Tastefully Exploitative: Fighting Hero

Imagine a Tom Tyler western that is pure fun to watch – that could be any one of those that he made for Reliable, Victory, or even Monogram. Now imagine a Tom Tyler western with a tastefully exploitative edge to it: “Fighting Hero” (1934). What is it about “Fighting Hero” that takes Tom and places him in multiple heroic situations in this movie while at the same time using his maximum potential as a major stud? What “Fighting Hero” does is leave the viewer hearing dialogue that does not appear in the script between Tom Tyler and some of his co-stars, notably the leading lady Renee Borden as Conchita Alvarez.

“Fighting Hero” opens with a $2500.00 reward wanted poster of Tom tacked to a tree just outside a small western town, displaying his handsome face, the same image used in other movies like “The Silver Bullet”, and Tom with his horse standing by the tree. Tom laughingly tells his horse, “I'm getting all the publicity and you're doing all the work”, assuming an undercover pose. As an  undercover agent for Express Company, Tom's assignment is to prevent the holdup of a gold shipment coming through town – and finds himself playing the hero at a poker game, rescuing a young Mexican girl from being convicted for murder which she is being framed for, and taking down two different groups of bandits hot on the trail of the gold shipment.

Tom enters the small western town and enters Bonanza Saloon where he sits in on an open poker game, but only after he ovehears that one of the players – a young man – is using his father's payroll to gamble with. The main card player, Bert Hawley (Edward Hearn), wears special glasses that permit him to view the marked card deck being used in the game. Tom catches on soon enough and  manages to win the boy's father's payroll back – and tells him not to gamble with that kind of money ever again. Bert seems surprised at the entire ordeal, wondering exactly who this guy is, a stranger who seems to come out of nowhere and play the hero. The poker game is simply a precursor to the main event though, which involves a young Mexican girl named Conchita who is being framed for murder in the town's courthouse. As usual, Tom steps in, observes the trial for a few minutes before approaching the bench and speaking up before the judge. He is granted time in the back room of the courthouse to speak with Conchita and find out what the entire case is about. She explains to him that she is being framed, simply because she is Mexican. Conchita even says to Tom, “Heaven himself has sent you” while he casually brushes off the comment, although  the viewer can almost hear him reply with “I'm here”. It is only when they are back in the courtroom that Tom decides to recreate the murder scene and uses it as an attempt to rescue Conchita from the trial. Positioning himself behind her, he tells Conchita “Now, resist me”, his hands gently on her arms. The entire passing moment could be filled her saying, “I'll try to but I don't think I can.” At that point Hawley is standing in the doorway of the courthouse, after seeing the poster of Tom circulating in the saloon, and ready to shoot him. But as Tom turns around he catches sight of Hawley and drawing his gun, sharp shoots Hawley's gun from his hand and pushes Conchita out the window where the couple escapes on horseback. A number of men in the courtroom, along with Hawley and his partner Dick (Dick Bottiler) go after Tom and Conchita but lose track of them through the hills.

Once Tom and Conchita are in a safe spot, a grateful yet humorous exchange takes place between the two, an event which looks like it could have sprung from one of Tom's early silent films. Conchita's 1920's hairstyle and manner of dress are authentic enough, but what is even more notable is Tom's manner of dress in the movie, which is all too similar to what he wore during the early part of his silent film career: a dark cotton shirt with white buttons (which looks identical to the one he wore in 1928's “Phantom of the Range”), a scarf, and jeans. In previous films like “War of the Range” and “Ridin' Thru”, Tom wears a light colored button down shirt minus a scarf although in the latter he also wear a small tie, quite different from his early cowboy costume. Conchita falls in love with Tom and tells him so, even though he thinks it is a lot of nonsense, simply by telling her his name. Jokingly, he adds that his middle name is Trouble – and that Conchita does not want to be around him because of that. In Conchita's eyes, Tom is “a beautiful name”, and before she knows it, starts telling Tom that she loves him. Of corse, Tom thinks it is a lot of nonsense, a woman falling in love with him just because he bailed her out of trouble. But Tom's wide eyes and dazzling smile only makes Conchita do a double take, and as Tom's strong hands on her arms draw them closer, she soon finds herself disappearing in him, much the same way a viewer of the movie might experience. Conchita only wants to be with Tom, and discovering he is unattached, tries her best to keep him interested in her. Yet Tom's expressions says otherwise, suggesting his feelings for her might be more of a sisterly nature. By the time Tom gets Conchita safely to her aunt's house, she is still all over him with the “I love you Tom Trouble” usually followed by her native Spanish “much mucho mucho”.  Tom's dazzling smile suggests he is amused by her crush on him, thinking it impossible for her to be in love with a man she barely knows.

