Tom Tyler

Tom Tyler (August 9, 1903 – May 1, 1954) was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films in the silent and sound eras, and for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the 1941 serial film The Adventures of Captain Marvel. Tyler also played Kharis in 1940's The Mummy's Hand, a popular Universal Studios monster film.
Early years
Tyler was born either Vincent Markowski or Vincentas Markauskas (sources differ) in Port Henry, Essex County, New York to Lithuanian-American parents, Helen (Elena Montvila) and Frank Markowski (Pranas Markauskas). he had two brothers: Frank Jr. and Joe (who changed his last name to Marko) and two sisters: Katherine (Mrs. Slepski) and Maliane "Molly" (Mrs. Redge). He made his First Communion in a small church in Mineville around 1910. His father and older brother worked in the mines for the Witherbee Sherman Company.
In 1913, his family moved to Hamtramck, Michigan, where he attended St. Florian Elementary School and Hamtramck High School. After graduating from high school, he left home and made his way west, finding work as a seaman on a merchant steamer in the U.S. Merchant Marine, a coal miner in Pennsylvania, a lumberjack in the Northwest, and even a prizefighter.
Weightlifting
Tyler was an amateur weightlifter sponsored by the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the late 1920s. He set a new world's amateur record for the right-hand clean and jerk by lifting . In 1928, he won the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) heavyweight weightlifting championship, lifting —a record that stood for fourteen years.
Early film career
Around 1924, Tyler arrived in California and found work in the film industry as a prop man and extra. His first screen appearances as an extra included Three Weeks (1924), Leatherstocking (1924), and Wild Horse Mesa (1925). In 1925, Tyler was signed to a contract with Film Booking Offices of America (FBO) to star in a series of western adventures with a starting salary of about $75 per week. His first starring role was in Let's Go, Gallagher (1925). Over the next four years, he starred in 28 additional westerns for FBO, including The Masquerade Bandit (1926), The Sonora Kid (1927), The Texas Tornado (1928), The Avenging Rider (1928), and Pride of the Pawnee (1929). While romance was generally underplayed in these early westerns, a number of up-and-coming heroines—including Doris Hill, Jean Arthur, and Nora Lane—contributed to the overall appeal of Tyler's films, which enjoyed critical praise and were popular with Saturday matinee audiences. His four years with FBO gave him valuable riding and acting experience and made him a popular cowboy hero in the latter years of the silent film era.
In 1929, Tyler signed with Syndicate Pictures, where he made his last eight silent films in 1929 and 1930, including The Man from Nevada (1929), Pioneers of the West (1929), The Canyon of Missing Men (1930), and Call of the Desert (1930). In 1930, Tyler was loaned out to Mascot Pictures for his first "all talking" sound film, The Phantom of the West, a typical ten-chapter Saturday matinee cowboy cliffhanger featuring a mysterious secret villain and numerous stunts and action sequences. Kermit Maynard, the brother of Ken Maynard, was Tyler's stunt double in the more dangerous sequences. In 1931, Tyler made his first Syndicate sound film, West of Cheyenne, which showcased his excellent voice for westerns despite his awkward delivery of lines. Tyler concluded his tenure with Syndicate Pictures with Rider of the Plains (1931) and God's Country and the Man (1931). He was also strongly considered for the role of Tarzan by MGM in their Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)
Monogram Pictures
Syndicate merged into Monogram Pictures, which signed Tom Tyler to an eight-picture contract as part of the company's sagebrush series. These typical low-budget "quickies" included Man from Death Valley (1931), Single-Handed Sanders (1932), The Man from New Mexico (1932), and Honor of the Mounted (1932), each made for about $8000. All of his Monogram films received critical and popular support. When Monogram chose Bob Steele to star in the next season's series, Tyler moved over to Universal to do three chapter plays—a safari yarn called Jungle Mystery (1932), Clancy of the Mounted (1933), and Phantom of the Air (1933)—while managing to fit in four low-budget Westerns for John R. Freuler's Monarch Pictures, including The Forty-Niners (1932), When a Man Rides Alone (1933), Deadwood Pass (1933), and War of the Range (1933).
