Alan Ladd Collection
Alan Ladd (born Alan Walbridge Ladd) may have stood just five feet five inches tall, but his presence on the golden age of radio was towering. This collection brings together 82 recordings spanning over 44 hours, showcasing some of his finest performances across detective, drama, and personality programs. From his humble beginnings—once running a hot-dog stand called "Tiny's"—to his rise as a Hollywood and radio star, Ladd’s journey is as compelling as the roles he portrayed. With a self-deprecating wit, he once remarked, "I have the face of an ageing choirboy and the build of an undernourished featherweight." Yet his stern, unyielding on-stage demeanor made him a beloved figure in detective and western film, and these recordings preserve that magic for radio.
Collection Highlights
- **Complete "Box 13" series**: This collection includes the entire run of Ladd’s most memorable radio role as Dan Holiday, a newspaper columnist turned amateur sleuth, spanning 52 episodes from 1948 to 1949.
- **Rare radio adaptations of classic films**: Hear Ladd reprise his iconic roles in radio versions of *This Gun for Hire* (from Lux Radio Theater, 1943), *Shane* (1955), and *The Blue Dahlia* (Screen Guild Theater, 1949), alongside appearances in *Casablanca* and *China*.
- **Diverse guest spots and extras**: Performances on *Burns and Allen*, *Suspense*, *Command Performance*, and *Screen Director's Theater* highlight Ladd’s versatility, while a special extras folder includes photo stills from his life and film career.
- **A star's full radio legacy**: From his 1939 Lux Radio Theater debut in *The Return of Peter Grimm* to later appearances in *Whispering Smith* and beyond, this set traces Ladd’s golden-age journey, offering a warm tribute to his enduring talent.
Track Listing
Show all 164 tracks (44 hours, 46 min)
- Burns and Allen 440307 Alan Ladd The Poker Game
- Burns and Allen 450115 Alan Ladd
- CP450614 179 Gloria DeHaven Bob Hope King Sisters
- Guest Star 541003 0393 Alan Ladd
- Jerry At Fair Oaks Ep 35 Guy Linwell Arrives
- lux390213 The Return of Peter Grimm
- lux390529 221 Only Angels Have Wings
- lux430125 381 This Gun For Hire
- lux431122 0416 China Alan Ladd
- lux440124 0424 Casablanca Alan Ladd
- lux440403 0434 Destroyer
- lux440417 0436 Coney Island Alan Ladd
- lux450305 0474 Disputed Passage
- lux450521 0485 And Now Tomorrow Alan Ladd
- lux451126 503 Salty O'Rourke
- lux460415 Whistle Stop
- lux461118 OSS
- lux470922 0583 Two Years Before The Mast Alan Ladd
- lux550222 0912 Shane Alan Ladd
- Screen Guild Theater 490421 421 The Blue Dahlia Alan Ladd
- SDP 490729 027 Saigon Alan Ladd
- SDP 490916 034 Whispering Smith
- SDP 500324 061 Chicago Deadline Alan Ladd
- SDP 510201 088 Take a Letter, Darling Alan Ladd
- SDP 510208 089 Lucky Jordan Alan Ladd
- SDP 510531 105 Beyond Glory
- Suspense 440106 One Way Ride To Nowhere Alan Ladd
- Suspense 440309 The Defense Rests Alan Ladd
- Suspense 500316 Motive For Murder Alan Ladd
- Suspense 501214 A Killing in Abilene Alan Ladd
- Box 13 480822 01 The First Letter
- Box 13 480829 02 Insurance Fraud
- Box 13 480905 03 Blackmail Is Murder
- Box 13 480912 04 Actor's Alibi
- Box 13 480919 05 Extra Extra
- Box 13 480926 06 Shanghaied
- Box 13 481003 07 Short Assignment
- Box 13 481010 08 Double Mothers
- Box 13 481017 09 A Book of Poems
- Box 13 481024 10 The Great Torino
- Box 13 481031 11 Suicide or Murder
- Box 13 481107 12 Triple Cross
- Box 13 481114 13 Damsel In Distress
- Box 13 481121 14 Diamond In The Sky
- Box 13 481128 15 Double Right Cross
- Box 13 481205 16 Look Pleasant, Please
- Box 13 481212 17 The Haunted Artist
- Box 13 481219 18 The Sad Night
- Box 13 481226 19 The Hot Box
- Box 13 490102 20 The Better Man
- Box 13 490109 21 The Professor and The Puzzle
- Box 13 490116 22 The Dowager and Dan Holiday
- Box 13 490123 23 Three To Die
- Box 13 490130 24 The Philanthropist
- Box 13 490206 25 Last Will and Nursery Rhyme
- Box 13 490213 26 Delinquent's Dilemma
- Box 13 490220 27 Flash of Light
