He washed dishes at a restaurant and spent time around union halls seeking a break in the film industry.
His next job was answering a telephone at Columbia Pictures Studio.
Eventually he paid $100 to get a bit part in a film, but the results of that appearance offered little hope for his future.
He gained experience by acting in other films, in summer stock theater, and on stage in New York.
He appeared in the films Mildred Pierce, Cheyenne, Jesse James Rides Again, Oh!