Editing Dana Andrews (section)

=== Sam Goldwyn and 20th Century Fox ===
[[File:Virginia Gilmore-Dana Andrews in Swamp Water.jpg|right|thumb|[[Virginia Gilmore]] and Dana Andrews in [[Jean Renoir]]'s production of ''[[Swamp Water]]'' (1941).]]

In 1938, Andrews was spotted in the play ''Oh Evening Star'' and [[Samuel Goldwyn]] (c.1879/1882-1974), signed the promising actor to a contract, but felt he needed time to develop experience. Andrews continued at the [[Pasadena Playhouse]] of [[Pasadena, California]], working in over 20 productions and proposed to his second wife Mary Todd.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=McKay|first=James|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tcgy1GdWvRwC&q=dana+andrews+contract&pg=PA6|title=Dana Andrews: The Face of Noir|year=2014|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5676-5|language=en}}</ref> After twelve months, Goldwyn sold part of Andrews' contract to [[20th Century-Fox]], where he was put to work on the first of two [[B movie|B pictures]]; his first role was in ''[[Lucky Cisco Kid]]'' (1940).<ref name=":0" /> He then appeared in ''[[Sailor's Lady]]'' (1940), developed by Goldwyn, but released by Twentieth Century-Fox.<ref name="LAT">{{cite news| date=December 18, 1992| title=Dana Andrews Dies; Actor Was a Success but Not a Star| newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-18-me-2163-story.html| access-date=August 19, 2018| archive-date=July 24, 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724094612/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-18-me-2163-story.html| url-status=live}}</ref>

Andrews was loaned to [[Edward Small]] to appear in the [[Western film]] / bio-pic ''[[Kit Carson (1940 film)|Kit Carson]]'' (1940), before Goldwyn used him for the first time in a Goldwyn studio production of director [[William Wyler]]'s ''[[The Westerner (1940 film)|The Westerner]]'' (1940), featuring [[Gary Cooper]].<ref name=be />

Andrews had supporting roles in subsequent Twentieth Century-Fox films ''[[Tobacco Road (film)|Tobacco Road]]'' (1941), directed by [[John Ford]]; then also ''[[Belle Starr (1941 film)|Belle Starr]]'' (1941), co-starring with [[Randolph Scott]] and [[Gene Tierney]], billed third; and ''[[Swamp Water]]'' (1941), starring [[Walter Brennan]] and [[Walter Huston]] and directed by [[Jean Renoir]].

His next film for Goldwyn was the [[Howard Hawks]] directed comedy ''[[Ball of Fire]]'' (1941), again teaming with Gary Cooper, with Andrews playing the villain, a gangster.