Marketing Tom Tyler: 1925

Soon after Tom Tyler was signed onto FBO to star in a series of westerns, the main priority was marketing the film studio's new star. Publicity agents certainly had no trouble in describing Tom physically: tall, dark, handsome, strong, congenial, dashing, enthusiastic, and of course, charming. It is safe to say that his charm is of the boyish type, appealing to a wide enough audience that would soon clamor to see more of him – which they would. Most importantly, Tom Tyler embodied a youthful innocence which made him so appealing to both children and adults of both genders. As soon as FBO made their final decision as to who was to succeed their previous box-office setter for westerns, Fred Thomson, the 'Masked Marvel' was soon unmasked in several Hollywood trade publications, including Motion Picture News, Moving Picture World, and The Film Daily. For example, three ads appear below:

                                                   from Motion Picture News, October 24, 1925

                                             from Moving Picture World, November 28, 1925

Not only is the new star very attractive, but he also has an infectious smile, very youthful (Tom was 22 years old in the above images), enthusiastic, not to mention happy he was selected as FBO's new western star. He is holding a mask in the style of The Lone Ranger (even though he never did get the chance to portray this famous character on celluloid), greeting his new public. Who could possibly resist going to the cinema to see this first time star? It did not take long for Tom Tyler to win a new following, eager to make viewing his movies a regular routine. The average entertainment section in a newspaper contained glorious black-and-white sketches of Tom along with gripping text to encourage cinema patrons to see his latest movie. For example, a very early theatre ad for “Let's Go Gallagher” appeared in The Kane Republican, Kane, PA, September 20, 1926:

We have the following tagline: “The build of a young Hercules – the face of a Greek God – the horsemanship of a cowboy champion – real acting ability – that's what you get with this new star!” An apt description to encourage movie lovers to support this promising young star.

What is really striking about these ads is that just by looking at them, one might get the feeling that that way Tom was marketed, could just as well apply to some up-and-coming star of the 1950's, 1960's, or 1970's. It goes without saying that Tom Tyler's appeal was nothing short of timeless, and even more easier to forget about the time context when looking at photos of him from 1925. “Let's Go Gallagher” remains on “lost film” status at the present but “The Wyoming Wildcat”, made and released late in 1925 does in fact exist at Cinematheque Royale de Belgique in Brussels. Hopefully this silent film will see digitalization one day soon so the rest of the world may watch Tom Tyler during his early glory days.