Tom Tyler accidentally shot while filming western

The title of this article sounds like that is how the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News released this rather shocking news item on August 3, 1931, only days before Tom Tyler’s 28th birthday. This notice was actually a second paragraph in a rather brief release about a man from Glendale, California, getting injured during a polo game at the Hollywood Polo Club in North Hollywood. Considering the date range of his filming schedule, it appears that Tom Tyler’s unfortunate shooting accident took place while filming “The Man from Death Valley”, a lost Monogram film. Luckily for Tom, the shooting was not from a disgruntled actor, cameraman nor director, but from Tom’s own hand.

It seems that while Tom was on horseback in high-speed pursuit he reached for his gun to shoot at someone but instead accidentally discharged the gun, resulting in the gun’s blank going into his thigh. The painful incident placed a temporary hold on filming and a trip to the hospital where Tom received prompt medical treatment for the injury. By the time Tom was back on his feet, he was able to complete filming this action-packed western.

                                            Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, Aug. 3, 1931