A Dinner Party for Tom Tyler: The Wallace Brothers Circus

Traveling and performing with the Wallace Brothers Circus back in 1937 certainly had its benefits for Tom Tyler. He got to meet many fans, visit many cities and towns across the nation, and continue doing his favorite charity work: visiting orphans and disabled children, often inviting them to see him perform under the big top. No doubt Tom also enjoyed working with the many performers of Wallace Brothers Circus, meeting and making new friends. One such friend led her to host a special dinner party for Tom Tyler at her house in Springfield, Illinois.

According to an article in The Illinois State Journal Register, Springfield, IL dated August 5, 1937, Wallace Brothers troupe member Mrs. Thomas Burton hosted a dinner party at her house, inviting Tom Tyler as a special guest while on the road. Mr. and Mrs. Del Diver, T. P. Lewis with his son Ted Lewis Jr were among just a few of the many guests who were employed with Wallace Brothers Circus. The dinner must have been a wonderful one for Tom, getting the chance to share happy memories of his career in film plus his performance with the circus. Mrs. Burton already had several years under her belt with Wallace Brothers, and getting to reunite with some of the other performers she already knew allowed her to introduce them to Tom. Being a troupe member, or professional acrobat, Mrs. Burton shared something in common with Tom Tyler, who also performed acrobatic feats of strength in the circus, often on the trapeze, when he was not riding on horseback around the ring as part of his regular performance.

Such an event as this dinner party must have held a special memory for Tom Tyler once his stint with Wallace Brothers Circus was completed and he resumed his film career in Hollywood, where he continued to live his ambition as an actor.

Hitching a ride on horseback with Tom Tyler at the circus

When he performed with the Wallace Brothers Circus back in 1937, Tom Tyler enjoyed many special moments when it came to meeting fans. One particular performance made a lasting impression upon Tyler fan Doran Peck, who was lucky enough to see his hero in person at the circus.

Born in 1927, Doran was 10 years old when he had that exciting encounter with Tom Tyler under the Big Top. The son of Lucille Peck, Doran lived in La Harpe, Illinois with his parents but was visiting relatives in Keokuk, Iowa when he had the opportunity to attend the Wallace Brothers Circus. Doran was lucky to have the privilege of sitting in the front row which must have made him feel even more close to the western film star. Perhaps it was the sheer amount of cheering on from the boys and girls that day which made Tom Tyler survey his fans as he rode on horseback around the ring and decide to give Doran the ultimate thrill of his life: a ride on the back of Tom’s circus horse!

The event was reported in The Hancock County Quill, the newspaper for La Harpe dated August 4, 1937, Doran climbed onto the horse and sat behind Tom as the two trotted along the ring, no doubt being the envy of the other young men who watched them in action. As all truly exciting events in life worth talking about for days after and even passing down to the younger generations, Doran shared the news with friends and family.

One may ask, why did Tom Tyler specifically select young Doran Peck for a ride upon his horse? One possible theory is that Doran reminded Tom of his silent film co-star, the child actor Frankie Darro. Were one to view a photo of Doran at the age of 10, he might pass for a young Frankie. By the time Doran reached his 20’s, however, the evidence is even more clear: he really did resemble Frankie Darro!

Like Frankie, and Tom Tyler, young Doran had that ambitious drive so prevalent among young American boys of the late 1930’s through early 1940’s. He settled on becoming an accountant, and as soon as he graduated from high school, entered college. When Doran graduated from the University of Denver in 1949 with a degree in accounting, his first job was with a steel firm in Provo, Utah. He studied hard to become a certified public accountant (CPA), passing a rigorous exam at the age of 22, according to The Hancock County Quill, dated August 17, 1949. Eventually, he opened his own office with a partner in Denver. The office was located in Majestic Building, located at the corner of 16th Street and Broadway in Denver.

Now that he was cemented in a successful career, Doran married in 1952, meeting his wife while residing in Denver. Eventually the couple had two sons together, which gave Doran Peck the opportunity to share that historical moment of his life, when he rode on the back of Tom Tyler’s circus horse with his hero.

Meet Imogene, a special Tom Tyler fan

While one of the most fascinating insights into Tom Tyler’s personality was the type of charity work he did as a famous Hollywood star – visiting orphanages as his unique way of giving back to the community, and inviting them to see him in person when he traveled the nation back in 1937 with Wallace Brothers Circus, the following event is sure to tug at the heart strings of the reader.

A young girl and very special fan of Tom’s named Imogene Brown lived at 203 South Charles St. in Belleville, Illinois. She loved watching Tom Tyler’s movies and even wrote him a fan letter or two during the 1930’s at the height of his career. In an article from The Belleville News-Democrat, August 7, 1937, her name is mentioned along with Tom about his national tour with Wallace Brothers circus. At the tender age of seven, her letter must have touched Tom rather deeply, enough for him to invite her personally to see him perform at the circus, riding horseback and performing muscular feats upon the high bar. In Imogene’s own words, "There are times when being a shut-in is not so bad", upon speaking on the phone with Tom Tyler’s representative who made it a priority to call her. So why was Imogene a shut-in, for want of a better word, invalid?

