The Hero in the Role of a Patient

Among the most poignant scenes in Tom Tyler’s movies are those where he is being attended to by a woman (usually a young and pretty one) nursing him back to health when his character is injured in some manner. These story aspects inject vulnerability into the virile, strong and handsome heroes Tom is known for portraying but also provide a glimpse into his real life health issues aside from his battle with scleroderma. For example, he had a serious cold which held up filming “The Sonora Kid” (1927); his second major illness was dealing with the flu while filming “Clancy of the Mounted” (1933). This article will explore Tom’s heroes in the role of patient in “Call of the Desert”, “Galloping Thru”, “The Forty Niners”, and “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon”.

"Call of the Desert" (1930)

In “Call of the Desert,” Tom is Rex Carson, a prospector seeking his father’s claim but his companion Tod Walker (Bud Osborne) absconds with the map which depicts the location of the claim. Once Tod feigns illness, forcing Tom to carry him during a good portion of the trip, the two men fight on the snowy ground. Tod absconds with the map and ends up deserting Rex. Rex has to walk by himself through the cold wintry desert, eventually falling ill before he collapses in the snow. Here, a cowboy named Hardrock (Bobby Dunn) has made camp under a large tree where the snowline ends, and takes Rex in, eventually traveling towards the ranch lands in order to get medical help. With Rex slung across a horse’s back, Hardrock and two men arrive at the Walker Ranch – and is nursed back to

"Call of the Desert" (1930)

health by Jean Walker (Sheila Le Gay), the nominal owner of the ranch. Rex is removed from the horse by the two men, gently laid on the ground, his eyes closed, looking angelic with his delicate brows as Jean looks at his face romantically. She directs the two men to carry him inside and lay him on the bed in the guest room, instructing one of them to get some medicine from the cabinet in the kitchen. Jean personally administers the medicine to Rex, as he lay on the bed, eyes still closed but lips slightly open. She gently props Rex’s head so that he could take the medicine with some water without choking. Jean looks lovingly into Rex’s face when he starts to recover, his eyes opening wide. She becomes totally enchanted with him at this point, his clear brown eyes softening, smiling as she leaves him with his pal Hardrock and lets him sleep so that he gets well quickly. At this point it should be remembered that as Tom Tyler was entering his last stage with scleroderma, he went home to Hamtramck, Michigan, to live with his sister Katherine, who gave him hospice. No man is too brave or strong to endure illness, temporary or permanent, to not seek the gentle and empathetic healing touch from a woman.

"Galloping Thru" (1931)

It is not always illness that has Tom receiving medical attention from someone he deeply cares for. In “Galloping Thru” (1931), Tom McGuire is wounded by a gang of outlaws, abandoned on a trail – the same outlaws who shot his father dead. When his body is found by a friend, Sandy Thompson (Al Bridge), Tom is taken to the home of Janice Warren (Betty Mack) who along with Sandy provides him with medical attention so that he can recover and get back on his feet to hunt down the outlaws responsible for his father’s death. “Galloping Thru” remains a lost film although film stills and lobby cards exist showing Tom being in bed, covered by white sheets and given medication by Betty Mack while he is smiling, his face expressing content, knowing that he will in fact be in top health once again.

"The Forty Niners" (1932)

Tom becomes a shooting victim once again in “The Forty Niners” (1932). Tennessee Matthews is on a journey with a group of friends who are headed to California to cash in on the gold fever. Unlike the previous movie, however, Tennessee is given aid in the back of a covered wagon, tended to by Widow Spriggs (Fern Emmett), a woman old enough to be his mother, adding the maternal touch to his recovery. Leaning back comfortably with his shirt off, against pillows and protected with mosquito netting, Tennessee awakens after the primitive surgery to remove the bullet from his shoulder, and sees Widow Spriggs sitting next to him. Conscious of being bare on top in front of her, Tennessee asks her where his shirt is. Thinking that he might be seeking the rose that Virginia (Betty Mack) gave him from her rosebush, the widow tells him that the flower has fallen apart, leading to a certain disappointment in Tennessee’s face – as Virginia is his romantic interest. In reality, Tennessee has not lost Virginia’s love, despite the fact O’Hara (Al Bridge) has tried to claim her for his own.