Gang ringleader Morales (J. P. McGowan) soon gets word of the reward for Tom, and keeps an eye out for him until he mysteriously shows up – after seeing his poster tacked by a tree next to one of Morales' tent. When Tom does show up at the entrance of the largest tent with the entire gang seated inside, Tom has his gun in hand, wearing a big smile, catching Morales off guard. Tom finagles his way into the gang, since they know he is a wanted man, and proposes a better plan compared to that of Morales in gaining access to the gold shipment. Impressed with Tom's demonstration of quick shooting – Tom takes perfect aim at a cigarette Morales is holding in the air – they agree to meet when the wagon comes through. Yet it leaves Tom with plenty of time to visit his girl who lives “down in the valley”, as he tells Morales.

When Tom returns to Conchita's house to return the horse she borrowed during their initial escape, she is happily arranging flowers in vases, humming a Mexican song. He knocks on the door and she opens it after he identifies himself as Tom Trouble on the other side, only too glad to see him again. What Tom does not know is that prior to his arrival, Hawley and Dick came to see Conchita to encourage her to disarm Tom and hand him over to them. Once Tom and Conchita share an embrace on the sofa in the living room, she asks him if his gun is a good one – meaning, is it good for self defense. Tom responds “...the gun is much better than the man”, although Conchita most likely thinks she would rather be protected by Tom himself. As meek as Conchita tries to portray herself before Tom – telling him she wants to learn how to shoot a gun in order to protect herself from the “big, bad wolf”, he finally consents. But when he hands his gun to Conchita, she suddenly fakes being scared and drops it onto the floor – right at that moment, Hawley and Dick come out from behind the drapes and proceed to subdue Tom. Disappointed in Conchita selling him out, Tom fistfights the two men and knocks them out before haranguing Conchita. Tom leaves her and proceeds to get the sheriff to help protect the gold shipment, but not before he is mistakenly accused of being part of the robbery gang – having to clear himself while fighting against Hawley, Dick, and the Morales gang – all at the same time. Once the sheriff arrests the gang members, Tom and Conchita reconcile – and he gets the murder charges against her dropped.

“Fighting Hero” certainly capitalizes on Tom's dazzling smile, his tough but likable personality – even Morales takes to him quite easily (J. P. McGowan directed a handful of Tom Tyler westerns for his own silent film production company between 1929 and 1930) during the scene in the tent. Directed by Harry S. Webb, Tom Tyler is at his very best in “Fighting Hero” as a hero inviting the viewer to dream about having him as a personal hero.

Marketing Tom Tyler and His Pals

While Tom Tyler was often marketed along with “his pals” in both movie theatre and press materials, it was more often than not along with some qualifier. For example, in Tom's silent film “The Masquerade Bandit” a lobby card has printed on it, “Tom Tyler and His Lovable Pals.” A newspaper theatre ad for the same movie has it, “Tom Tyler and His Buoyant Pals” – in this case, buoyant meaning cheerful and optimistic. But the whole “Tom and His Pals” did not begin until his second silent film with FBO, “The Wyoming Wildcat” in 1925, when that film star catchline began. Many times early ads for Tom's movies would just mention his name and leave off the “..and His Pals” line but that did not mean his pals were not included in the cast. Frankie Darro was always omnipresent in Tom's films, to be sure, along with Beans the dog. The most important thing to keep in mind is, “Tom Tyler and His Pals” was a marketing ploy to encourage his audience to see all of his silent films, to see what Tom and his gang were up to. In a theatre ad for “Wild to Go”, Tom's pals were even advertised as a “ten-strike trio”. Some times it was just “Tom and His Buddies” – simple enough. Other common twists included: “Tom and His Breezy Pals”, “Tom and His Whizzing Pals”, and “Tom Tyler and His Buddies”. Sometimes a more personalized line would be used: “Tom Tyler and His Little Pal Frankie Darrow”, as was used in a theatre ad for “Lightning Lariats”. Perhaps it does not seem unusual that placing Frankie's name alongside Tom's on an almost equal par: they were after all pals on the set, and even though Frankie was a famous child actor – Tom was just a big kid himself. Having onscreen pals like Tom Tyler did – who would not want to miss the latest silent film Tom made for FBO back in the 1920's?

