In 1957, he became involved with actress Esther Williams, causing his wife to divorce him. 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. Who is Jeff Chandler dating? She repeated them in her autobiography as a means of introspection. "[21] The movie was shot on location in Italy, although Chandler's radio commitments meant some of it had to be filmed in Hollywood. Therefore, it's got to be true and if you question it, you'll die in a grease fire. Esther's tell-all book titled The Million Dollar Mermaid caused a furore when it was published in 1999, especially among the friends and acquaintances of her former fiance Jeff Chandler, after she wrote about his private penchant for dressing in women's clothing. [quote]He never made any comedies though he shows quite the flair for it in that What's My LIne? . A popular action star of the '50s ("Broken Arrow"), the 6- foot-5-inch Chandler was deeply in love with Williams -- and hoped that she would accept his passion for designer gowns, wigs and high heels. ", In the book, Williams extols Lamas' lovemaking ("God knows he'd had enough practice to have earned a black belt in the bedroom arts.") Lots of leg, lots of chutzpah. When she made the book deal with Simon & Schuster, "they said, 'See if you can write a page-turner.' I think the assertion that she is lying is motivated by homophobia - people see cross-dressing as "gay" (even though transvestism, by its very nature, is a fetish limited to straight men) and people don't want to admit that someone they like or admire might be "gay". actor Jeff Chandler, was obsessed about dressing in women's clothing. "Yes you can (libel the dead), family members have sued over things like this. His other credits include Sword in the Desert (1948), Deported (1950), Female on the Beach (1955), and Away All Boats (1956). Become a contributor - post when you want with no ads. . Hearn Role in 'The Naked and the Dead' for Norma Productions" by THOMAS F. BRADY. In 1957, Jeff Chandler was dating Esther Williams. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. Jeff Chandler was recognizeable to everyone during his time. But no more. TO MAKE SPACE-TEST FILM: Feature to Depict Efforts of U.S. Scientists to Launch an Earth Satellite" by THOMAS M. PRYOR, Louella Parsons: "Linda Darnell Signs With Jeff Chandler", "Tuesday Proclaimed as L.A. Free Enterprise Day", "SYMBOLIC DRAMA WILL BE A MOVIE: 'A Passenger to Bali,' Which Ran Here in 1940, Bought by Security Pictures" by THOMAS M. PRYOR. He was one of Universal Pictures' more popular male stars of the 1950s. American actor Jeff Chandler , circa 1955. The "Crawford crying on the set" took place on the soundstage of TORCH SONG, Joan's first Technicolor starring film (barring her cameo in IT'S A GREAT FEELING) and her return to MGM. They dated for 9 months Marilyn Maxwell and Jeff Chandler had a relationship Connect any celebrity with Jeff Chandler to see how closely they are linked romantically! That's like Newt Gingrich's claim that "none of our friends" agrees with his ex wife. He lost his father when he was 1, and his mother when he was 4. "Jeff Chandler Finally Gets to 'Act His Age': Rising Young (31) Screens Player Considers Himself 'a Lucky Kid'" SCHEUER, PHILIP K. "The News of Radio: John Kieran Will Perform for Television in Series of Films on Natural History". "Jeff Chandler Sought for 'Angry River;' Wanger Plans Mounties Movie", Schallert, Edwin. With Dan's wife right there - she fully supported her husband's fetish. Jeff Chandler and Joan Crawford frequently wore each other's gowns. He was announced for another film with Buckner, The Wild Bunch,[24] which was not made; instead, he played an Arab chief in Flame of Araby (1951), opposite Maureen O'Hara. The thread bumper is back. GIRLS, GARTERS, AND JEFF CHANDLER. Every Sunday night, our local NPR station features radio shows from the 40s and 50s with stars like Olivia de Haviland, Spencer Tracey, Peter Lorre, Claudette Colbert, Jeff Chandler, Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart, Loretta Young, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, etc., etc. If you disagree, produce a link or two. For that he had the requisite Jewishness (of which he was very proud) and he was not quite real. His uber thick cock is the reason Esther Williams married him. Edward Guthmann is a Bay Area freelance writer. Dick Powell Professional Eve Arden Professional Esther Williams Girlfriend . I want to eventually branch off into writing and directing. A third operation followed on May 27, in which he received an additional 20 pints of blood. He made a cameo in Meet Danny Wilson[25] 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. It was followed by more adventure fare: East of Sumatra and War Arrow with Maureen O'Hara. She said Esther had come to her with woes of her romance with Jeff in the 1950s but never mentioned the cross-dressing until she had to sell some books decades later. I went to college with his son in the (early!) He was widely liked and admired . There's not going to be an Esther Williams autograph party on Saturday. [26], Chandler made up with Universal,[41] which cast him in Lady Godiva of Coventry. It must be the weekend. Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; December 15, 1918 June 17, 1961) was an American actor, film producer, and singer best remembered for playing Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950), for which he was nominated for an Oscar. In 1955 he became only the second star to play at the Riviera, after Liberace was the featured headliner. Williams is happily married today to Edward Bell, partner in her swimming pool and swimsuit businesses. Esther Williams, whose success as a competitive swimmer propelled her to stardom on the silver screen, has died at 91. . . "She said Esther had come to her with woes of her romance with Jeff in the 1950s but never mentioned the cross-dressing until she had to sell some books decades later", Again, it is really hilarious that some people think she would lie about someone as forgotten as Jeff Chandler in order to "sell books", There are lots of better ways to sell books than to lie about people the public does not care about. [33] 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. In