Murphy moved into Terry Hunt's Athletic Club in Hollywood where he lived until 1948. Hollywood writer David "Spec" McClure befriended Murphy, collaborating with him on Murphy's 1949 book "To Hell and Back". McClure used his connections to get a $500 () bit part in "Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven" (1948) for Murphy. The agent of Wanda Hendrix, whom Murphy had been dating since 1946, got him a bit part in the Alan Ladd film "Beyond Glory" directed by John Farrow earlier that same year. His 1949 film "Bad Boy" gave him his first leading role. The film's financial backers refused to bankroll the project unless Murphy was given the lead; thus, Allied Artists put aside their reservations about using an inexperienced actor and gave him the starring role.