Lane Chandler / Robert Chandler Oakes

(From Old Corral image collection)

While under contract to Paramount in the late 1920s, the tall, lanky Chandler was competing with Gary Cooper ... above, the "It" girl, Clara Bow being romanced by Lane Chandler in RED HAIR (Paramount, 1928). Bow was the wife of Rex Bell, cowboy star of the 1920s - 1930s who later became Lt. Governor of Nevada.

(From Old Corral image collection)

Above - Lane Chandler, 1950s

Special thanks to guest commentator Bill Russell for authoring the biography on Lane Chandler.

It's often been said that if Gary Cooper hadn't come along, Lane Chandler might have been the major male star at Paramount Studios. At one point it was a toss-up at Paramount who would get the leading man role. Cooper obviously won out, but Chandler came close.

There were similarities. Both were tall and rangy (6' 4" or thereabouts), both had Montana connections (Cooper was born there; Lane grew up there), there was less than two years difference in age, both had deep, resonant voices quite attuned to the prairie, and both may have attended Montana Wesleyan College. But Cooper apparently had that extra ingredient that propelled him to major stardom. Nevertheless, Lane Chandler was certainly a star in his own right.

He was born Robert C. Oakes on June 4, 1899 in South Dakota, although some sources list Culbertson, Montana as his place of birth (census information on the next webpage shows his birthplace as North Dakota). His death certificate, however, states he was born in South Dakota. His family later moved to Culbertson where his father raised horses and young Lane received his early education. He reportedly enrolled at Montana Wesleyan College for a short time before leaving to take a job as a tour bus driver at Yellowstone National Park.

Eventually, he found himself in Los Angeles and was working as a mechanic when he was signed as a contract player by Paramount. Because of his Western background, he probably appeared in a number of unbilled Westerns as a bit player until 1927 when he was given his one and only lead in a silent western, THE OPEN RANGE, with Betty Bronson. After that, Chandler made no further Westerns for the studio, which apparently felt he was more suited for leading man roles in romantic/comedy vehicles.

The year 1928 was a busy one for Lane Chandler. Following THE OPEN RANGE, Paramount cast him opposite two of their biggest stars, Esther Ralston and Clara Bow. He had good supporting roles in LEGION OF THE CONDEMNED and THE FIRST KISS, both of which starred Cooper, whom Chandler would frequently work with in the coming years. He also appeared to good advantage in THE BIG KILLING, with the then popular comedy team of Wallace Berry and Raymond Hatton. In 1929 he appeared in his first sound film, THE STUDIO MURDER MYSTERY, with Fredric March and Doris Hill. Several years later, Miss Hill would be Chandler's leading lady in two of the Willis Kent Westerns.

Paramount now realized that with Cooper, Richard Arlen, March, and Neil Hamilton, it had too many leading men on the roster, and during an economy move, Chandler was dropped. He made one film at MGM with Greta Garbo, THE SINGLE STANDARD, which also featured Nils Asher and John Mack Brown (before his Western starring days), and supported Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in THE FORWARD PASS (First National). Playing a minor role in the latter film was Allan Lane, who would appear as an important Western star at Republic years later.

Lane then went free-lancing and was able to land the lead in an early Big 4 Western, FIREBRAND JORDAN, Chandler's first Western of the sound era. Although a cheapie production, it featured a good supporting cast that included Yakima Canutt, Tom London, Frank Yaconelli and Cliff 'Tex' Lyons. Then came another independent effort produced and directed by Robert Tansey (or Emmett) entitled RIDERS OF THE RIO, released by an outfit called Round-Up Pictures.

Further free-lancing during those early days of sound found Chandler playing a detective in a crime drama, ROUGH WATERS, basically a vehicle for the great canine star, Rin-Tin-Tin, directed by John Daumery, two more independently produced Westerns released in 1930 by Syndicate Pictures, BEYOND THE LAW and UNDER TEXAS SKIES, the latter a somewhat bizarre tale that starred Bob Custer, with Bill Cody and Chandler lending support. Both were directed by the prolific J. P. McGowan, who seemed to be just about everywhere in those days.

In 1931, Chandler signed with independent producer Willis Kent (who would later make a series starring Reb Russell) for a group of eight, beginning with THE HURRICANE HORSEMAN. Directed by Armand Schaefer, who produced many of the Gene Autry pictures and scripted by Oliver Drake, it was a good start for the tall, handsome, resonant-voiced cowboy.

CHEYENNE CYLONE followed, another Schaefer/Drake effort with a good supporting cast that included young Frankie Darro, then came BATTLING BUCKAROO, another good one by the Schaefer/Drake team and featuring ingenue Doris Hill, who graced a number of Westerns in the late 20's and early 30's but seemingly disappeared after appearing in a Bud N Ben short (THE RIDIN' GENT) in 1934. Interestingly, BATTLING BUCKAROO also has former silent star Bill Patton in a small role. He had starred in a picture in 1926 under the same title.

The Kent series would continue with GUNS FOR HIRE, a fairly routine entry directed by Lewis Collins but still scripted by Drake. Directorial duties on the series would alternate between Schaefer, McGowan, and Lew Collins. It was followed by LAWLESS VALLEY and RECKLESS RIDER, with Neal Hart and Franklyn Farnum supporting, and TEXAS TORNADO, a yarn set in modern-day period with Chandler as a Texas Ranger going up against crooks wielding 'Tommy' guns (Thompson .45 calibre submachine gun, originally designed for the military but a favorite of Prohibition era gangsters and used in the Chicago St. Valentine's Day massacre).

With release of WYOMING WHIRLWIND in late 1932, Chandler's series with Kent would come to an end.