It's a sort of magic

While Tom Tyler's starring roles were B-westerns for small film studios, these films are unlike many that I have seen in fifty years' time. For one thing, not only were the B-westerns that Tom made “quickies” but they also had the raw natural beauty of the outdoors that was well suited for him. Tom Tyler obviously did not need any lavish, fancy sets nor costumes with which to act, and his personality was also well suited for the western genre. Perhaps it was because he was born in the Adirondacks, that most beautiful chunk of land in the northeastern part of the United States, which is rare in that it is not only a national park, but also full of hamlets where people live throughout the year. Add to the mix a hero – Tom Tyler – and pretty much any variation of stories can be filmed using this setting. Even though these films – both his silent films and 1930's talkies – were in black and white, they seemed to come to life on their own, jolting the viewer back into a much earlier time period, even though it may not seem like it for the viewer. Even more so, Tom Tyler himself neither looks nor feels to be of that time period, born in 1903, two years at the end of the Victorian period in the United States. It is his timeless attractiveness, in addition to his low-key personality, which magically brings his starring-role films to life, drawing in the viewer to a point of a feeling of disappearance, if only for about an hour's length of time.

It may indeed be fantasy when I
Essay to draw from all created things
Deep, heartfelt, inward joy that closely clings
                                               - Coleridge

There is a distinct feeling of comfort, wanting to exist in the picture right alongside of Tom himself, maybe not just to experience being in his presence (who would not want to stand right next to a weightlifting champion?) but also the time period his career spanned. The rustic western town settings, the land, and even the way the people spoke back then were all unique to the era. Although the land itself where these B-westerns were filmed have not changed that much at all, it would be a delight to retrace the steps where our hero walked, rode his horse, and rescue the damsel in distress. When it comes to Tom Tyler, it really is a sort of magic.