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Jeff Chandler
Book by Kirk, Marilyn
596 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 15, 2018
Well, this I think is the largest book, in pages that I have ever read for any biography or autobiography a massive 527 pages, a lot of reading.
All I can say is a lot of information on a career that lasted only fifteen/sixteen years.
In this book you learn a lot about a personality that died much too young at the age of 42 years old, and the author is very thorough on personal information and films, friends, work friends, the respect he gained from many famous actors/actress's throughout his career.
An enormous amount of research and interviews has gone into making this book possible, his whole career from start to finish, his whole private life from start to finish.
Jeff Chandler was also a very private man, behind the scenes he liked to enjoy his family time, not a party man, a man who loved his work, was underrated as an actor, was popular with his co-stars, and he co-starred with many lovely female stars.
Detailed information on all his c0-stars in ALL his films, there were many great actors he worked with, but also a detailed stories of this intelligent, quite home lover, a keen mind on business, he also ventured into writing songs, recording songs, night club work, Las Vegas work as a singer.
Owner and writer of songs, an owner of a film production company, his friendships with Sammy Davis Jr, Tony Curtis, Rory Calhoun, and long friendship with Susan Hayward, Gloria De Haven.
His love and hate relationship with his wife, her struggle at his success, going from film to film a divorce. They seemed to love each other and would see each other even when they separated.
Such a waste of a talent, as we all wonder where would his career have gone, more films, directing, singing, producing, politics. We will never know. Such a young age to die, so sad.
To this day I believe he had reached a new high with his last film "Merrills Marauders"
A very interesting book, although yes overlong
All I can say is a lot of information on a career that lasted only fifteen/sixteen years.
In this book you learn a lot about a personality that died much too young at the age of 42 years old, and the author is very thorough on personal information and films, friends, work friends, the respect he gained from many famous actors/actress's throughout his career.
An enormous amount of research and interviews has gone into making this book possible, his whole career from start to finish, his whole private life from start to finish.
Jeff Chandler was also a very private man, behind the scenes he liked to enjoy his family time, not a party man, a man who loved his work, was underrated as an actor, was popular with his co-stars, and he co-starred with many lovely female stars.
Detailed information on all his c0-stars in ALL his films, there were many great actors he worked with, but also a detailed stories of this intelligent, quite home lover, a keen mind on business, he also ventured into writing songs, recording songs, night club work, Las Vegas work as a singer.
Owner and writer of songs, an owner of a film production company, his friendships with Sammy Davis Jr, Tony Curtis, Rory Calhoun, and long friendship with Susan Hayward, Gloria De Haven.
His love and hate relationship with his wife, her struggle at his success, going from film to film a divorce. They seemed to love each other and would see each other even when they separated.
Such a waste of a talent, as we all wonder where would his career have gone, more films, directing, singing, producing, politics. We will never know. Such a young age to die, so sad.
To this day I believe he had reached a new high with his last film "Merrills Marauders"
A very interesting book, although yes overlong
March 9, 2019
If you are a fan of action/adventure star Jeff Chandler from the 1950s this book by Marilyn Kirk gets
to just about everyone who was still alive to interview him. There is however one notable exception.
Jeff Chandler never saw himself as Jeff Chandler white bread action/adventure star. First and foremost he was Ira Grossel a Jewish kid from the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. He knew another
juvenile from Brooklyn growing up Susan Hayward. She got to Hollywood before he did and they
only did one film together Thunder In The Sun, a rather quirky western about Basques going west
on a wagon train that will never make the top 10 for either. Both attended Erasmus Hall High School.
It was his ambition to act and he went west to Hollywood and his first break came in radio and he had a rich deep voice perfect for that medium. He was cast in radio opposite Eve Arden in the radio
version of Our Miss Brooks as Mr. Boynton.
After a few bit roles in several films he did get a contract from Universal Pictures and got his first
notice in an action/adventure film Sword In The Desert where he played a Haganah leader. One of
the first films made about the founding of modern Israel. A role he took great pride in. A couple
of films later and he got the role he would get an Oscar nomination for as Cochise in the western
film Broken Arrow where he co-starred with James Stewart. By that time Chandler's hair turned
the silver premature gray that was his most distinguished physical characteristic.
He did a lot of B picture action/adventure stuff of all kinds for Universal and chafed under its management as he wanted to do more challenging roles. Oddly enough Broken Arrow was done on
loan out to 20th Century Fox so Universal saw not a dime on that one. But to make up for it they
put out two Cochise films of their own, Battle At Apache Pass and Taza, Son Of Cochise where Chandler dies and passes on tribal leadership to his son Rock Hudson.
Chandler also branched out into singing and composing. He made a couple of albums and while
he was no threat to Sinatra he had a pleasant voice. He never forgot his Brooklyn Jewish origins
and made a well publicized trip to Israel where he financed a kibbutz school.
