also kept acting and followed the path of many Hollywood stars on the decline and made a peplum in Italy, Duel of Champions (1961). Back in Hollywood he made 13 West Street as a star and producer, for his new company, Ladd Enterprises. "I'll go to work again when the right story comes along", said Ladd.[102] He joined the board of 38 Inc, a new film producing company, who announced plans to make a movie out of a Ben Hecht script.[103] On 2 November 1962, Ladd was found lying unconscious in a pool of blood with a bullet wound near his heart, in what might have been a suicide attempt. The bullet penetrated Ladd's chest around the third and fourth rib, through the lungs and bounced off the rib cage.[8][104][105] At the time, Ladd said he thought he heard a prowler, grabbed a gun, and tripped over, accidentally shooting himself.[106] This was accepted by the police investigating.[107] In 1963, Ladd's career looked set to make a comeback when he filmed a supporting role in The Carpetbaggers, based on the best selling novel.[108] This was a co-production between Embassy and Paramount, meaning Ladd filmed on the Paramount backlot for the first time in over a decade. He announced plans to turn Box 13into a feature film script and was hoping for cameos from old friends such as Veronica Lake and William Bendix.[109] Death[edit] In January 1964, after injuring his knees, Ladd hoped to recuperate at his house in Palm Springs. On 29 January 1964, his butler said he saw Ladd on his bed at 10am; when he returned at 3:30pm Ladd was still there, dead.[110][111] His death, due to cerebral edema caused by an acute overdose of "alcohol and three other drugs", was ruled accidental.[1] Ladd suffered from chronic insomnia and regularly used sleeping pills and alcohol to induce sleep. While he had not taken a lethal amount of any one drug, the combination apparently caused a synergisticreaction that proved fatal.[8] Suicide was ruled out.[112] He was buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.[113] Ladd's funeral was held on 1 February with Edmond O'Brien giving the eulogy. Fans were allowed to see his coffin. He was buried with his wedding ring and a letter his son David had written him.[114] Ladd died a wealthy man, his holdings including a 5,000 acre ranch at Hidden Valley and a hardware store in Palm Springs.[115] After he died, The Carpetbaggers was released and became a financial success. Ladd has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1601 Vine Street.[116] His handprint appears in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, in Hollywood. In 1995, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.[117] Height[edit] Ladd, late 1950s Most biographical sources speculate on Ladd's height, which legend contends was slight. Reports of his height vary from 5 ft 5 in to 5 ft 9 in (1.65 m – 1.75 m), with 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) being the most generally accepted today. His U.S. Army enlistment record, however, indicates a height of 5 ft 7 in.[8][118][119] Ladd and Veronica Lake became a particularly popular pairing because, at 4 ft 11 in, she was one of the few Hollywood actresses substantially shorter than he was.[120] In his memoirs, actor/producer John Houseman wrote of Ladd: "Since he himself was extremely short, he had only one standard by which he judged his fellow players: their height."[121] To compensate for Ladd's height, during the filming of Boy on a Dolphin, co-starring the 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Sophia Loren, the cinematographer used special low stands to light Ladd and the crew built a ramp system of heavy planks to enable the two actors to stand at equal eye level.[122] In outdoor scenes, trenches were dug for Loren to stand in.[123] For the film Saskatchewan, director Raoul Walsh had a six-inch hole dug for 6 ft 0 in (1.82 m) co-star Hugh O'Brian to stand in, while using the excavated dirt to build a mound for Ladd to stand on, thereby overcoming the disparity in height.[124] Personal life[edit] Ladd married a high school sweetheart, Marjorie Jane "Midge" Harrold, in October 1936.[125][126] Their only child, a son named Alan Ladd, Jr., was born on October 22, 1937.[127] They divorced in July 1941[128] and she died in 1957, having remarried.