Veronica Lake Alan Ladd, This Gun for Hire
Every now and then I get SO frustrated with myself for not talking more about certain stars from old Hollywood – stars I actually adore, but somehow simply don’t spend nearly enough time doing my part to keep their name and films shining bright and making noise.
Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd are two such stars. I love their films to distraction and am a very big fan of both of them. If we’re being completely and totally honest, however, I think I actually know why I don’t talk about them more and, while, I SEE the reason…. I don’t APPROVE of the reason.
Simply put… they break my heart. Each star had so much going for them – they were beautiful and had a world of talent. Each was versatile and could do any genre thrown their way. However, neither had what could remotely be called a happy life and both stars turned to alcohol for their therapist.
Obviously, drinking is a complete failure when it comes to therapy and both stars died at the age of 50.
Devastatingly sad. To make matters worse, Veronica battled a mental illness that couldn’t possibly be understood or treated at the time. She was considered by some to be “difficult,” when in reality, she was battling demons the others wouldn’t recognize.
I’ve spent a great deal of time looking into both of their lives, looking for rays of sunshine – time or times when they were happy. A friendship/relationship Alan Ladd shared with June Allyson seems to have given him happiness while it lasted and both stars seemed to enjoy working together. I also love the fact that they were successful in their careers (especially during the 40s) and knew how many fans adored them.
Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake made seven movies together, all in the Forties:
This Gun for Hire (1942)
The Glass Key (1942)
The Blue Dahlia (1946)
Saigon (1947)
Star-Spangled Rhythm (1942)
Duffy’s Tavern (1945)
Variety Girl (1947)
You can find the classic film-noir This Gun for Hire on dvd and blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd, This Gun for Hire