"She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1949)

Speaking of a maternal figure nursing Tom Tyler, the theme is repeated again in “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” (1949) where his character, Corporal Mike Quayne, is injured by a marauding band of Indians as Captain Nathan Brittles (John Wayne) leads his final army patrol out west to counterattack them. Once Mike is laid up in the covered wagon, prepped for surgery, Abby Allshard (Mildred Natwick), the wife of Major Mac Allshard (George O’Brien), is the trained nurse, sitting by his side. She pours a glass of whiskey for Mike to imbibe in order to deaden the pain before Dr. O'Laughlin (Arthur Shields) removes the bullet from his chest. After a brief rousing of the cavalry song between Abby and Mike, he falls unconscious while the doctor quickly does his task before bandaging up the patient. Abby remains by Mike’s side during the entire time, which transpires during the covered wagon on the western trail during a major thunderstorm. It is difficult to imagine a troop of men on a dangerous mission without having a doctor and nurse present, and the covered wagon surgery scene is in fact the most memorable one in the movie. Even though Tom Tyler is not the leading man hero in this movie – that title is reserved for John Wayne – he is the first hero who falls victim to the Indian attacks and recovers. A previous blog article mentioning this event is located here in further depth.

The global reach of “Adventures of Captain Marvel”

A one sheet from Denmark

“Adventures of Captain Marvel” has long been considered the greatest film serial ever made, at least here in the United States, but what might even be considered more fascinating is the global impact upon the most popular selling comic book superhero of the 1940's, Captain Marvel. By the time Republic Pictures released “Adventures of Captain Marvel” in 1941 – and this was due to the early success of Captain Marvel – other countries shortly followed suit, cashing in on America's most beloved superhero.

Outside of a few restrictions during 1941 to 1945 – the time span which “Adventures of Captain Marvel” hit the global market – the film serial was earnestly accepted and shown by film exhibitors in  countries most of us would not immediately think of. With thanks to film collectibles websites, along with foreign newspaper archives, mentions of “Adventures of Captain Marvel” have popped up from some surprising countries. One sheet posters of this film serial were manufactured in faraway places like Turkey, Pakistan, and India. Newspaper cinema ads for “Adventures of Captain Marvel” appeared in Indonesia, Iceland, and what was then called Malaya (Malaysia), sometimes as late as 1950. For the majority of these cinema ads they either retained their American English title, or became simply Captain Marvel. Even the re-release of the serial under the title “Return of Captain Marvel” made its way around the globe. Colorful, imaginative lobby cards bearing the title “El Regreso del Capitan Maravilla” were released in Mexico, many of them later making their way into the American market as prized film collectibles.

A one sheet from Pakistan

Following is a partial list of other nations where “Adventures of Captain Marvel” was seen during its first run in movie theatres:

Argentina - Capitan Maravilla Poderoso
Australia – Adventures of Captain Marvel
Belgium – Capitain Marvel
Brazil – O Homen de Aço
Canada – Adventures of Captain Marvel
Curacao – Adventures of Captain Marvel
Denmark - Kaptajn Marvels Bedrifter
Iceland – Captain Marvel
India – Adventures of Captain Marvel, in both English and Hindi.
Indonesia – Adventures of Captain Marvel
Malaysia/Malaya -  Adventures of Captain Marvel (Malaya Tribune Oct 28, 1947)
Mexico - Capitan Maravilla/Las Aventuras del Capitan Maravilla
New Zealand – Adventures of Captain Marvel
Pakistan – Captain Marvel. The one sheet from this country also has “Captain Marvel” in both English, and Urdu, which utilizes a modified Persian-Arabic alphabet.
Spain – Aventuras del Capitan Maravillas
Turkey – Şazem Uçan Adam

From Java Bode, Batavia (Jakarta), Indonesia, July 19, 1950

"Jungle Mystery" 1932 to DVD petition

March 3, 2019 marks the launch of a new film petition: “Jungle Mystery” (1932) starring Tom Tyler and Cecilia Parker. It has been four years since Universal Pictures preservation department restored this 12 chapter serial plus the 75 minute long feature cutdown. 2019 is the perfect year for “Jungle Mystery” to make it to DVD, what with last year’s "Adventures of Captain Marvel" (1941) Blu-ray release by Kino, and additional resurfaced “lost films” of Tom Tyler within that short length of time. Four years does not seem that long but it has been an exciting journey in rediscovering these movies. Aventuras de Tom Tyler is all about the celebration of Tom Tyler and rediscovering his lost films, because he is worth it, and the time has come for movies like “Jungle Mystery” to be seen by the public all over the world.

A huge thank you to everyone who signs this petition. Please share this petition link with as many people as you know, in film groups, film forums you are a member of, and we can get this done.

www.thepetitionsite.com/479/634/629/petition-to-universal-pictures-to-release-%E2%80%9Cjungle-mystery%E2%80%9D-on-dvd/

The film going atmosphere counts too

A view of the display in the website owner's media room.

