Ladd, the life, the legend, the legacy of Alan Ladd: A biography (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 294 pages
• Publisher: Arbor House; Not Indicated edition (1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877952035
• ISBN-13: 978-0877952039
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #806,348 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting but flawed read for Ladd fans, April 24, 2009

By	The Red Queen - See all my reviews

Beverly Linet's biography of Alan Ladd is, to my knowledge, the only biographical book ever published about the actor, so if you are interested in knowing more about him, your options are limited.

Linet's prose is melodramatic and sometimes sensationalist, which is tiresome, but not surprising given her background as a former fan magazine writer. She makes insinuations about Sue Carol, Ladd's second wife, which are not backed up by any evidence other than her own opinions. In this book, she is portrayed as quite controlling and conniving - which she may have been, but Linet is clearly biased in favour of Ladd's first wife.

I also noticed several minor inaccuracies, which leads me to question her reliability on other points.

Linet is disposed toward amateur psychoanalysis, and her obsessions with Ladd's various complexes lead her away from his life story at times. Major events and undertakings are swept by the wayside: for example, the popular radio programme Box 13, produced, syndicated, performed and co-written by Ladd, is dismissed in one sentence.

Overall, this is a good read - it goes quickly and does give some insight into the life and career of a sensitive, talented and sad man, but take Linet's suppositions with a grain of salt.