Collectibles: Tom Tyler Tales: The Adirondack Cowboy comic books

There were only two comic books posthumously issued with Tom Tyler as a western screen hero, and they were published in 2003 and 2005. While these dates seem much later than usual for a film star of the 1920's and 1930's, there is a reason for it: none had been published in the United States since then, excluding the Spain-published comic stories of Tom Tyler in the popular BOY periodical for youths, published by Gato Negro in Barcelona. There really was not much of a tribute to Tom as was stars like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers in the states, even though he certainly deserved one.

Tom Tyler Tales: The Adirondack Cowboy was the creation of three Essex County, New York fans of Tom Tyler – the county where Tom was born in 1903. 2003 is a significant year, since it marks the 100^th anniversary of Tom's birth. Calvin Castine, Sid Couchey, and Arto Monaco are the men who provided not only the story and artwork for these two comic books, but also the story behind creating them, Tom's biography and filmography, and a plethora of Tom Tyler memorabilia items reproduced and interspersed throughout the books.

Tom Tyler Tales #1 contains a story about Tom and how he wound up traveling all the way from Port Henry, a hamlet of Moriah in New York state, to Baxter Springs, Kansas. His adventure involves tracking down three desperados called “The Three Saddlemates”, based on the book creators: Sid, Arto, and Cal. This trio is of course reminiscent of “The Three Mesquiteers”. Tom helps Baxter Springs sheriff Gordie, based on Gordie Little, a native of North Country, New York, and of Home Town Cable. Always the hero. Tom rounds up The Three Saddlemates, and sends them back to jail.

Tom Tyler Tales, Too, published in 2005, was the joint effort of Calvin and Sid (Arto died in November 2003). This comic book contains two stories: one including The Three Saddlemates, and the second story, Tom as Major Courage – a superhero play on the name Captain Marvel. As in the other stories, the creators have characters named after them here too. The comic book is not only a tribute to Tom Tyler but also to Arto Monaco. Most notably, profits from Tom Tyler Tales, Too was intended to go towards a historic marker for him in Moriah, which unfortunately never materialized due to lack of interest.

Tom's hands: It's all in the action of the wrists

One of the most noticeable things about Tom Tyler's physique is his hands. General discussion about hands might seem trivial, but one can tell a lot of things about an individual's hands: the shape, size, the language they speak, whether they gesticulate or not. Tom being a champion weightlifter, was at a benefit not only due to his musculature and strong wrists, the latter being a major requirement for successful weightlifting, but again, for his big, strong hands. Even though Tom had big hands, they were perfectly shaped, and in the movies he made, often well manicured. Movies such as “Ridin' On” seemed to showcase his hands, whether he was getting his horse under control to keep from being thrown, or turning over a bullet shell in his hands. Tom's hands and wrists proved beneficial in his film rescue scenes, especially when he had to scoop up a young lady on a runaway horse with his right hand, as he did with Ruth Hiatt in “Ridin' Thru”. His hands were big and strong enough to hold his pal Frankie Darro, as can be seen in a picture of them from Picture-Play Magazine, June 1927:

So when enjoying a Tom Tyler movie, notice his hands, how strong and well shaped they are – and how they were a major asset in his weightlifting and acting career.

