Comedy behind the scenes while filming “Trail of the Horse Thieves”

One of the basic ingredients of a Tom Tyler silent film made during the FBO years is comedy. Intended to hold the youthful audience’s attention, this can be seen in “The Texas Tornado” (1928), which to date is the only silent film made for FBO that remains available on DVD from Sinister Cinema. Onscreen antics between Tom, his pal Frankie Darro, and often the family he finds himself defending against bandits, the comedy ranges from physical humor to a title card  intended to make the audience laugh, or even a caustic expression between Tom and his leading lady. It can be difficult to evaluate what amount of levity took place during the filming of one of these silent films, particularly the ones which have not survived. After all, Tom Tyler’s silent film westerns were meant to be fun to watch, with natural banter taking place among his pals.  However, an article from Evening Courier, Camden, NJ, November 16, 1929 for one lost silent film, “Trail of the Horse Thieves” (1929), provides some insight on what kind of fun took place while Tom and the rest of the cast engaged in between camera shots.

Supporting actor and villain in “Trail of the Horse Thieves” Bill Nestell (often billed as Bill Nestel during his silent film years) had a natural love for music and singing. This resulted in one entertaining scene taking place while cameraman Nick Musuraca made some adjustments with his equipment to prepare for a closeup between Tom and Bill as the rest of the crew prepared for the next camera take. Bill started to sing an old-time song, possibly dating back to the very early 1900’s, which Tom joined in on. Soon the two men found themselves with enough time to complete two more songs while the studio musician played the accordion. It may seem peculiar that a silent film production would have studio music, but such music is often used in film scenes where a musical scene is taking place – as it apparently did in “Trail of the Horse Thieves”. 

Once the singalong stopped, director Robert DeLacy called for the actors to take their positions. Almost as if the diversion never took place, Tom assumed his physical stance, arms held above his head, while Bill Nestell stood directly in front of him, his gun pointed at Tom, ready to take action. No doubt the director and the rest of the crew were amused at the friendly exchange between the two actors off-camera then suddenly falling into line as the script demands. Such incidents on the silent film set with Tom Tyler show that while he was a serious actor, he never took himself too seriously while waiting in between those camera takes.