Word Ladders

You solve these Word Ladders by changing one letter in the first word to form a new word and then repeat the process until you spell the ending word. The number of letter-change moves it took me is in brackets...can you do it in less?

Example: To change Mice into Rats I made 4 moves...

mice -1-> mite -2-> mate -3-> mats -4-> rats

= 1. good-luck [4]
= 2. long-pole [3]
= 3. port-pier [5]
= 4. free-bail [6]
= 5. bird-beak [4]
= 6. smile-frown [9]

2. long,lone,pone,pole

5. bird, bind, bend, bead, beak

1. good, gook, look, lock, luck

Nice start .. three for three

4. free-bail [6]

FREE fret frit brit bait BAIL [5]

3. port, poet, piet, pier

to Jema and ManXman for good answers that beat my solutions

6. smile-frown [9]

SMILE smite smote shote shots shows slows flows flown FROWN [9]

Jema .. well done, you got the hard one!