IN the 1950s, Jeff Chandler was a respected Universal Studio contract star who was often cast as a principled macho in cowboy films. A tall and tanned hunk from Brooklyn, he had curly, prematurely silver hair. He appealed to women because he starred in male-oriented adventure flicks.

Chandler honed his deep voice on radio serials in the late ?40s in which he portrayed tough but principled cowboys, or an Indian chief named Cochise?a role he played thrice. He was nominated for an Oscar when he first essayed the latter role in ?Broken Arrow,? costarring James Stewart and Debra Paget.

Chandler likewise appeared in costume sagas like ?Sword in the Desert,? ?The Story of David? and ?Sign of the Pagan.?

Compelling looks

His compelling looks made him an ideal leading man in romances like ?The Lady Takes a Flyer,? ?Female on the Beach,? ?Stranger in My Arms? and ?Jeanne Eagles,? in which he starred alongside Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, June Allyson, Sandra Dee, Susan Hayward and Kim Novak. He costarred with Esther Williams in ?Raw Wind in Eden.? Indeed, Chandler was considered an important leading man in Hollywood.

In those days, the Philippines was a favorite Asian locale for Hollywood films that required wild terrain and tropical foliage to approximate those found in Burma, Malaysia or Thailand.
Plus, it was inexpensive to shoot here, and the local crew members spoke English. Thus, George Montgomery followed the footsteps of Tyrone Power and came to shoot movies here.

When Chandler was cast in the war epic, ?Merrill?s Marauders,? there was great excitement in Manila. He came here with Ty Hardin and director Sam Fuller. They shot primarily in the sugar plantations of Luisita and Pampanga Sugar Mills. Fuller had written and directed critical successes like ?I Shot Jesse James,? ?Steel Helmet? and ?Pickup on 42nd Street.?

Supporting role

Pancho Magalona was cast in a supporting role in ?Merrill?s Marauders,? but he opted to use the screen name, Enrique Magalona Jr., because his local name, Pancho, was deemed comic in Tinseltown. LVN?s Luz Valdez was cast as a Burmese native who was carried to safety by the muscular Hardin.

However, Chandler was reclusive. He hardly socialized while shooting here?unlike Power, who was wined and dined by Manila?s 400. Chandler quietly returned to Hollywood after the movie was finished.

At age 42, he died from blood poisoning following a surgical procedure. Nothing else was heard of about Chandler, until Esther Williams published her biography, ?Million Dollar Mermaid,? in which she revealed that her 6?5? macho lover of three years was a?closet cross-dresser!