Sam Goldwyn and 20th Century Fox and Dana Andrews in
Jean Renoir's production of
Swamp Water (1941). In 1938, Andrews was spotted in the play
Oh Evening Star and
Samuel Goldwyn (c.1879/1882-1974), signed the promising actor to a contract, but felt he needed time to develop experience. Andrews continued at the
Pasadena Playhouse of
Pasadena, California, working in over 20 productions and proposed to his second wife Mary Todd. After twelve months, Goldwyn sold part of Andrews' contract to
20th Century-Fox, where he was put to work on the first of two
B pictures; his first role was in
Lucky Cisco Kid (1940). Andrews was loaned to
Edward Small to appear in the
Western film / bio-pic
Kit Carson (1940), before Goldwyn used him for the first time in a Goldwyn studio production of director
William Wyler's
The Westerner (1940), featuring
Gary Cooper. Andrews then went back to Goldwyn for
The North Star (1943), directed by
Lewis Milestone. He worked on a government propaganda film
December 7: The Movie (1943), then was used by Goldwyn again in
Up in Arms (1944), supporting
Danny Kaye. Andrews was reunited with Milestone at Fox for
The Purple Heart (1944), then was in
Wing and a Prayer (1944) for
Henry Hathaway.
Critical success and noir '' (1944) ,
Fredric March,
Myrna Loy, Andrews and
Theresa Wright in
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) One of his roles was as a detective infatuated with a presumed murder victim, played by
Gene Tierney, in
Laura (1944), produced at Fox and directed by
Otto Preminger. He co-starred with
Jeanne Crain in the movie musical
State Fair (1945), a huge hit, and was reunited with Preminger for the film noir
Fallen Angel (1945). Andrews made another war movie with Milestone,
A Walk in the Sun (1945), then was loaned to
Walter Wanger for a western,
Canyon Passage (1946), directed by
Jacques Tourneur and co-featuring
Susan Hayward. Andrews' second film with William Wyler, also for Goldwyn, became his best known:
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). It was both a popular and critical success. Upon release, the topical film about American society's problems in re-integrating military veterans after World War II outgrossed the longstanding box office success of
Gone with the Wind (1939) in the U.S. and Britain. In 2007, the film ranked number 37th on
AFI's Top 100 Years...100 Movies. Andrews appeared in
Boomerang! (1947), directed by
Elia Kazan;
Night Song (1947), at RKO; and
Daisy Kenyon (1947) for Preminger. In 1947, he was voted the 23rd most popular actor in the U.S. Andrews starred in the anti-communist
The Iron Curtain (1948), reuniting him with
Gene Tierney, then
Deep Waters (1948). He made a comedy for Lewis Milestone at Enterprise Pictures,
No Minor Vices (1948), then traveled to England for
Britannia Mews (1949). Andrews was in
Sword in the Desert (1949), then Goldwyn cast him in
My Foolish Heart (1949) with
Susan Hayward. He played a fast-fisted police officer in the film noir
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950), also with Tierney and Preminger. Around this time, alcoholism began to damage Andrews's career, and on two occasions it nearly cost him his life behind the wheel.
Edge of Doom (1950), another film noir for Goldwyn, was a flop. Andrews was then loaned to RKO to make
Sealed Cargo (1951), in which his brother Steve Forrest has an uncredited role. (In a "Word of Mouth" commentary for
Turner Classic Movies, Forrest stated, "I'd have given my eye teeth to have worked with him.") Back at Fox, Andrews was in
The Frogmen (1951), then Goldwyn cast him in
I Want You (1951), an overwrought attempt to repeat the success of
The Best Years of Our Lives, during the
Cold War era
Korean War. From 1952 to 1954, Andrews was featured in the radio series
I Was a Communist for the FBI, about the experiences of
Matt Cvetic, an
FBI informant who infiltrated the
Communist Party of the United States of America.
Career decline Andrews' film career waned in the 1950s.
Assignment: Paris (1952) was not widely seen. He made
Elephant Walk (1954) in
Ceylon, a film better known for
Vivien Leigh's nervous breakdown and replacement by Elizabeth Taylor.
Duel in the Jungle (1954) was an adventure tale,
Three Hours to Kill (1954) and
Smoke Signal (1955) were Westerns,
Strange Lady in Town (1955) was a
Greer Garson vehicle, and
Comanche (1956) another Western. By the mid-1950s, Andrews was acting almost exclusively in B-movies. However, his acting in two late-cycle film noirs for
Fritz Lang during 1956,
While The City Sleeps and
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, are well regarded, as are a horror film,
Curse of the Demon (1957), and a noir,
The Fearmakers (1958), made with
Jacques Tourneur. Around this time, he also appeared in
Spring Reunion (1957),
Zero Hour! (1957) and
Enchanted Island (1958). In 1952, Andrews toured with his wife, Mary Todd, in
The Glass Menagerie, and in 1958, he replaced
Henry Fonda (his former co-star in
The Oxbow Incident and
Daisy Kenyon) on
Broadway in
Two for the Seesaw.
1970s and 1980s Andrews spent the 1970s in supporting roles of Hollywood films such as
The Failing of Raymond (1971),
Innocent Bystanders (1972),
Airport 1975 (1974),
A Shadow in the Streets (1975),
The First 36 Hours of Dr. Durant (1975),
Take a Hard Ride (1975),
The Last Tycoon (1976),
The Last Hurrah (1977), and
Good Guys Wear Black (1978) He also appeared regularly on TV in such shows as
Ironside,
Get Christie Love!,
Ellery Queen,
The American Girls,
The Hardy Boys, and
The Love Boat. It was at this time, the 1970s, that Andrews became involved in the real estate business, telling one newspaper reporter, for example, that he owned "a hotel that brings in $200,000 a year." Andrews's final roles included
Born Again (1978),
Ike: The War Years (1979),
The Pilot (1980),
Falcon Crest (1982–83) and
Prince Jack (1985). == Personal life ==