Radio After being discharged from the army, Chandler moved to Los Angeles in December 1945 with $3,000 he had saved. Shortly after his arrival, he was involved in a serious car accident on the way to a screen test, which resulted in a large scar on his forehead. Chandler initially struggled to find work in Hollywood, and had spent all his savings when he got his first job as a radio actor in May 1946. He went on to appear in episodes of anthology drama series such as
Escape and
Academy Award Theater, and became well known for playing the lead in
Michael Shayne. Chandler was the first actor to portray Chad Remington in
Frontier Town.
Early film roles Chandler had appeared on air in ''
Rogue's Gallery with Dick Powell, who was impressed by the actor, and put pressure on Columbia to give Chandler his first film role, a small part as a gangster in Johnny O'Clock (1947). but did not get the part. He went on to play small roles as gangsters in Roses are Red and The Invisible Wall, and a policeman in Mr Belvedere Goes to College''. Chandler received more attention playing
Eve Arden's love interest on radio in
Our Miss Brooks, which debuted in July 1948 and became a massive hit. His performance in
Our Miss Brooks brought him to the attention of executives at Universal, who were looking for someone to play an Israeli leader in
Sword in the Desert (1949). He was cast in February 1949. Chandler impressed studio executives so much with his work that shortly into filming, Universal signed him to a seven-year contract. His first film under the arrangement was a supporting role in
Abandoned (1949). during a visit to Israel in 1959
Broken Arrow and stardom Writer-director
Delmer Daves was looking for an actor to play Cochise in
Broken Arrow (1950) at
20th Century Fox. The part was proving tricky to cast; in Chandler's words, "Fox was looking for a guy big enough physically to play the role and unfamiliar enough to moviegoers to lend authenticity." As part of the arrangement, Chandler signed a deal with Fox to make a film a year with them for six years. He also had to be written out of his radio shows
Michael Shayne and
Our Miss Brooks for several weeks.
Broken Arrow turned out to be a considerable hit, earning Chandler an Oscar nomination and establishing him as a star. He was the first actor nominated for an Academy Award for portraying an American Indian. Even before
Broken Arrow was released, Chandler was upped to leading-man status back at Universal. He was meant to make
Death on a Sidestreet and
The Lady Count but neither ended up being made. Instead, he took over a role originally meant for
Dana Andrews, a
Lucky Luciano-style gangster in
Deported, for producer Robert Buckner, who cast him in
Sword in the Desert. "I don't know why I got it," Chandler joked at the time, "maybe it's because I'm saving them money." The movie was shot on location in Italy, although Chandler's radio commitments meant some of it had to be filmed in Hollywood. He went back to Fox for his second film for them, as an embittered Union cavalryman in
Two Flags West for director
Robert Wise. Chandler replaced
Lee J. Cobb, and it was one of his least-typical roles, a character part rather than a leading man. Once again, location work required him to regularly commute back and forth to Hollywood throughout the shoot. Returning to Universal, Chandler played an adventurer in ''
Smuggler's Island'', a role he liked because he said it was close to his real personality. He was reunited with Fox and Delmer Daves to play a Polynesian chief in
Bird of Paradise (1951), which Chandler admitted was a variation of his performance as Cochise. which was not made; instead, he played an Arab chief in
Flame of Araby (1951), opposite
Maureen O'Hara. Around this time, Chandler expressed his dissatisfaction with acting in film as opposed to radio: [Radio actors] have to make their roles come alive, and they only have their voices with which to do it, but in pictures, the technique is quite different. The actor is only a small part of the performance. He lends his intelligence and personality to the role, but the greatest part of the performance belongs to the producer, who puts him in a certain type of part; the director, who tells him how to play it; and the cutter, who edits what's done. That's why I find being a movie actor not particularly gratifying. I want to eventually branch off into writing and directing. and had a change of pace when he supported
Loretta Young in
Because of You – which a few years later he called his favorite role. In 1952, exhibitors voted Chandler the 22nd-most popular star in the US.
20th Century-Fox was keen to use Chandler again and offered him roles in
The Day the Earth Stood Still,
Lydia Bailey,
Les Misérables, and
The Secret of Convict Lake. On
Peggy Lee's radio show, he had demonstrated a talent for singing, and he pursued this through the decade.
New contract In July 1952, Chandler signed a fresh contract with Universal that doubled his salary. His first movie under this was a Western,
The Great Sioux Uprising. It was followed by more adventure fare:
East of Sumatra and
War Arrow with Maureen O'Hara. This meant Chandler missed the part of Demetrius in
The Robe (1953) at Fox, for which he had been considered and which eventually went to
Victor Mature. He also missed out on the lead in the remake of
Magnificent Obsession, for which he had been mooted; the part was taken by
Rock Hudson, who had supported Chandler in
Iron Man. Both
The Robe and
Magnificent Obsession became big hits. Chandler played Cochise for the third time, a cameo in
Taza, Son of Cochise, starring Hudson, who soon overtook Chandler as Universal's biggest male star. but the role ended up being played by Victor Mature. Instead, he appeared in
Yankee Pasha, and started singing in nightclubs. He left the radio show
Our Miss Brooks after five years "to get a rest," he said, "Although it didn't take long to do the show, it tied up all my Sundays." Chandler appeared in an expensive (for Universal) epic, playing the Emperor
Marcian in
Sign of the Pagan and co-starred with
Jane Russell in
Foxfire (1955), which he enjoyed because, "I don't have to be so darned monosyllabic in this one." He then made
Female on the Beach with
Joan Crawford and began releasing records.
Conflicts with Universal In 1954, Chandler was starting to recognize how heavy his workload was: You just can't call your time your own. When you're trekking the country – as I am now for my Decca records "I Should Care" and "More Than Anyone" and for Universal International, my home studio – every hour of the day, from the morning disc jockeys to the midnight program is filled. And in Hollywood, if you're not working on a picture or getting ready for one, you have to keep studying. I make a point of answering all my mail, and when anyone asks me for an autograph, I'm not just flattered. I see that as the least I can do for the people who have given me the fruits of this world. He was replaced in the role by
George Nader. Chandler spoke of making
Young Moses and a Western with friends
Tony Curtis and
Janet Leigh, but neither film was made. Chandler made up with Universal, which cast him in
Lady Godiva of Coventry. Chandler refused the role and was replaced again by George Nader, but this time, the dispute was not over money, but due to Chandler's overwork. Universal cast Chandler in an expensive remake of
The Spoilers, then was given the lead in one of the studio's most prestigious films of the year,
Away All Boats. In May, Chandler performed at the
Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. The
Los Angeles Times wrote that Chandler "is proving remarkable in performing singing duty, even though he is not exactly a singing type". He made a Western,
Pillars of the Sky, then had a change of pace with the comedy
The Toy Tiger, the fourth movie he made that year.
Louella Parsons called Chandler "the busiest actor in town... Jeff is so happy in his private life these days that he's doing everything the studio wants." Towards the end of the year, Chandler formed his own production company, Earlmar, with his agent
Meyer Mishkin. This was to take effect from August 1956 onwards, when Chandler's exclusive contract with Universal expired. However, Chandler intended to continue to make films for Universal under a multipicture contract. He was voted the seventh-most popular star with British cinema goers.
Producer and new contract with Universal In 1956, Universal gave Chandler a leave of absence from his contract with them "for a period of several months" to enable him to make his own movie for Earlmar. In exchange for this, Chandler was to make two more films for Universal under his original contract with them, then enter into a new arrangement under which he would appear in two films a year over three years. Earlmar signed a six-picture deal with
United Artists, under which Chandler was to appear in at least three of the films. He acted in and produced the first Earlmar production, a Western,
Drango. "It's no Indian story," said Chandler, "let Cochise rest in peace." Chandler bought the rights to a novel,
Lincoln McEever, but it was never made;
Drango turned out to be Earlmar's sole production. After
Drango, Chandler made the final two films owed under his original contract with Universal:
The Tattered Dress, playing a lawyer in a melodrama, and
Man in the Shadow, co-starring opposite
Orson Welles. He had commitments to make two films per year at Universal until 1959.
Freelance star Chandler moved to Columbia Pictures and acted with
Kim Novak in
Jeanne Eagels. He followed this with two films for Universal,
The Lady Takes a Flyer with
Lana Turner, and
Raw Wind in Eden with
Esther Williams. A Motion Picture Exhibitor Poll listed him as the tenth-most popular male star in the US in 1957. Chandler made another for Universal,
A Stranger in My Arms with
June Allyson. He was to star opposite Tony Curtis in
Operation Petticoat (1959), but fell ill and had to withdraw. Chandler's next two movies were made for a brand new company,
Seven Arts:
Ten Seconds to Hell, a drama with
Jack Palance for director
Robert Aldrich, and
Thunder in the Sun, a Western with
Susan Hayward. The last of those was distributed by Paramount, which released Chandler's next film, another Western,
The Jayhawkers! In
Ten Seconds to Hell and
The Jayhawkers! Chandler played villains. He later reflected "I've tried heavies – but audiences didn't seem to take to that." Allied was so pleased with the film, they requested three more movies from August, but Chandler never got to make them. His next film,
The Story of David, was filmed for American TV, his first work in that medium, but was shown theatrically in other countries. It was shot in London and Israel. Chandler stated: I don't want to make pictures in other countries; I want to stay home. But suddenly there are not enough pictures being made here. All other countries are giving inducements to companies and to players; even a little country like Israel is trying to formulate a plan for subsidies. Our government still taxes the hell out of people; somebody ought to wake 'em up. Chandler appeared in
Return to Peyton Place for Fox. He then went over to Warner Bros. to make ''
Merrill's Marauders'', which was his last film. ==Personal life==