For every film that Chandler did author Kirk managed to find one or two people who had nothing
but nice things about working with him. The one exception was Esther Williams who in her memoirs outed Chandler as a cross dresser. It was the reason that they split. Chandler did a film in
1958 with her Raw Wind In Eden.
Chandler married Marjorie Hoshelle early in his career and they had two daughters. Apparently it
was a tempestuous marriage and they were an on again off again item. Between separations Chandler got his fair share of action. Of course the daughters denied what Williams said about
their dad. As a gay man whether he was or wasn't doesn't make the slightest difference to me.
Some favorite Chandler films of mine are Jeanne Eagels, The Tattered Dress, Pillars In The Sky,
and Two Flags West. To help the Israeli film industry Chandler shot a film there A Story Of David
where Chandler played David wit British actor Basil Sydney playing Saul. Sadly at least in my mind
it was one mediocre biblical epic.
In 1961 under a new contract with Warner Brothers, Chandler did his first film Merrill's Marauders.
On the set of that film he injured his back rupturing a disc. You can actually see it happen. That
led to a medical horror story where the incompetence of the doctors led to blood poisoning and
exsanguination from which he died in June of 1961. The description of how they bungled his
treatment led to his daughters suing the doctors and winning a multi-million dollar verdict. It's
a horrifying chapter.
Where he's buried you can see modest crypt at his gravesite with Ira Grossel 1918-1961 with Jeff
Chandler in parenthesis. A fitting tribute to Hollywood star who never forgot he was a lucky
Jewish kid from Brooklyn.
to just about everyone who was still alive to interview him. There is however one notable exception.
Jeff Chandler never saw himself as Jeff Chandler white bread action/adventure star. First and foremost he was Ira Grossel a Jewish kid from the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. He knew another
juvenile from Brooklyn growing up Susan Hayward. She got to Hollywood before he did and they
only did one film together Thunder In The Sun, a rather quirky western about Basques going west
on a wagon train that will never make the top 10 for either. Both attended Erasmus Hall High School.
It was his ambition to act and he went west to Hollywood and his first break came in radio and he had a rich deep voice perfect for that medium. He was cast in radio opposite Eve Arden in the radio
version of Our Miss Brooks as Mr. Boynton.
After a few bit roles in several films he did get a contract from Universal Pictures and got his first
notice in an action/adventure film Sword In The Desert where he played a Haganah leader. One of
the first films made about the founding of modern Israel. A role he took great pride in. A couple
of films later and he got the role he would get an Oscar nomination for as Cochise in the western
film Broken Arrow where he co-starred with James Stewart. By that time Chandler's hair turned
the silver premature gray that was his most distinguished physical characteristic.
He did a lot of B picture action/adventure stuff of all kinds for Universal and chafed under its management as he wanted to do more challenging roles. Oddly enough Broken Arrow was done on
loan out to 20th Century Fox so Universal saw not a dime on that one. But to make up for it they
put out two Cochise films of their own, Battle At Apache Pass and Taza, Son Of Cochise where Chandler dies and passes on tribal leadership to his son Rock Hudson.
Chandler also branched out into singing and composing. He made a couple of albums and while
he was no threat to Sinatra he had a pleasant voice. He never forgot his Brooklyn Jewish origins
and made a well publicized trip to Israel where he financed a kibbutz school.
For every film that Chandler did author Kirk managed to find one or two people who had nothing
but nice things about working with him. The one exception was Esther Williams who in her memoirs outed Chandler as a cross dresser. It was the reason that they split. Chandler did a film in
1958 with her Raw Wind In Eden.
Chandler married Marjorie Hoshelle early in his career and they had two daughters. Apparently it
was a tempestuous marriage and they were an on again off again item. Between separations Chandler got his fair share of action. Of course the daughters denied what Williams said about
their dad. As a gay man whether he was or wasn't doesn't make the slightest difference to me.
Some favorite Chandler films of mine are Jeanne Eagels, The Tattered Dress, Pillars In The Sky,
and Two Flags West. To help the Israeli film industry Chandler shot a film there A Story Of David
where Chandler played David wit British actor Basil Sydney playing Saul. Sadly at least in my mind
it was one mediocre biblical epic.
In 1961 under a new contract with Warner Brothers, Chandler did his first film Merrill's Marauders.
On the set of that film he injured his back rupturing a disc. You can actually see it happen. That
led to a medical horror story where the incompetence of the doctors led to blood poisoning and
exsanguination from which he died in June of 1961. The description of how they bungled his
treatment led to his daughters suing the doctors and winning a multi-million dollar verdict. It's
a horrifying chapter.
Where he's buried you can see modest crypt at his gravesite with Ira Grossel 1918-1961 with Jeff
Chandler in parenthesis. A fitting tribute to Hollywood star who never forgot he was a lucky
Jewish kid from Brooklyn.
February 27, 2021
Well-researched biography on actor Jeff Chandler who died too young under mysterious circumstances.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews