Friends on and off the set: Tom Tyler and Oliver Drake

A review of “Written Directed and Produced by Oliver Drake”, by Oliver Drake (The Outlaw Press, Inc., Baldwyn Mississippi, 1990. 154 pages.)

Early Hollywood often held the promise of fame and fortune for many a young man and woman seeking stardom, but also drew more than its share of talented hopefuls wanting to work behind the scenes: want-to-be writers, directors, and producers. Even more rarely was a single individual gifted with these three skills essential in filmmaking. Such a person was Clarence Oliver Drake, who was born and raised in Boise, Idaho on May 28, 1903.

Drake’s background made him a natural for working in westerns during the early years of Hollywood. His father owned a ranch in Idaho, a doctor who was a traveling eye specialist all over the state. At the age of 11, Drake was sent by his parents to stay with an aunt in Los Angeles, in preparation of moving to California due to his father’s job. Drake’s first experience with a motion picture production company is recounted in the opening chapter: he was only fourteen years old at the time, yet had the physique of a fully grown man, six feet tall, dressed like he just finished rustling a herd of cattle. He soon learned that it takes perseverance when it comes to making it in the field of motion pictures as a writer, much in the same way actors had their eye on stardom. Perseverance especially during worst case scenarios, such as a studio folding overnight due to funding, during one’s first years in Hollywood seeking steady work. It was not long before Drake realized that in order to work in Hollywood, he would have to be open to playing a different role when it came to filmmaking. This led to his solo acting role which was in “Red Blood & Blue” (1925) for Robertson Cole Pictures. This western starred Guinn “Big Boy” Williams and Peggy O’Day. By 1925 it was at Emile Greivelle Pictures Inc where Oliver’s star began to rise and his writing talents got noticed. Hollywood trade publications would describe how his stories were creative and engaging to the audience. Of note was Drake’s work as writer and directing on “Trail of No Return” (1925) which starred John Pringle, the father of silent star John Gilbert, and Betty Baker. Unfortunately for Drake, Greivelle Pictures folded, leaving the budding film writer looking for his next job.

Oliver Drake first met Vincent Markowski - before he was known as Tom Tyler - while working on a two-reel comedy for Shell-Craft studios, "Means and Motors" with Baby Mary Rose who was the child star of this silent comedy short. Vincent – who was using the stage name Bill Burns at the time, having completed a few films that were based on Elinor Glyn’s novels for Goldwyn Pictures – most likely dropped in at Shell-Craft looking for work. Finding the 6’2”, dark haired, strapping young man amiable, Oliver quickly made friends with Tom, even renting the same room in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. While the two men spent the bulk of their waking hours looking for work in Hollywood, or at gigs, they retained their friendship on both a personal and professional basis. By the time Tom signed a contract with FBO in 1925 and established himself as a star, Drake was out of work, married for one year to Maybelle Berringer, and a father-to-be. With his resources dwindling, he did what many unemployed filmmakers did: get a temporary job in another field. In this case, he went to work for a construction company as a builder on the Ninth Street Bridge. Out of touch with Tom Tyler, he finally called up his friend in early 1927, only to be surprised with the news: Tom was now a leading man with FBO. “Let’s Go Gallagher” had just finished production and was in the process of being promoted to movie houses all over the nation. Perhaps not so surprisingly to Drake was the fact the man he once knew as Bill Burns was now Tom Tyler, a euphonious sounding name that would resonate with a growing audience. Pleased with his friend’s newfound success, Drake was in for an even bigger surprise: Tom wanted him to arrive at FBO the next day and meet with a higher up to discuss contract writing for FBO. This meant that FBO would pay Oliver Drake per story, with the company retaining copyright of each story.  Drake earned $300.00 per story, plus an additional $300.00 for the screenplay, or about $4,900.00 in 2022 dollars for his first sold story. Upon signing a contract with FBO, earning $150.00 per week, Drake also had the option of working either at FBO offices, or at home. The time he signed that contract was right, for Drake’s wife Maybelle gave birth to a daughter in March 1927, Martha Jane, affectionately nicknamed Cricket. Tom Tyler soon became godfather to Cricket, a sign of the friendship he shared with Drake. Drake worked on a total of ten silent films starring Tom Tyler, which include: “Cyclone of the Range” (1927), “The Desert Pirate” (1927), “Flying U Ranch” (1927), “Phantom of the Range” (1928), “Tyrant of Red Gulch” (1928), “When the Law Rides” (1928), “The Texas Tornado” (1928), “The Avenging Rider” (1928) “Gun Law” (1929), “Trail of the Horse Thieves” (1929). Drake would continue to be available to work in westerns for Tom, most notably his first synchronized sound feature-length film, “West of Cheyenne” (1931).

Throughout the 1930’s and 1940’s Drake continued working as a writer and director for Monogram Pictures, Republic Pictures, RKO, and other B movie studios. Drake wrote stories and screenplays for the likes of Bob Steele, Buzz Barton, Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Tex Ritter, and George O’Brien during this period. He wrote screenplays for the Monogram Pictures Charlie Chan series, “The Sky Dragon” (1949), and “The Feathered Serpent” (1948). Drake also co-wrote “The Mummy’s Curse” (1944), sharing writing credits with six other writers, and was associate producer for this Universal horror film.

Oliver Drake was the rare type of Hollywood writer, producer and director who spent time promoting his autobiography in person before he died in 1991 at the age of 88. Clearly a family man, Drake dedicated his autobiography to his family, and lovingly speaks of his first wife Maybelle, nicknamed Teddy, throughout his book. Teddy died in 1948 as the result of a stroke. Drake married June Crooks a year later in 1949, who went by the stage name Liz Marshall, a sometime actress. Drake also talks about his daughter Cricket and her accomplishments in school, being a straight A student in high school, then going on to UCLA.

There is no Table of Contents nor Index in Drake’s autobiography. Drake does include a partial Filmography plus a list of people he worked with during his career. There are some minor errors within the text, for example, Drake mentions the Tom Tyler western “West of Cheyenne”, Tom’s first synchronized sound feature-length film as being released in 1941; this was actually released in 1931.

Drake mentions working on the story for “Boss of Boomtown” and makes considerable mention of Rod Cameron, although lacks any mention of Tom Tyler in this 1944 western he was associate producer of. Many photos from his personal collection plus film stills contributed by Eddie Brandt are interspersed through the book. Clippings from Hollywood trade publications like Hollywood Filmograph, Box Office Digest, and Universal City Club News appear throughout this highly readable autobiography. Unlike many Hollywood autobiographies, “Written Directed and Produced by Oliver Drake” has the look and feel of a highly personal work which makes the reader think Drake is right there in the same room, describing one yarn after another from his earliest years in Hollywood. Oliver Drake had a natural talent for communicating real-life Hollywood incidents during his career in a manner that is entertaining without being exploitative, keeping the reader engaged at all times in this 154-page autobiography.