Remember, I'm 5'7" and he was shorter. He stood on a box and I wore tennis shoes [in the Great Gatsby]- Carole Matthews, Ladies of WesternsIn the army, Ladd was listed as standing 5ft 7 inches and in the film Blue Dahlia his character's weight was described as 160 pounds.
Some actresses - like Shelley Winters in Saskatchewan - complained about having to stand in a ditch, with Ladd not liking the idea of being on an apple box. Indeed, many tricks were used in Ladd's films to enhance his stature with leading ladies and deflate the height of bad guys. On one occasion, actor Hugh O'Brian commented that Ladd wasn't much taller than Mickey Rooney and after setting up camera shots a guy would dig a hole for him: "He digs half a hole. He takes my dirt from the first half and uses it as a mound for Ladd to stand on."
[I like the idea of] Little guys being as heroic as Alan Ladd, who was only about five foot five. When he's with the girl their heads are on the same level, but when you look at their belts, his is at the level of her chest, and it's very silly.- Terry Gilliam
I was complaining because they had me wearing elevator shoes and they were very uncomfortable. They were actually Alan Ladd's and his feet were smaller than mine.- Robert Conrad
On the other side of the door as you went in was a mark. The star of the film was Alan Ladd, who was not very tall - and if you entered the room and were above the mark, you were automatically disqualified.- Michael Caine
Ladd said he is 5.9 and never wears lifts. He seemed a little touchy about his height when another reported asked him if he wore lifts to raise it. "If you look at the physical part of a human you aren't following the movie. The character developing is more important than that."
- 1956
I made a picture with Alan Ladd in Canada. They dug a trench for me to stand in. During our love scene I forgot it was there and in trying to get out almost broke my leg. I think he carries his own digger with him.
-- Shelley Winters, 1957
My father wasn't that small. My father actually was 5 feet 8. That's some kind of fallacy that he was smaller than that. I'm 5 feet 10.
-- Alan Ladd Jr in 1975
I was in love with Alan Ladd and I went to a party at Romanoff’s. I’m 5’7”. In heels, I’m 5’9” or 5’10”. They said, “Shirley, your favorite actor is here. Come and meet him.” I turned around. He was there and I went, “Oh hi, Mr. Ladd.” (expecting him to be taller and realizing she’s looking down at him) He was about 4’9” and all my admiration disappeared literally in the dust.
-- Shirley MacLaine
I'm only 5-2, and one of the few actresses at the time that Ladd, who was about 5-4, didn't have to stand on a box to play a love scene with.
-- Veronica Lake
He was shy about his height. But he was not that short. I worked with James Cagney, who was much shorter than I. Alan wasn't. Later when we worked together I never had to step into a hole to be photographed with him. I wore flat shoes, but that didn't matter to me. I often wear flats in my movies. People are always saying to me, 'Alan Ladd was so short,' and I tell them, 'he wasn't so short.' I wouldn't say he was five nine - not that tall. I'm five five and a half. Alan was about five six and a half. I wasn't conscious of his height. I was conscious of his fabulous beauty.
-- Virginia Mayo