[129] On 29 November 1937 Ladd's mother, who was staying with him following the breakup of a relationship, asked Ladd for some money to buy something at a local store. Ladd gave her the money, thinking it was for alcohol. She purchased some arsenic-based ant paste from a grocer and committed suicide by drinking it in the back seat of Ladd's car.[130] On March 15, 1942, Ladd married his agent and manager, former film actress Sue Carol in Mexico City. They intended to be remarried in the U.S. in July because Ladd's divorce from his first wife was not final.[131] Carol had a daughter from a previous marriage, Carol Lee (b 18 July 1932), whom Alan and Sue raised. In addition they had two children of their own, Alana (born 21 April 1943, when Ladd was in the army[132]) and David Alan (1947).[133] Alan Ladd, Jr., is a film executive and producer and founder of the Ladd Company. Actress Alana Ladd, who co-starred with her father in Guns of the Timberland and Duel of Champions, is married to the veteran talk radio broadcaster Michael Jackson. Actor David Ladd, who co-starred with his father as a child in The Proud Rebel, was married to Charlie's Angels star Cheryl Ladd (née Stoppelmoor), 1973–80. Their daughter is actress Jordan Ladd.[134] Ladd's name was linked romantically with June Allyson when they made The McConnell Story together.[135] Select radio credits[edit] Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 206 "The Return of Peter Grimm" (13 Feb 1939) Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 221 "Only Angels Have Wings" (29 May 1939) Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 280 "White Banners" (12 June 1939) Lincoln Highway (May 1942)[136] Guest on Kate Smith's radio show – 1942 Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 380 "This Gun for Hire" (25 Jan 1943) – with Joan Blondell and Laird Cregar Wings to Victory (25 March 1943) "Musically Inclined" for Silver Theater (12 Dec 1943) – with Judy Garland[137] Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 415 China (22 Nov 1943) Suspense – "One Way Ride to Nowhere" (6 Jan 1944)[138] Suspense – "The Defence Rests" (9 March 1944) Cavalcade of America – "Ambulance Driver Middle East" (3 April 1944) Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 435 Coney Island (17 April 1944) Burns and Allen – special guest star (15 Jan 1945) Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 473 "Disputed Passage" (5 March 1945) Jack Benny Program – "Murder Mystery" (25 March 1945) Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 484 "And Now Tomorrow" (21 May 1945) The Dinah Shore Show – Guest star (31 May 1945) Command Performance – guest star with Bob Hope, Ann Rutherford (14 June 1945) Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 503 "Salty O'Rourke" (26 Nov 1945) Duffy's Tavern – guest star (4 Jan 1946) Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 523 "Whistle Stop" (15 April 1946) Hollywood Star Time – "Double Indemnity" (22 June 1946) Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 546 "O.S.S." (18 Nov 1946) Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 582 "Two Years Before the Mast" (22 Sept 1947) The Screen Guild Theater – "The Blue Dahlia" (21 April 1949) Screen Directors Playhouse – "Saigon" (29 July 1949) Screen Directors Playhouse – "Whispering Smith" (16 Sept 1949) Suspense – "Motive for Murder" (16 March 1950) Screen Directors Playhouse – "Chicago Deadline" (24 March 1950) Suspense – "A Killing in Abilene" (14 Dec 1950) Screen Directors Playhouse – "Lucky Jordan" (8 Feb 1951) Lux Radio Theatre – Ep 911 "Shane" (22 Feb 1955) Regular series[edit] Box 13: 52 episodes (22 August 1948 – 14 August 1949) The Alan Ladd Show[139] Filmography[edit] Film Year Title Role Notes 1932 Tom Brown of Culver Cadet Once in a Lifetime Projectionist 1933 Saturday's Millions Student 1936 Pigskin Parade Student 1937 The Last Train from Madrid Soldier Souls at Sea Sailor All Over Town Young Man Hold 'Em Navy Chief Quartermaster Born to the West Inspector 1938 The Goldwyn Follies First Auditioning Singer Come On, Leathernecks! Club Waiter Freshman Year Student 1939 The Mysterious Miss X Henchman Rulers of the Sea Colin Farrell Hitler – Beast of Berlin