I forgot to mention that back in the 1980s the manager of the apartments I lived had worked as Alan Ladd's stand-in back in the day. That was when I first learned that Ladd was rather short.
He was? 
There's no denying Ladd was stature-challenged. Many a photographic trick was used to put him on an even playing field with the taller actors of his day. He was not an exception, however. Many actors and actresses were diminutive in stature.
It's really all about proportion. With Ladd, he often played opposite more rugged types than most matinee idols, and so his height became an issue. I believe he was considered very sensitive to it.
However....proportionally, he was extremely photogenic:
For TCB:

For everyone else:

All right, TCB, here's another one you can share:
