User reviews

This picture was fun to watch. Alan Ladd had a style as a gangster that counterpointed well with the wonderful Sheldon Leonard ("Hey, Buddy, ... C'mere!") Helen Walker presented an unusually perky, sexy look that was never really exploited in the movies. When she distracted the nazi spy he was not alone. I sat through the movie again to be distracted a second time. The picture may become a cult 'classic', if it has not already and I recommend most insistently that you view it. Ladd's involvement with the old 'bag lady' will touch you. Once again, for a light comedy, spy thriller (The Second World War was in full sway) it was away ahead of most of it's ilk. My favourite Alan Ladd movie.

Paramount had enough confidence in ALAN LADD (after THIS GUN FOR HIRE and THE GLASS KEY) to give him solo star billing above the title for LUCKY JORDAN. He fits the role of the cynical, wise-cracking Jordan, every inch the cocky wise guy who keeps getting into one scrape after another until the fadeout.

Instead of Veronica Lake, we have HELEN WALKER as the WAC he's forced to kidnap when she threatens to report him to the authorities for minor infractions. It's Walker's first film and she handles her chores with great assurance.

But the scene-stealer is MABEL PAIGE as an old wino who is chosen to act as Ladd's mother, so he can call her a dependent and avoid the military draft. Trouble brews when Ladd's own henchman (SHELDON LEONARD) is part of a scheme to turn over military plans to the enemy during World War II. Ladd gets back at Leonard on a few occasions but really throws the book at the mob when they beat up "his old lady."

All of it is directed at a fast pace by Walter Tuttle. The script is full of one-liners that draw a laugh, most of them delivered in crisp style by Ladd himself. It's easy to see why his popularity as the hottest male star at Paramount was cemented with this film. He's very believable as the cynic with a heart of gold. It's an energetic performance that made the studio realize they had a good prospect for stardom on their hands.

Only quibble: The print shown on TCM was a poor one needing restoration.

This is an early starring vehicle for Alan Ladd and like most of his early starring roles, he plays a bad guy. Lucky Jordan is a gangster who has been drafted. However, he has no allegiance to anyone but himself, so when the opportunity arises, he goes AWOL. In the process, he stumbles upon some military secrets and plans on selling them to the highest bidder. He also ends up kidnapping a spunky WAC. Now, with mobsters and Nazis in pursuit, is there any way Jordan can avoid getting killed?

One thing I noticed is that Ladd's delivery is different than in later films—a bit higher-pitched and a bit faster. It's obvious that he must have had some voice lessons after this film as it just didn't sound like him. As for the dialog, it was classic gangster lingo—the sort of stuff I love as well as other lovers of film noir. As a result, it was quite enjoyable. However, as it was planned first and foremost as a wartime propaganda film, the gangster aspect always took a back seat to patriotism. As a result, while the film was very effective in bolstering commitment to the war effort, the film itself was a tad of a letdown—especially since the viewer knew all along that by the end of the film Ladd would prove to be 100% American! Still, an enjoyable if slight and predictable gangster flick.

Lucky Jordan is an entertaining movie, and it highlights the many talents of Alan Ladd. His deadpan comic delivery of funny lines was one of his great strengths as an actor. There are several of those instances in this production.

There is a romantic interest, of course, but it does not complicate the basic premise; Lucky is a wise guy hood who wants to beat going into the Army during WW2. Initially, he is willing to do anything to achieve that goal; even sell out his country to spies. But, we all know by this time, that Ladd will eventually see the light and make his past mistakes a thing ro forget. An entertaining hour and change of fantasy.

I never really rated Alan Ladd but he's quite decent in this wartime thriller. He's the gangster "Lucky" who finds himself drafted! Despite the best efforts of his lawyer "Higgins" (Lloyd Corrigan) to get him off, he is duly posted - and promptly absconds. Not before, though, he encounters "Jill" (Helen Walker) who disapproves heartily of his unpatriotic attitude. She ends up his hostage and the briefcase she was carrying becomes the hottest property in town. We discover it contains some top secret army designs and that there's a group of Nazi fifth columnist's out to retrieve it. Now "Lucky" has to make some tough choices (and a fairly impassioned speech at the end) before their secrets fall into enemy hands. The drama itself is quite well put together and decently paced. There's a solid, if unremarkable, effort from Walker and a few scene stealing quips from Mabel Paige's rather astute "Annie" - the sharpest, shrewdest and wittiest of the bunch. It's all fairly standard fayre, but is an easy watch as it sows the seeds for US involvement in WWII.

The "Little-Bitty Pretty One", Alan Ladd Became a Sudden Star with "This Gun for Hire" (1942).