For the youngsters on their way to the Saturday matinee to enjoy the next Tom Tyler western during the 1930’s, plus a cartoon or two, and a film serial chapter, did not mean the immediate surroundings had to be bland. Many times film exhibitors of the independent cinemas and neighborhood cinema houses would take a cue from the Hollywood trade publications on what might provide visual appeal to the targeted audience. As an example, a film review in Motion Picture Times October 6, 1931 for "The Man from Death Valley” provided suggestions to film exhibitors (that is, cinemas) to really get into the part for this Tom Tyler film. Some of these suggestions include placing a cactus in the lobby by the inner door to the auditorium, or other western decor such as a saddle along with a lasso, or hang western art from the ceiling. Such items perfectly complemented the movie posters in their display cases. Due to the popularity of B-westerns during the above mentioned decades, many of the above named cinemas had a number of inexpensive items on hand just for that purpose, to add a little atmosphere in the lobby to enhance the movie-going experience. Those who looked forward to viewing these westerns could feel right at home, with the sense of community being retained. Many an older family member might tell the younger generation stories of how these independent cinemas would run admission price specials, or Depression glass night, or even local food drives being held in order to boost patronage. At one point, over 2,000 of these cinemas across America would take part in these promotions. Non-film promotional events, unlike the previously mentioned elegant cinema palaces, these independent and neighborhood cinemas had the liberty to decorate the lobby to promote the film being shown on that particular day.

The cinema patrons who have had the opportunity to view the latest Tom Tyler movie – and in the brand-new format called sound, or in film lingo, talkie – and took note of how the lobby was decorated just for the occasion, would tell their family and friends about it as a way of encouraging them to see the movie too. The idea of a movie house being decorated in a specific manner to add to the film viewing experience seems far fetched, but not when one stops to realize that many modern homes with a media room is decorated in a very similar manner.

Reference: “American Movie Audiences of the 1930s”, by Richard Butsch. ILWCH #59, Spring 2001

A voice perfect for talkies: Tom Tyler in “West of Cheyenne”

Tom Tyler in "West of Cheyenne" 1931

Once Tom Tyler’s silent film career finally wound down by the end of 1930 – his last one being “Canyon of Missing Men” for Syndicate Pictures –  he had to adjust to the brand-new invention known as synchronized sound film, better known as talkies in order to keep his career going. By 1930, most cinemas made the transition to sound pictures but Tom was not quite ready for it. He held out on the new sound pictures for as long as he could, reportedly due to his foreign accent, according to his friend and screenwriter Oliver Drake, as mentioned in “The Tom Tyler Story” by Mike Chapman. Even though Tom Tyler was born in America (his birth name was Vincent [Wincenty] Markowski), like many children of recent European immigrants, spoke his native language at home while speaking English outside the family. Cinema patrons who never had the opportunity to meet Tom Tyler in person and listen to him speak could only imagine what his voice sounded like at the height of his silent film career. Tom Tyler was after all the epitome of outdoors virility in Hollywood, should he not also have the perfect voice to match his looks, personality and physical strength?

In fact, Tom Tyler did indeed have a voice that met the above qualifications and made him perfect for talkies. Once he got together with one of Drake’s friends, J. Frank Glendon, taking a series of enunciation lessons in order to lose his accent. As with the horseback riding lessons in order to get that star contract with FBO in 1925, Tom worked hard at his enunciation, and after making one test talkie short for Pathé in 1930, “Half Pint Polly”, was well on his way to successfully transitioning to talkies. “West of Cheyenne” was a milestone in Tom Tyler’s career, probably just as exciting for him as for when he made “Let’s Go Gallagher” in 1925, his first starring role in a silent film. The story was simple enough in Tom’s first talkie, about a young man whose father was framed for murder and held captive in a forbidden town known as Ghost City. Written by Bernard Cohen and Oliver Drake, the movie was produced and directed by Harry S. Webb, who would continue to direct a number of Tom Tyler movies in the 1930’s, sometimes using the name Henri Samuels.

With the release of “West of Cheyenne”, Tom’s voice was stressed in press kits, obviously to encourage fans and cinema patrons in general to attend showings of this movie. Even film reviews like the one in Variety March 4, 1931 which describes the plot in “West of Cheyenne” as somewhat of a routine western, touts Tom Tyler’s voice as being the best part of the movie. It is doubtful that Tom Tyler’s first talkie was a put off for those who have long appreciated and admired his work. Perhaps the most important question was, “How distinct was Tom’s voice?” to those who have never heard him speak on film. In response to that question, the answer is, “very distinct” - distinct enough to pick out on a radio show, had Tom been a radio actor. In the newspapers, cinema ads described Tom’s voice as splendid (The Amarillo Globe-Times, Amarillo, TX, October 9, 1931). For those of us who take sound film for granted, the majority of us having been born during the sound era, it may be hard to imagine the pleasant surprise of hearing Tom Tyler speak for the first time in a movie. Along with the usual treats of action, hard riding, hard fighting, and moments of tenderness with his leading lady Josephine Hill, Tom Tyler never disappoints.