addition to his acting in film, he was known for his role in the radio program Our Miss Brooks, as Phillip Boynton, her fellow teacher and clueless object of affection, and for his musical recordings. Would you wear Dyson's new air-purifying headphones? In 1952, exhibitors voted Chandler the 22nd-most popular star in the US. People here WANT to believe that Chandler loved to dress in drag. Like BROKEN ARROW, it is a western he did at 20th Century Fox in 1950. . He worked for two years in stock companies, including a performance of The Trojan Horse opposite famous singers and actors Gordon MacRae and his wife Sheila MacRae, who became his good friends. Cross-dressing is the last thing I would expect of Jeff. R52, nothing about Esther Williams was fishy. It's all there: the family friend who raped her when she was 13 and 14; her 1959 doctor-supervised LSD trip; second husband Ben Gage, an "alcoholic albatross" who blew $10 million of her money; third husband Fernando Lamas, a vain egotist who made her drop her career; a brief affair with Victor Mature; her scrapes with death while making her series of swimming musicals during her 15 years at MGM. When his friend Sammy Davis Jr. lost an eye in an accident and was in danger of losing the other, Chandler offered to give Davis one of his own eyes. Chandler and Williams had a . [53] A Motion Picture Exhibitor Poll listed him as the tenth-most popular male star in the US in 1957. Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; Yiddish: ; December 15, 1918 - June 17, 1961) was an American actor, film producer, and singer, best remembered for playing Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. On May 17, in a seven-and-a-half-hour emergency operation following the original surgery, he was given 55 pints of blood. He said he was under contract to Universal to make two films a year at $60,000 per film for 1957 and $75,000 per film for 1958. What good does it do to speak ill of the dead? says writer Norman Corwin, who knew Chandler from a 1960 Pasadena Playhouse production of his drama The Rivalry. I think its crass.. . 70s and he was a hottie! R2, what did Jeff do about the extra room in the shoulders? Jeff was in a boxibg film called "Iron Man" (circa 1950) with Rock Hudson. Romantically involved in the late 1950s; in her autobiography, she claimed Chandler was a cross-dresser. Im searching my own mind, asking Why did I attract this particular aberration? . His real name was Ira Grossel and his film-name was exactly right. There was a time I could walk around Times Square in New York (my home town) and look into shop windows or go into a cafe and eat in peace. SPECIAL TO THE TIMES. He had commitments to make two films per year at Universal until 1959.[52]. It's somewhat of an odd pose, as Esther spent most of her film career in a swim suit, and Jeff liked to crossdress. He's The Busiest, Now". [56] In Ten Seconds to Hell and The Jayhawkers! Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; Yiddish: ; December 15, 1918 June 17, 1961) was an American actor, film producer, and singer, best remembered for playing Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Jeff Chandler was a regular on "Our Miss Brooks" as Eve Arden's b/f Mr. Boynton. My favorite Jeff Chandler film is TWO FLAGS WEST, which, perhaps not surprisingly, as it features my favorite, Linda Darnell. [3], Universal announced him for Chief Crazy Horse,[35] but the role ended up being played by Victor Mature. He was romantically linked with Esther Williams, . For 13 years, she lived in total submission to him, where she had to stop being "Esther Williams" and could not have her children live with her. Like so many Hollywood stars, Jeff was asked to cash in on his screen stardom by putting out a record. The couple had two daughters, Jamie Tucker (born 1947) and Dana Grossel (born 1949). Williams' revelations about Chandler angered many readers. Above all, he was impossibly handsome. Jeff Chandler: American actor and singer (1918 - 1961), Actor, Film actor, Singer, Songwriter, Television actor, Film producer, Stage actor, From: United States of America . Chandler married actress Marjorie Hoshelle (1918-1989) in 1946. Williams' revelations about Chandler angered many readers. Jeff was Jewish posing as WASP. . : As an Indian, Jeff Chandler caused countless feminine hearts to flutter; now, in straight dramatic roles, he's a box office smash". "That's the the Queen of Hearts, Jeff- on top". Jeff Chandler had an encounter with Eartha Kitt (1953). [42], 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. Chandler married actress Marjorie Hoshelle (1918-1989) in 1946. One can sue if they think their dead famous relative was libeled, but they cannot win, the case would be thrown out of court. "Rock Hudson, Doris Day Top New Poll; U-I Gives Boost to Joanna Moore", Scheuer, Philip K., "GOLDWYN NAMED FOR MOVIE HONOR: Producers Guild to Give Him Milestone Award Jeff Chandler Gets Role" by THOMAS M. PRYOR. [36] 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."[37]. In 1994, Esther Williams walked down the aisle for a final time. he had an affair with Esther . I never heard a word or whisper that intimated that about Jeff. (CNN)-- Esther Williams, whose success as a competitive swimmer propelled her to stardom on the silver screen in the 1940s and 1950s, died Thursday in . Outraged friends and colleagues are rallying to the defense of late 50s screen hunk Jeff Chandler to offset damage done to his reputation by Esther Williams racy bestselling autobiography, The Million Dollar Mermaid.. I'm not the person you're talking to, R89, but this paper published by DePaul says that in certain jurisdictions, an estate like Elvis's could sue on the grounds of libel being an infringement of their publicity rights. The two lived on neighboring farms in Kansas and carried on . The couple had two daughters, Jamie Tucker (born 1947) and Dana Grossel (born 1949). to Make Space-Test Film: Feature to Depict Efforts of U.S. Scientists to Launch an Earth Satellite" by Thomas M. Pryor. He then went on to make a war film, Red Ball Express, and a swashbuckler, Yankee Buccaneer. Lamas was controlling and abusive. 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