Whether, he's breaking the hearts of beautiful women, matter of factly beating up his double crossing fellow gangsters, or filing his nails with a hacksaw, Alan Ladd and his head of hair manage to remain calm and collected. Or perhaps the word is suave. But at any rate, "Lucky Jordan," which possesses neither a first rate plot nor a cast of any note, is a first rate film.

The old run of the mil, nineteen twenties gangster-moll-machines gun picture has gone with prohibition. But there is no law against taking the same plot, putting a WAVE, WAAC or other chic uniform on the heroine, wrapping it in an American flag and feeding it to the hordes of wishful Miniver Cheevies who frequent the institution of the movies, Saturday afternoon variety or otherwise.

What is particularly attractive about "Lucky Jordan" is its sincere effort to be insincere, a happy sequence of events bound together only by superman Alan Ladd and his beautiful head of hair. In the opening scene, he is lucky enough to have his "double" shot instead of himself, just as later in the evening he is lucky enough not to be at home when those naughty men come and torture his would-be mother.

The cast in general is up to its great dramatic roles and Mabel Paige is particularly phoney and constantly intoxicated mother. It's well worth the price of admission. And, of yes, there's that exciting little sequence where Helen Walker pulls up her skirts to trap an evil-minded Nazi gunman.