Tom Tyler's Box Office Popularity: 1926 and 1927

While Tom Tyler's silent films proved to be popular with children and families since the inception of his career as a silent film leading man in 1925, by 1926 and 1927 he achieved a degree of ranking at the box office, according to Exhibitor's Herald publication dates of October 30, 1926 and December 31, 1927. What should be pointed out in the October 30, 1926 issue is that while this is mentioned in “The Tom Tyler Story” by Mike Chapman on page 21 of the book, there appears to be a minor error in Tom's biography: according to Exhibitor's Herald, Tom ranks at #55, and not #35 (as mentioned in the book) ahead of the following actors: Tom Mix, Fred Thomson, Hoot Gibson, Buck Jones, Jack Holt, Richard Talmadge, and Jack Hoxie:

The entire three-page article titled “Theatre Poll Establishes Box Office 'Name' Values” can be viewed here (page 54), here (page 55), and here (56). Still, being in the middle of the top 100 Hollywood stars is not a bad thing, and by 1926, Tom's star was still rising. He was hot property in more ways than one in Hollywood, to be sure, and by the end of 1927, Exhibitor's Herald ranked Tom at #36, ahead of male stars like Ronald Colman, Reginald Denny, Thomas Meighan, Douglas Fairbanks, Lon Chaney, and Wallace Beery. Not only that, but Tom merited a headshot among select others in “The Big Names of 1927”! Not bad at all for a young man who dreamed big of making it in Hollywood and setting out from Hamtramck, Michigan with only 50 dollars in his pocket. This article can be viewed here (page 22) and here (page 23).

From Exhibitor's Herald, December 31, 1927