Meeting with fans: Tom Tyler and the Wallace Brothers

Traveling with the Wallace Brothers Circus back in 1937 certainly afforded Tom Tyler to meet not only his many fans but also do charity work, often spending time with them as well as inviting them to see him perform under the big top. In one notable article from Beaver Dam Daily Citizen dated July 20, 1937, when the Wallace Brothers toured Wisconsin, Tom was able to meet with the disabled children of Beaver Dam through the courtesy of Mrs. James Healy, who was the president of the Dodge County Children’s Protective Association at the time. Experiencing happiness and cheer certainly must have been the highest point of these children’s lives, especially when it meant seeing their idol in person. Known for his extensive charity work for disabled and orphaned children, Tom knew how to connect with youngsters, providing encouragement to them when they needed it the most. As with so many stops along the tour, Tom made sure his new friends were able to attend his matinee performance with the Wallace Brothers and experience the thrill of their lives. Four years later, there would be another association between the town of Beaver Dam and Tom Tyler, one that would change movie history forever.

The actor Fred MacMurray, who is often considered to be the man whose looks inspired the Fawcett Publications Captain Marvel superhero created by C. C. Beck and Bill Parker, lived in Beaver Dam during the early years of his life. Fred’s father was a music teacher who got a job in the city of Madison, which meant moving the family from Kankakee, Illinois. By 1937, Fred was a major movie star and well on his way to becoming one of the highest paid actors of the 1930’s. By 1941, the very superhero Fred inspired was made into a film serial by Republic Pictures, “Adventures of Captain Marvel”, with Tom Tyler cast as Captain Marvel. Considered to be the first superhero film ever made, and one of the best serials at that, Tom certainly had the looks to bring the comic book superhero to life on the silver screen.

With Tom’s newly made friends in Beaver Dam, their delight in seeing him portray the famous superhero whose looks were created after one of their town’s own must have held a special place in their hearts. But then, Tom Tyler knew how to create magic for his fans. Shazam!

Tom Tyler in “Screen Oddities” by Captain Roscoe Fawcett

Can you imagine being alive back in 1933, reading the local newspaper and catching a glimpse of an illustrated version of Tom Tyler in a comics panel? Aptly named “Screen Oddities” and created by Roscoe Kent Fawcett, this particular comic panel brought unusual tidbits of information about popular Hollywood stars of the era to many readers. Even though “Screen Oddities” was drawn and circulated for eight years, many digital copies of the comics panel have survived in online newspaper archives. “Screen Oddities” was written and illustrated in the style of Robert Ripley’s decades-popular “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” comics panel which began in 1918 and continues until this day by various comics artists, long after the originator’s death in 1949.

Roscoe Fawcett was the co-owner and publisher of Fawcett Comics from the years 1940 to 1954. This division fell under the parent company of Fawcett Publications. Tom Tyler is no stranger to Fawcett Publications, having appeared in the very first superhero movie ever made, “Adventures of Captain Marvel” (1941) – a superhero originally published by Fawcett. Born in 1913 in Ramsey, Minnesota, Roscoe’s comics panel covered unusual facts about stars such as Joan Crawford, Gene Lockhart, Harold Lloyd, William Powell, Kay Francis – and Tom Tyler.

The depiction of Tom dressed as the Mountie Clancy from the Universal serial "Clancy of the Mounted" (1933) which was exhibited at theatres during that year is somewhat humorous at first sight. Tom Tyler is indeed dressed up as a Mountie, with his hat on, and a peek at sideview of his horse, with most of the animal's body obscured by the panel's border. What is the "oddity" on Tom Tyler? Why, the fact he was a champion weightlifter. Roscoe Fawcett drew the largest pair of Milo weights possible that would fit into the space at the bottom of the panel, with the accompanying text: "Tom Tyler: Appearing in 'Clancy of the Mounted' is an Olympic weightlifting champion." This no doubt is a reference to Tom's being selected for the 1928 Summer Olympics weightlifting team that was held in Amsterdam that year, even though the United States weightlifting team was never sent. Tom is lifting up two gigantic weights, one in each hand, as if they were books instead of 100-plus pound weights. Two other Hollywood stars which share that same panel space is Will Rogers, and the beautiful Olga Baclanova.

From The Saginaw News, June 23, 1933

Sometimes signing “Screen Oddities” as Captain Rosco[e] Fawcett, the panel was distributed by Bell Syndicate during the eight years it was drawn. Fawcett died on December 23 in 1999 in Minnesota.