Karl Bach Also known as Goose Step 1940 American Portrait Young man/Old man Short subject[140] Blame it on Love Short subject Uncredited Meat and Romance Bill Allen Short subject Unfinished Rainbows Charles Martin Hall Short subject The Green Hornet Gilpin, Student Pilot Chapter 3 Brother Rat and a Baby Cadet in trouble In Old Missouri John Pittman, Jr. The Light of Western Stars Danny, Stillwell Ranch Hand Gangs of Chicago Cross-Country Romance Mr. Williams, First Mate Those Were the Days! Keg Rearick Captain Caution Newton, Mutinous Sailor The Howards of Virginia Backwoodsman Meet the Missus John Williams Victory Heyst as an 18-year-old Her First Romance John Gilman 1941 I Look At You Short subject Petticoat Politics Higgins Daughter's Boyfriend Citizen Kane Reporter smoking pipe at end Uncredited The Black Cat Richard Hartley Paper Bullets Jimmy Kelly aka Bill Dugan The Reluctant Dragon Al, Baby Weems storyboard artist They Met in Bombay British Soldier Great Guns Soldier in Photo Shop Cadet Girl Harry, Musician Military Training Lieutenant, Platoon Leader, County Fair Short subject Uncredited 1942 Joan of Paris "Baby" This Gun for Hire Philip Raven The Glass Key Ed Beaumont Lucky Jordan Lucky Jordan Star Spangled Rhythm Alan Ladd, Scarface Skit Letter from a Friend Short subject 1943 China David Jones Screen Snapshots: Hollywood in Uniform Himself Short subject 1944 Skirmish on the Home Front Harry W. Average Short subject And Now Tomorrow Doctor Merek Vance 1945 Salty O'Rourke Salty O'Rourke Duffy's Tavern Himself Hollywood Victory Caravan Alan Ladd Short subject 1946 Two Years Before the Mast Charles Stewart The Blue Dahlia Johnny Morrison, Lt.Cmdr., ret. O.S.S. Philip Masson/John Martin Screen Snapshots: The Skolsky Party Himself Short subject 1947 My Favorite Brunette Sam McCloud Calcutta Neale Gordon Variety Girl Himself Wild Harvest Joe Madigan 1948 Saigon Maj. Larry Briggs Beyond Glory Capt. Rockwell "Rocky" Gilman Whispering Smith Whispering Smith 1949 Eyes of Hollywood Short subject The Great Gatsby Jay Gatsby Chicago Deadline Ed Adams 1950 Captain Carey, U.S.A. Captain Webster Carey Branded Choya 1951 Appointment with Danger Al Goddard Red Mountain Capt. Brett Sherwood 1952 The Iron Mistress Jim Bowie Thunder in the East Steve Gibbs A Sporting Oasis Himself Short subject 1953 Botany Bay Hugh Tallant Desert Legion Paul Lartal Shane Shane The Red Beret Steve "Canada" McKendrick 1954 Hell Below Zero Duncan Craig Saskatchewan Thomas O'Rourke The Black Knight John Drum Beat Johnny MacKay Producer 1955 The McConnell Story Capt. Joseph C. "Mac" McConnell, Jr. Hell on Frisco Bay Steve Rollins Producer 1956 Santiago Caleb "Cash" Adams Producer A Cry in the Night Opening narrator Producer 1957 The Big Land Chad Morgan Producer Boy on a Dolphin Dr. James Calder 1958 The Deep Six Alexander "Alec" Austen Producer The Proud Rebel John Chandler The Badlanders Peter Van Hoek ("The Dutchman") 1959 The Man in the Net John Hamilton Producer Island of Lost Women – Executive producer 1960 Guns of the Timberland Jim Hadley Executive producer All the Young Men Sgt. Kincaid Executive producer One Foot in Hell Mitch Garrett 1961 Duel of Champions Horatio 1962 13 West Street Walt Sherill Producer 1964 The Carpetbaggers Nevada Smith Released posthumously Television Year Title Role Notes 1953 Better Living TV Theatre Himself September 6, 1953, episode 1954 Red Skelton Revue Guest (Old West Sketch) Episode 1.1 1954–1958 General Electric Theater Various roles 3 episodes Executive producer (2 episodes) 1955 Kings Row Himself Episode: "Lady in Fear" 1957–1958 The Bob Cummings Show Himself 2 episodes 1959 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars – Episode: "Ivy League"    ebay2628

  • Condition: Used
  • Condition: The condition is very good . ( Pls look at scan for accurate AS IS images )
  • Size: GIANT size around 24" x 38" ( Not accurate )
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: Israel
  • Movie: "GIGI"
  • Original/Reproduction: Original
  • Year: 1950-59
  • Object Type: Poster
  • Industry: Movies

PicClick Insights - 1959 Israel GIGI Movie FILM POSTER Hebrew LESLIE CARON Chevalier MINNELLI Jewish PicClick Exclusive

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