- Box 13 490227 28 Hare and Hounds
- Box 13 490306 29 Hunt and Peck
- Box 13 490313 30 Death Is A Doll
- Box 13 490320 31 One One Three Point Five
- Box 13 490327 32 Dan and The Wonderful Lamp
- Box 13 490403 33 Tempest In A Casserole
- Box 13 490410 34 Mexican Maze
- Box 13 490417 35 Sealed Instructions
- Box 13 490424 36 Find Me, Find Death
- Box 13 490501 37 Much Too Lucky
- Box 13 490508 38 One of These Four
- Box 13 490515 39 Daytime Nightmare
- Box 13 490522 40 Death Is No Joke
- Box 13 490529 41 The Treasure of Hang Li
- Box 13 490605 42 Design For Danger
- Box 13 490612 43 The Dead Man Walks
- Box 13 490619 44 Killer At Large
- Box 13 490626 45 Speed To Burn
- Box 13 490703 46 House of Darkness
- Box 13 490710 47 Double Trouble
- Box 13 490717 48 The Biter Bitten
- Box 13 490724 49 The Perfect Crime
- Box 13 490731 50 Archimedes and The Roman
- Box 13 490807 51 The Clay Pigeon
- Box 13 490814 52 Round Robin
- Burns and Allen 440307 Alan Ladd The Poker Game
- Burns and Allen 450115 Alan Ladd
- CP450614 179 Gloria DeHaven Bob Hope King Sisters
- Guest Star 541003 0393 Alan Ladd
- Jerry At Fair Oaks Ep 35 Guy Linwell Arrives
- lux390213 The Return of Peter Grimm
- lux390529 221 Only Angels Have Wings
- lux430125 381 This Gun For Hire
- lux431122 0416 China Alan Ladd
- lux440124 0424 Casablanca Alan Ladd
- lux440403 0434 Destroyer
- lux440417 0436 Coney Island Alan Ladd
- lux450305 0474 Disputed Passage
- lux450521 0485 And Now Tomorrow Alan Ladd
- lux451126 503 Salty O'Rourke
- lux460415 Whistle Stop
- lux461118 OSS
- lux470922 0583 Two Years Before The Mast Alan Ladd
- lux550222 0912 Shane Alan Ladd
- Screen Guild Theater 490421 421 The Blue Dahlia Alan Ladd
- SDP 490729 027 Saigon Alan Ladd
- SDP 490916 034 Whispering Smith
- SDP 500324 061 Chicago Deadline Alan Ladd
- SDP 510201 088 Take a Letter, Darling Alan Ladd
- SDP 510208 089 Lucky Jordan Alan Ladd
- SDP 510531 105 Beyond Glory
- Suspense 440106 One Way Ride To Nowhere Alan Ladd
- Suspense 440309 The Defense Rests Alan Ladd
- Suspense 500316 Motive For Murder Alan Ladd
- Suspense 501214 A Killing in Abilene Alan Ladd
- Box 13 480822 01 The First Letter
- Box 13 480829 02 Insurance Fraud
- Box 13 480905 03 Blackmail Is Murder
- Box 13 480912 04 Actor's Alibi
- Box 13 480919 05 Extra Extra
- Box 13 480926 06 Shanghaied
- Box 13 481003 07 Short Assignment
- Box 13 481010 08 Double Mothers
- Box 13 481017 09 A Book of Poems
- Box 13 481024 10 The Great Torino
- Box 13 481031 11 Suicide or Murder
- Box 13 481107 12 Triple Cross
- Box 13 481114 13 Damsel In Distress
- Box 13 481121 14 Diamond In The Sky
- Box 13 481128 15 Double Right Cross
- Box 13 481205 16 Look Pleasant, Please
- Box 13 481212 17 The Haunted Artist
- Box 13 481219 18 The Sad Night
- Box 13 481226 19 The Hot Box
- Box 13 490102 20 The Better Man
- Box 13 490109 21 The Professor and The Puzzle
- Box 13 490116 22 The Dowager and Dan Holiday
- Box 13 490123 23 Three To Die
- Box 13 490130 24 The Philanthropist
- Box 13 490206 25 Last Will and Nursery Rhyme
- Box 13 490213 26 Delinquent's Dilemma
- Box 13 490220 27 Flash of Light
- Box 13 490227 28 Hare and Hounds
- Box 13 490306 29 Hunt and Peck
- Box 13 490313 30 Death Is A Doll
- Box 13 490320 31 One One Three Point Five
- Box 13 490327 32 Dan and The Wonderful Lamp
- Box 13 490403 33 Tempest In A Casserole
- Box 13 490410 34 Mexican Maze
- Box 13 490417 35 Sealed Instructions
- Box 13 490424 36 Find Me, Find Death
- Box 13 490501 37 Much Too Lucky
- Box 13 490508 38 One of These Four
- Box 13 490515 39 Daytime Nightmare
- Box 13 490522 40 Death Is No Joke
- Box 13 490529 41 The Treasure of Hang Li
- Box 13 490605 42 Design For Danger
- Box 13 490612 43 The Dead Man Walks
- Box 13 490619 44 Killer At Large
- Box 13 490626 45 Speed To Burn
- Box 13 490703 46 House of Darkness
- Box 13 490710 47 Double Trouble
- Box 13 490717 48 The Biter Bitten
- Box 13 490724 49 The Perfect Crime
- Box 13 490731 50 Archimedes and The Roman
- Box 13 490807 51 The Clay Pigeon
- Box 13 490814 52 Round Robin