In her letter to Tom Tyler, she described what happened to her as a toddler which resulted in her being handicapped. Confined to a board which held her spine in place, a horrific accident occurred to her when she was two years old in her hometown of Clinton, Indiana. Playing outside with friends, little Imogene fell onto the pavement the wrong way, which resulted in a spinal injury, two vertebrae cracking. Due to her young age, Imogene’s doctors could not perform surgery on her until she reached the age of eight, to happen at Shriner’s Hospital in St. Louis. Unlike present-day medicine, which would have little Imogene wearing a brace to hold her spine in place, she remained immobile for five years as a child, strapped to a special board. Can you imagine young Imogene, unable to move as she wished, running and playing with her friends, while she had to be confined to a certain position? Chances are she would dream of walking, running, dancing – and even horseback riding while watching Tom Tyler westerns during the early 1930’s. Just receiving the news she was invited to see her hero at the circus making an appearance in her hometown must have had her dancing on air:

Magnanimous Despair alone
Could show me so divine a thing
           - Andrew Marvell

Residing in Belleville, Illinois by 1936 with her parents according to The Belleville News-Democrat, December 4, 1936, Imogene did attend the local school, Washington School, by means of using a special bench built just for her by the school janitor, who was handy in creating a “desk” just for her use. Being disabled certainly did not hinder Imogene’s ability to excel at academics, for she remained a straight-A student in grammar school. Neither did her disability prevent her from practicing tap-dancing at home before bedtime, while remaining strapped to her special board. The injury did not affect her foot movement ability, thankfully, and it did help blood circulation in her lower half. Upon speaking with Tom Tyler’s representative, little Imogene must have felt tremendous joy being able to take part in an activity with her friends, which was to attend the circus. Not that she was unhappy about not taking part in everything with her friends, for earlier in 1937, she celebrated her seventh birthday party in April that year, playing the role of hostess. However, the circus was going to be her first main event to attend, and at the encouraging of her hero, Tom Tyler. Better yet, she would get to meet one hundred children from St. John’s Orphanage, Belleville, also attending the circus, courtesy of Tom Tyler’s invite.

The Belleville News-Democrat, IL, December 4, 1936

Imogene Brown was Tom Tyler’s guest of honor, and, strapped to her support board, was in a special place of the audience next to her parents where her view of his act would remain unobstructed for the duration of the show. One can only imagine just how bright her smile was that day, her face lighting up the audience like a spotlight:

And of condensed Rays a Gem to make,
'Twould be the brightest Lustre of a Crown,
And an esteem invaluable take
- Thomas Heyrick

To be sure, Imogene must have had a grand time that day at the circus, enjoying and cheering Tom Tyler’s performance, a day to be remembered long afterward. After all, who would not want to attend the circus and be the honored guest of its #1 touring star? Tom Tyler lived up to his public image and always kept his major fan base in mind. Perhaps most importantly, Tom was, for one day in a little girl’s life, a real-life superhero – five years before he portrayed the most popular superhero in the world on the silver screen, in “Adventures of Captain Marvel”.

Note: If anyone knows whatever became of Miss Imogene Brown of Belleville, Illinois, born April 9, 1930, if she grew up and married, had children, please contact me (aventurasdetomtyler_@_triggertom.com – remove underscores) and I will include it here as an update. Thank you!

Inviting the Children to the Circus

One of Tom Tyler’s favorite means of giving back to his community was meeting children from community homes, or orphanages, as they were also called back in the early twentieth century. Whenever Tom visited his hometown of Hamtramck, Michigan during studio vacation time, he would stop by St. Ann’s Community House and chat with the youth who stayed there. According to “The Tom Tyler Story” by Mike Chapman, Tom would also share meals with the excited children who frequently patronized his westerns at the local movie house. Naturally, these events included entertainment, which help raise money for St. Ann’s. However, this is just one example of Tom’s generosity towards children. During 1937, the year he took a break from his acting career to tour nationwide with Wallace Brothers Circus. Tom requested his personal representative to check for local orphanages in cities where he would be appearing and offer to invite the children in these homes to come see him perform. One such orphanage was Bethany Home in Rock Island, Illinois. 

Bethany Home was located in the former Gilpin Moore House, a beautiful historical home built in the French Second Empire architectural style. An orphanage since 1906, orphaned children lived in this particular house until Bethany moved to a new location in 1941. When Nellie Seiler, the superintendent of Bethany House made the announcement of Tom Tyler appearing with Wallace Brothers Circus to the resident children, they were excited to go see their hero perform live in person. According to The Rock Island Argus dated July 26, 1937, Tom is quoted as having said: “I am having the thrilling time of my life traveling around the nation meeting all the boys and girls in person. Many of these have written mail to my Hollywood address at one time or another.” 

The trip alone to the circus must have been filled with laughs and shouts of delight as the members of Bethany Home boarded the Tri-City Railway train all the way to Moline, Illinois, where Tom was to appear. By the time the boys and girls took their seats at the circus, Tom made his entrance in the center of the ring, welcoming them all for coming to see his exuberant performance. With Tom and his entourage of cowboys, cowgirls and Indians, the fast paced entertainment was a lifetime event to remember and pass down to their families for generations after.

                                                   from The Dispatch, Moline, IL, July 27, 1937