Tom Tyler and Lon Chaney Jr: The Perfect Match

The son of a very famous silent film actor – one better known as “The man of a thousand faces” - Lon Chaney Jr. usually is not the first name that comes to mind when discussing B-westerns of the 1930’s.  While he certainly has the looks and demeanor that make him the perfect heavy in a western, the craggy faced actor has in fact appeared in a number of low-budget westerns dating back to the early 1930’s, often billed under his given name, Creighton Chaney. Lon Chaney Jr. has appeared with stars such as Dorothy Gulliver, Tom Keene, and Gene Autry in low-budget westerns. In “Cheyenne Rides Again” (1937), Lon teams up with a different kind of western star, Tom Tyler, who turns in one of his best performances in a B-western. Lon Chaney Jr. not only gets to see one of Hollywood’s handsomest men up close and in person – but also gets to witness Tom’s athletic prowess. How incredible and impressive is that, for an actor like Lon to appear in a movie with Tom Tyler? In Lon Chaney Jr.’s case, not only did he get to witness Tom’s physical strength in action – but also experience it.

Playing the cattle rustler Girard – even that name sounds clichéd for Lon, evoking a noir image of gangsters ready to pull a bank job – Lon is in many ways the perfect match for Tom Tyler. The onscreen chemistry is there, the hero and the heavy, when the two men are sizing up each other, and ready to throw the first punch. For example, when Girard and his men are in Tom’s living room, anxious to get their hands on the 10,000 dollars that Tom confiscated from them and hid in the room they are standing in, the camera pans each man back and forth. Lon Chaney Jr. looks like he just drove in from a dust storm, while Tom is wearing his skintight white shirt, complete with the black lace bow in front and the side zippers, showing off his physical assets. Being disarmed, Tom feigns a plan to hand the money over to Girard, and in turn, catches the rustlers off guard, sending them across the room using a backward push while standing on a chair in front of the fireplace. Tom sends pieces of furniture at them, a chair or table narrowly missing some of the crooks, while a displaced sofa takes a beating. Girard reaches for his gun, aims and shoots at Tom, who dives out a closed window, narrowly escaping the bullet.

Girard knows that Tom is a Cattlemen’s Protective agent and exposes him as such when they are in a house with Rollins (Ted Lorch) and Gleason (Ed Cassidy) the two men who were about to approve Tom as a fellow rustler. Tom moves quickly, engaging in an all-out brawl but meets a roadblock in the form of Girard’s gun which knocks him out temporarily. Once Tom finds a way to escape and lead Girard and his gang in the direction of the sheriff, his mission is accomplished, and the money is returned to its owners, the cattle ranchers.

As the heavy, Lon Chaney Jr. certainly holds his own against Tom Tyler, and because Tom’s onscreen characters are usually portrayed as being clever, so is Girard in “Cheyenne Rides Again”. To the viewer who watches this movie for the first time, the only question is: “When will Tom’s nemesis finally catch up with him?”

Icelandic titles of Tom Tyler films

From Visir, Reykjavik, June 5, 1932

As with other European nations, Iceland was included  on the list inventoried by FBO to show Tom Tyler films in the mid- to late 1920's. Iceland proved to be very receptive to the established star of westerns produced by FBO, then later on, a handful of Monogram films, and of course “Stagecoach” (1939). In one cinema listing in the newspaper Alþýðublaðið (May 25, 1928), Tom is described as “one of the most famous and handsome cowboy actors”. In some cases, some of Tom's silent films were released under their own American title without translation: “The Sonora Kid”, and  “The Cowboy Musketeer”. The Iceland newspapers in which Tom Tyler’s cinema listings appeared in are: Alþýðublaðið,  Norðlingur, Morgunblaðið, Vísir, Neisti, and Lögberg. With thanks to Tímarit.is, here is a small list of Tom Tyler movies shown in Iceland between 1926 and 1941:

From Einherji, October 8, 1936

Silent films:

Æringinn – Born to Battle 1926

Hefndar riddarinn – Cyclone of the Range 1927

Án dóms og laga – When the Law Rides 1928

Riddarinn fífldjarfi – Gun Law 1929

Í ræningjaklóm - Idaho Red 1929

Í vargaklóm – The Pride of Pawnee 1929




Talkies:

Maðurinn frá Dauðadalnum - The Man from Death Valley 1931

Í dal dauðans – Galloping Thru 1931

Póstvagninn – Stagecoach 1939

Captain Marvel – Adventures of Captain Marvel 1941