A Bona-Fide Hard Boiled, Excellent Film-Noir.

In His Long Career, Ladd Only made a Few other Excellent Movies.

"The Glass Key" (1942), "The Blue Dahlia" (1946), and "Shane" (1953) among His Best.

His Small Stature (5'6") and a Frail, Boyish Appearance Limited His Roles.

His Acting "Style" of Swallowed Lines and Stone Face was also somewhat of a Set-Back.

But He was a Big Movie Star and Very Popular.

This Film is a Throw-a-Way War Time, Comedy Thriller, that has some Good Sarcasm and is an OK if Unmemorable Effort from All Involved.

It can be Fun for Ladd Fans and a Peek at Hollywood at War.

One Quotable Line...

Lucky Jordan: 'Til I ran up against you, Nazi was just a word in the newspaper to me. Now it's another way to spell cockroach.

Film Debut for Nancy Walker with a Show-Stopper where She Distracts a Nazi by Raising Her Skirt Higher and Higher.

Worth a Watch with Limited Expectations.

After Alan Ladd's success in This Gun For Hire and The Glass Key, roles more traditionally associated with him, Paramount decided to give him top billing in Lucky Jordan, a film remarkably similar to Humphrey Bogart's All Through The Night in which gangster Bogart foils a Nazi spy ring. Although Ladd does well in the part, this was something given Ladd's diminutive stature that James Cagney would have breezed through.

In the title role Ladd is a gangster who's most reluctant to go into military service and leave the lifestyle he's become accustomed to. His number one subordinate Sheldon Leonard is most anxious to see him leave so he can move in on everything including Marie McDonald. Ladd and lawyer Lloyd Corrigan try all kinds of gambits, the last being to hire an Apple Annie type to fake being Ladd's mother so he can claim he's her sole support. Mabel Paige who played the gin swilling old souse is the best one in the film.

Ladd finally goes in the army, but he crashes out like you would in a prison film and accidentally gets some secret plans for a new airplane in the car he hijacked. Furthermore Sheldon Leonard is doing business with people who'd like those plans as the old rackets are drying up do to the war. All this doesn't faze Ladd, not even the pleadings of Helen Walker who is an Army WAC, but when the spies beat up on Paige our boy is not about to see the institution of motherhood defiled.

Lucky Jordan is played tongue in cheek just like All Through The Night. It made a profit for Paramount and confirmed Ladd's box office appeal. But it's firmly rooted in the time and place that the story is set in and hasn't really aged all that well. During his years at Paramount in the Forties Alan Ladd made far better films than Lucky Jordan that have come down as classics. This one is quite a bit less than a classic.

This is a very entertaining movie. A lot funnier upon repeated viewing (dialogue is very witty and fast). Alan Ladd (underrated actor to begin with) has made very few comedies and shines here in both delivery, mannerisms and excellent timing. Helen Walker is holding her own and has just about as good an on-screen chemistry with Ladd as Veronica Lake in his noir movies. The plot is pretty stupid because of introduction of Nazis (in US ?!), secret plans, treason, etc. The whole patriotic hullabaloo, in my opinion, only gets in the way of otherwise interesting idea of a wise guy trying to dodge draft by any means necessary (especially as the movie was released in 1942). It's a pity Ladd got "pigeonholed" by his studio (Paramount) into tough guy, action hero and/or tragic roles. He would have been a winner in an intelligent, dialogue based comedy, or even romantic comedy (dare I say: the caliber of Cary Grant?!). I'm buying this one for my collection of Ladd's movies. :D

The 19 year old Dorothy Dandridge got the opportunity to act alongside of Alan Ladd in this rather dull film, 'Lucky Jordan'. It sums up how lucky she was during her teens to act alongside Alan Ladd, John Wayne, The Little Rascals, Abbott and Costello and The Marx Brothers.

This film would have been a serious satire of gangster films were it not that it is a deadly serious piece of patriotic propaganda. Even a tough crook like Ladd believes in his country and decides to get rich digging a ditch. The film is so full of improbabilities -- top secret documents being handled like seventh grade valentine's cards, a Nazi espionage cell masquerading as a flower-growing business, a young woman assuring a deserter that he won't be prosecuted, a deserter wandering around New York in broad daylight -- that the plot itself loses all tension early on. The saving grace is a wonderful performance by Mable Paige, whom Ladd leaves to recover by herself after having been severely beaten by some hoods (who are, unnoticed by Ladd, lurking in the hallway to kidnap him). Paige's performance brings this one up from negative numbers. It is awful. To say that Ladd's performance is wooden is an insult to oak trees.

Alan Ladd was the perfect actor to play a tough guy. Handsome, underplayed, with kind of a monotone delivery, he can come off as a swine. Hard-boiled detective or western hero with ease.

