Tanis Chandler (born Tannis Anne Goldthwaite; August 29, 1924 – May 7, 2006)[1] was a French-born American film actress. She is perhaps best known to today's audiences as the ingenue in low-budget features with The Bowery Boys and Charlie Chan, and for incidental roles in major Warner Bros. features.
Tanis Chandler | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Chandler in The Spirit of West Point (1947) | |
| Born | Tannis Anne Goldthwaite August 29, 1924 Nantes, France |
| Died | May 7, 2006 (aged 81) Sedona, Arizona, U.S. |
| Other names | Robert Archer |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1943–1952 |
| Spouse(s) | Paul Hills (m. 1948; died 19??) |
Early years edit
Chandler was born in Nantes, France. Her father was musician Chandler Goldthwaite, who was billed as Rex Chandler for his performances of popular music. Her mother was Leon Lorfray De Rousier. Chandler was educated initially by private tutors in Paris and, after the family moved to the United States in 1936, at the Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles. After her father's illness interrupted his work on radio programs, she became a model to help with finances.[1]
Acting edit
In 1940, Chandler acted in a production of Prison Without Bars at the Troupers theater. Her film debut came in Devotion (1943),[1] and she appeared in Cinderella Jones (1946),[2] George White's Scandals and Wanderer of the Wasteland. She also used her fluency in French and Spanish to dub parts for foreign versions of approximately 30 films.[1]
Chandler pulled off a hoax on film executives when she obtained a part in The Desert Song (1943) by pretending to be a male, Robert Archer. A wire-service news story distributed nationwide explained, "She was aided in the deception by the fact that she and most of the other players were clad in flowing robes and burnooses ..."[3] Her success was such that the casting office sent Archer for work in another 1944 film, My Reputation (released 1946). That venture ended, however, when a scene called for being shirtless while mowing a lawn. At that point, Chandler admitted to being a female, ending her male-impersonation efforts. Her explanation for the hoax was that studio executives frequently complained about a lack of men, and she hoped for a better opportunity for roles in films.[3]
In 1945 RKO Radio Pictures signed her for one year; she worked mostly in budget features for staff producer Herman Schlom, and generally appeared as hostesses, waitresses, and showgirls. Described as an "up-and-coming Hollywood starlet", Chandler was featured on the cover of Parade magazine's April 7, 1946, issue.[4] She then signed with Monogram Pictures for more prominent roles in "B" features, in which she sometimes spoke with a French accent. Her highest-profile film is probably the 1946 Warner Bros. feature The Big Sleep.
Personal life edit
Tanis Chandler journeyed to France is 1949, where she was hired by a production crew making the multi-part feature Return to Life; she played a British army captain.
In October 1949, Chandler married Paul Mills.[5] Chandler worked for a stock brokerage firm for a year, and she and her mother operated a kindergarten in which she taught when she was not working in films.[1] She returned to Monogram for one more assignment in 1951, and to RKO for her final film, released in 1952.
She died in May 2006 at the age of 81.[6]
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Higher and Higher | Debutante | Uncredited |
| 1944 | Janie | High School Girl | Uncredited |
| 1944 | Music for Millions | Orchestra Member | Uncredited |
| 1945 | Wanderer of the Wasteland | Chito's Friend | Uncredited |
| 1945 | George White's Scandals | Showgirl | Uncredited |
| 1945 | Cornered | Airline Hostess | Uncredited |
| 1945 | Dick Tracy | Miss Stanley | Uncredited |
| 1946 | The Madonna's Secret | Singer | Uncredited |
| 1946 | Cinderella Jones | Waitress | Uncredited |
| 1946 | Devotion | French Student | Uncredited |
| 1946 | Ding Dong Williams | Hostess | Uncredited |
| 1946 | The Catman of Paris | Yvette | |
| 1946 | Shadows Over Chinatown | Mary Conover | |
| 1946 | The Big Sleep | Waitress | Uncredited |
| 1946 | Spook Busters | Mignon Moreno | |
| 1946 | Affairs of Geraldine | Liza Jane Dennis | |
| 1946 | The Trap | Adelaide | |
| 1947 | Lured | Lucy Barnard | |
| 1947 | The Spirit of West Point | Mildred | |
| 1948 | 16 Fathoms Deep | Simi | |
| 1949 | Return to Life | Capitaine Betty | (segment 2 : "Le retour d'Antoine") |
| 1951 | According to Mrs. Hoyle | Angela Brown | |
| 1952 | At Sword's Point | Mimi | Uncredited, (final film role) |
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "'Oh Teacher' and Tanis Are One and the Same Miss Chandler". The Des Moines Register. Iowa, Des Moines. July 8, 1945. p. Magazine - 3. Retrieved November 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Girl Who Masqueraded Way Into Pictures As Male Signs Contract". Freeport Journal-Standard. Illinois, Freeport. United Press. February 4, 1944. p. 2. Retrieved November 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Cast to Mow Lawn, Girl Posing as Man, Reveals Her Identity". The Boston Globe. lbg. Associated Press. January 26, 1944. p. 12. Retrieved November 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Face on the Cover". The Indianapolis Star. Indiana, Indianapolis. Parade magazine. April 7, 1946. p. Parade 20. Retrieved November 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tanis Chandler Weds". The Eugene Guard. Oregon, Eugene. United Press. October 16, 1949. p. 37. Retrieved November 27, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nantes. L'actrice nantaise Tanis Chandler s'était éteinte en 2006". ouest-france. February 16, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
External links edit