Collectibles: Tom Tyler on the Maple Leaf Gum cards

One of the more frequently seen film star cards with Tom Tyler on the front actually happens to be a misprint. Maple Leaf Gum, Canada, produced a set of 175 cards in 1952, and the card that bears the name Tom Tyler is actually the picture of Bob Steele. This particular card is numbered at 130, while the card with the picture of Tom Tyler and the name of Bob Steele printed at the lower left is number 132. It is unsure how the names and photos were mixed up during the production of these cards. It seems like the photo shots on these two cards were probably taken from the early to mid 1940's, from one of the Three Mesquiteers films. In the card labeled Bob Steele, Tom is standing by his white horse and wearing the orange/yellow shirt, purple scarf and light gray cowboy hat similar to what he wore in “Gauchos of El Dorado”. Also, the "Rep." at the lower right corner designates the name of the studio the film star was with, in this case, Republic.

Each Maple Leaf Gum card  is 1 13/16” x 2 3/4” in size, and the backs of the cards are blank. This set of film star cards was also issued in Sweden, Netherlands, and Malta. What is notable about this particular set of Maple Leaf Gum cards is there is a stress on the western stars; Roy Roger appears in different shots on a handful of cards in this collection. One unique feature about this collection of film star cards is that Maple Leaf also issued an album for the cards to be pasted into, like a stamp book. When seeking out a copy of this particular film star card on auction sites like ebay, make sure it has the name of Bob Steele at the lower left corner.

Tom Tyler as understated icon in “San Antonio”

Even though Tom Tyler was primarily relegated to bit roles in A-list films following his career as a B-western leading man, he remained capable of holding his own as an icon up against the big names such as John Wayne and Errol Flynn. As with his performance in “Stagecoach” where he portrays Luke Plummer, Tom turns in a top-notch performance in “San Antonio” but with an added twist: looking every inch the icon that he is. This western starring Errol Flynn and Alexis Smith also happens to be in glorious Technicolor, which allows the viewer to appreciate what Tom would look like in person minus the black and white factor of his B-westerns and two superhero serial films, “Adventures of Captain Marvel” and “The Phantom.”

Tom portrays Lafe McWilliams, a henchman for cattle rustler Roy Stuart (Paul Kelly) who is hot on the trail of cattleman Clay Hardin (Flynn), who is attempting to lay low until he can locate Stuart and turn him in to the authorities. Prior to Lafe showing up in his first scene, a group of townsmen congregating on the patio of a building are taking bets that Hardin will not make it to San Antonio without running into one of Stuart's men. While this event transpires, Lafe comes along, chewing tobacco and making his way between the men who form lines on either side and look at him in astonishment, as if he had the nerve to come along and disrupt their supposedly discreet transactions. His clothes alone make a statement: a slate colored button down shirt, brown vest, red and white checkered scarf, and red and white pinstripe pants – the kind that railroad conductors wore.

To top it off, Lafe also has a few days growth of stubble, to add to his tough guy persona. This entrance into the film is enough to have the townspeople and the viewer look at Tom Tyler and think, “there goes a real hombre”. Lafe is also clearly a take charge henchman, telling his partner Pony Smith (John Alvin) what steps to take in order to close in on Hardin once they catch up with him.The “real hombre” concept continues when Lafe interacts with Jeanne (Smith) and Henrietta (Florence Bates) as the ladies sit inside the stagecoach when they arrive in Laredo, hoping to obtain some information on the whereabouts of Hardin. With his head poking through the side window of the stagecoach, Lafe says “ I'm looking for a gentleman” to which Henrietta promptly responds with “Haven't seen one in a year”, referring to the unsavory men out west which have no appeal to her. In return, Lafe has a “what am I, chopped liver?” expression on his face, while he continues to exchange a few words with them regarding Hardin. Resorting to his

usual onscreen view of women on a sister-like basis, Lafe warns Jeanne and Henrietta about Hardin, who do not believe him for some reason, before he steps away from the stagecoach. As a final humorous response, Lafe gets a few pillows from inside the stagecoach thrown into his face before taking off, the two ladies making faces then smiling in his direction.