Here he's a mobster named Lucky Jordan, who is so repulsive he hires people the same height and coloring to double for him and exit a building first in case someone tries to shoot him.

When he gets drafted, Lucky insists that his lawyer (Lloyd Corrigan) get him out of it. The attorney isn't successful and suggests that Lucky find himself a parent that he has to support. He offers a drunken bag lady (Mabel Paige) begging for quarters $50 if she will pose as his mother.

It doesn't work. Lucky, who likes to sleep late, finds himself rousted out of bed at 5 a.m. For breakfast. Hanging out at the canteen more than he should, Lucky finds himself attracted to no-nonsense WAC Jill Evans (Helen Walker).

It doesn't take Lucky long to steal the car and coat of an army scientist, who just happens to be carrying confidential tank drawings in a briefcase, left in the car. He is also forced to kidnap Jill.

Lucky wants to sell the plans to foreign agents, despite Jill's protests. One of Lucky's nefarious associates, Slip (Sheldon Leonard) locates some spies who will pay mucho bucks for the plans.

This film combines drama, comedy, and propaganda and does it beautifully. We get to that Lucky isn't a bad guy after all when he develops a soft spot for "Ma."

Ladd does a wonderful job in a great role for him. This was the debut film for Helen Walker, whose career was cut short by scandal. Here she is an attractive ingenue and gets to show a dynamite pair of gams - quite different from her role as a ruthless psychiatrist in Nightmare Alley.

Sadly her career withered away when she gave three soldiers a ride to LA. She was in a horrible accident, and one of the soldiers died. The survivors accused her of being drunk, and she was brought to trial. Though acquitted, the bad press signalled the end of a promising career.

This movie is such a surprise and highly recommended.

Racketeering gangster Lucky Jordan (Alan Ladd) insists on not getting drafted into WWII. His lawyer is unable to help him. He can't even be an undesirable for the army since he was never arrested for all his crimes. Despite all the scheming, he gets drafted. He's a slacker and none of the men are willing to challenge the notorious gangster. WAC Jill Evans (Helen Walker) is not letting him slide.

First, I don't buy this version of Alan Ladd as a gangster. He needs to play this harder, but he's trying to do this with a light touch. Second, I don't like the secret documents. It's nothing more than a MacGuffin. A better option is for his enemies to try to kill him. It could be his underlings or rival gangsters. It is the war years and this has to serve some propaganda purpose. For many of these, even the worst of society would fight for the good guys. This is not that good at doing that either.

This is one of my favorite wartime crime/espionage/comedies. It's played mostly straight, but a few of the comedy sequences are priceless. Ladd plays Lucky Jordan, a man who makes his living in the rackets. He is a bookie and also makes money in slot machines. Basically letting the saps gamble away their dough. Business is good, but there is a problem. Jordan has been drafted into the army. You know the film isn't taking itself totally serious when Lloyd Corrigan plays Lucky's lawyer.

Jordan looks out for number one and thinks the government should look after itself. He finds nothing but trouble in the army and decides to skip and hide out until the war blows over. He gets away but inadvertently comes into the possession of some blueprints of a new tank design. Spies are after the documents and so is Slip (Sheldon Leonard), his old partner. His main nemesis however, is a spunky idealist (Helen Walker), who wants to see Lucky suffer for his unpatriotic attitude.

Also in the cast is Mabel Paige, who is hired to play Lucky's long lost mother. This is where most of the best laughs are found. But also it becomes quite touching, when the two loners find they have someone they can trust. The spies end up with the blueprints, but they have to beat up Paige to get it. This makes Lucky decide to join the fight. As Lucky says in the film, "I don't want to see my country run by a bunch of guys who beat up old ladies."

Jordan gets a tip that Slip has a connection to Kilpatrick Gardens, a high end garden nursery. This is where the final fireworks will start as we learn that Kilpatrick's is a front for the spies. It's all breezy and filled with snappy patter. The two leads, Walker and Ladd, are beautiful and work well off each other. Ladd's role is very physical here and he's up to meet the challenge. He was a star athlete in high school and you can see it here.

An intolerable gangster ends up a gardener digging in a park among rare tulips after having been chased all around the garden by other tougher gardeners and Nazis in this very implausible propaganda comedy during the war, trying to bribe a momentary mother to avoid getting enlisted for war service, but that mother is basically only interested in drinking. When Alan Ladd buys her a bottle of gin for mother's day she is enraptured by euphoria and calls it the nicest present a son ever gave to his mother. So there are moments of great fun here, which makes it worth watching, but the temporary mother steals the show completely, and you miss her when she is gone.