Laddie and the Ladies - WILD HARVEST (Excerpts)

In this movie from 1947, AL is the boss of a struggling wheat harvesting combine. As usual, there's a conflict over a girl (played by Dorothy Lamour) with a buddy (once again played by Robert Preston). However, in this one, Lamour is selling, but Ladd ain't buying. :-) Still, for me, Ladd turning a cold shoulder is hotter than most other actors throwing themselves at the leading lady's feet. And Lamour's country version of a femme fatale is amusingly shocking for its day.
Ladd is mostly playing his usual urban tough guy in a rural context. His matinee idol looks made him an unlikely 'average Joe' - which is ironic, because the movie's setting is pretty close to his real biographical background. He always had great chemistry with character actors like William Bendix, Lloyd Nolan, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy and Howard Da Silva, but he was rarely as relaxed and likeable among men as he is here.
The movie is a wild mix of genres: action, comedy, and drama. No masterpiece, eg it doesn't have lavish production values, but it's perfectly consistent in its way, and very well written and acted. Personally, I found it absolutely adorable, which is one of those things one can't ever fully explain. But I can't possibly be the only person who enjoyed it; I don't understand why it's unavailable on DVD and almost completely forgotten.
I posted another scene from the movie, one that highlights the action elements (the "bar room brawl" scene).
Ladd did a charming musical number with Lamour in another film, VARIETY GIRL, which I also posted.
No copyright abuse intended, but if the owners mind, the video will be deleted, of course.

[@sclogse1]

Love it when she says..."Hot?" Then, in the third scene...Alan does that holding, breathing in moment, then he says..."We got something." Wow. It just kills me. Great writing in this scenes with them. I watched the fight on the other sample with another short scene with them, and it's perfectly done. Who wrote this....?

[@aligensa]

@sclogse1 According to IMDB Houston Branch (story), John Monks Jr (screenplay) - both accomplished, but not very distinguished - and the director, Tay Garnett (uncredited). Garnett started as a screenwriter, but became more successful as a director. His most famous film is THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, which is really terriffic.