It is at the Cotulla Cantina during a nightly stop during their journey to San Antonio where Lafe and Pony finally meet up with Clay Hardin, but not without Hardin being notified, for his friend Charlie (John Litel) sticks close by, holding up a pole in front of the open-air cantina ready for action. Lafe and Pony approach the cantina from across the street, then discuss what measures will be taken in order to detract Hardin from Jeanne and get him when he least suspects it. Here, Lafe observes Clay from the cantina porch all alone, the camera concentrating on his face, his steely eyes and cool, almost robotic expression while he slowly moves his hand to adjust his hat. Still the subject of the moment, the camera remains capturing Lafe's continued series of

expressions, his eyes temporarily making contact with the camera before resuming concentration on Hardin who is inside the cantina, then gradually changing into a devious expression, eyebrows raised with a tiny smile on his face. It only takes a brief moment for the viewer to observe and fully appreciate Tom Tyler in “San Antonio” as icon, and visually transport him into a spaghetti western alongside Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. Add to the mix his gravelly voice, and Tom Tyler is perfect for the 1960's decade of spaghetti westerns. This porch scene at the cantina is the precursor to the climactic scene Lafe has with Hardin inside the cantina – and Tom Tyler has an advantage over Flynn not only in appearance but also physical strength. Had “San Antonio” included a major fistfight between Tom and Errol Flynn, which would have been entertaining for the viewer, it would not be difficult to imagine Flynn being tossed about by the former weightlifting champion.

After being turned down for a dance by Jeanne, with Hardin standing by her table in the cantina, Lafe turns his attention to Hardin, suggesting that the wrong move by him could get him plugged. The two men engage in a face-to-face conversation which finally prompts Hardin to suggest they take their little problem into the street. Lafe's narrow eyes, set jaws and no holds barred dialogue give Hardin reason to suspect that some rough play is about to take place, but he has no plans on becoming a casualty. Of the two men, Lafe's profile exudes not just physical strength and toughness but also a sexuality that was not overwhelming by any means; as usual, he is the Omega male portraying an Alpha male. Lafe leads the way out of the cantina, which is his first error, since it makes him a vulnerable target. Charlie remains partially hidden and sees Pony, who he plugs first. As soon as Lafe turns his head to see who got plugged he wears a rather sinister smile, eyes glittering like rocks before he is unsuspectingly plugged by Flynn. Similar to his manner of dying in “Stagecoach”, Tom uses his long, drawn out walk and collapses dead onto the wooden walkway of the building across the street. Right up to the very end, Tom Tyler's role in “San Antonio” is iconic, as brief as it is, the scenes are memorable nonetheless, particularly those where he speaks no dialogue at all.

Tom Tyler was long considered the handsomest man in Hollywood at one point, and remains so even in films like “San Antonio” for a few reasons, even up against the likes of Errol Flynn. This is evident in the scenes where Tom makes his entry into the film in the town of Laredo, hismanner of walk, right up to the last few minutes of his onscreen time, when his trademark manner of death after being plugged takes place. Tom's natural coloring and facial features made him perfect for silent film. Technicolor only enhanced his exceptionally good looks. Add to the mix his sexiness and on the set personality, which made him one of the most desirable people to work with in Hollywood. Taking all of these factors into consideration, Tom Tyler was indeed an understated icon.

Strong enough to hold a pony in his arms

From Motion Picture Herald August 22, 1931

Since Tom Tyler was the weightlifting champion for 1928 – and he remained in top physical form for much of his film career until being diagnosed with scleroderma, it is not unusual to think that he could put his physical strength to good use on the movie set besides following script directions, such as mounting a horse from behind with ease. Can you imagine Tom using his physical prowess for playfulness? That is exactly what he did while making the silent film, “The Cherokee Kid”. Filmed at the Keen Ranch in the San Jacinto Mountains of California, Tom and the film crew all took joy in giving a two month-old Shetland pony plenty of attention. It is unknown if this adorable pony had any role in the filming of “The Cherokee Kid” - a lost silent film – although there are a few pictures plus a newspaper clipping that exist of the incident, not to mention Tom himself picking up the pony to hug it. It sounds like the pony enjoyed all of the attention and hugs it received, not to mention a bottle of milk for his dinner. Of course, the pony was named after the star of the film, Tom, and even got to meet his “adopted” parent, Flashlight. Perhaps it seemed like Flashlight thought that Shetland pony Tom was his own, for he licked the pony affectionately once Tom Tyler introduced them. Much has been said if horse sense, but who knew that horse love – specifically, pony love – could make filmmaking so much fun?

From Picture Play, April 1930