Reliable Pictures and Victory Pictures
In 1934, Tyler signed a two-year contract with Harry S. Webb's Reliable Pictures for eighteen low-budget western films, tailored as second features on double bills for second- and third-tier movie houses. These films included Mystery Ranch (1934), The Silver Bullet (1935), Born to Battle (1935), Silent Valley (1935), Fast Bullets (1936), and Santa Fe Bound (1936). Despite a few well-done scenes and some good performances by supporting players such as Slim Whitaker, Charles King, Earl Dwire, and even the silent-era "Hebrew" comedian Max Davidson, most of these films were of average quality with production shortcomings that restricted the effectiveness of Tyler's performances. By 1936, companies such as Republic Pictures and Paramount Pictures were producing larger-budget, better-quality western films with impressive exterior locations that overshadowed the type of Poverty Row low-budget offerings that brought Tyler to fame.
In 1936, Tyler signed a two-year contract with Sam Katzman's new Victory Pictures for eight western films, each budgeted at about $6000. The first five of these films were directed by Bob Hill and included Cheyenne Rides Again (1937) with Lucile Brown and Feud of the Trail (1937), in which Tyler played a dual role. Of lesser quality, the final three included two co-starring his wife, Jeanne Martel: Orphan of the Pecos (1937) and Lost Ranch (1937), the latter containing a rare scene in which Tyler lip syncs two songs, "Tucson Mary" and "Home on the Range". Following Brothers of the West (1937), Katzman did not renew Tyler's contract with Victory, replacing him with Tim McCoy as the company's top western star.
With no starring roles being offered to him, Tyler took a job with the Wallace Brothers Circus in 1938. He returned to Hollywood and appeared in supporting roles and bit parts in several feature films, including John Ford's Stagecoach (1939) with John Wayne, Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) with Henry Fonda, Gone With the Wind (1939) with Clark Gable, The Westerner (1940) with Gary Cooper, and John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath (1940) (also with Henry Fonda). His most unusual role was that of Kharis the mummy in Universal's The Mummy's Hand (1940), in which he was cast because the studio felt he resembled a younger Boris Karloff well enough to match stock footage of Karloff from The Mummy (1932).
Republic Pictures and popular serials
In 1941, Tyler signed a two-year contract with Republic Pictures to star in 13 films in the popular Three Mesquiteers series in the role of Stony Brooke opposite Bob Steele playing Tucson Smith, and Rufe Davis or Jimmie Dodd playing Lullaby Joslin. Tyler's $150-per-week salary during the first year was increased to $200 per week for the second year. These final 13 films in the Three Mesquiteers series (39 through 51) represent some of Tyler's best work, and his last leading roles: Outlaws of Cherokee Trail (1941), Gauchos of El Dorado (1941), West of Cimarron (1941), Code of the Outlaw (1942), Raiders of the Range (1942), Westward Ho (1942), The Phantom Plainsmen (1942), Shadows on the Sage (1942), Valley of Hunted Men (1942), Thundering Trails (1943), The Blocked Trail (1943), Santa Fe Scouts (1943), and Riders of the Rio Grande (1943), the last film in the series.
During this period Republic, which failed to secure the rights to Superman, purchased the rights to another comic book superhero, Captain Marvel. In his late thirties at the time, Tyler was still in good shape and was offered the title role at $250 per week for four weeks' work. In the title role in The Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941), Tyler portrayed the first film adaptation of a comic book superhero.
Tyler's last major screen role was in the Columbia Pictures serial The Phantom (1943), based on Lee Falk's comic strip. In costume, Tyler bore a striking resemblance to the Phantom character, and he delivered one of his best performances. Columbia filmed a sequel to The Phantom more than a decade later, but the studio's rights to the Phantom property had lapsed. Producer Sam Katzman was forced to film new scenes with actor John Hart, who wore a new costume. The patchwork was released as The Adventures of Captain Africa (1955), and footage of Tyler's Phantom appears in some of the long shots.
Later years
In 1943, the forty-year-old Tyler was diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis. He was physically limited to occasional supporting roles in western films, including San Antonio (1945) with Errol Flynn; They Were Expendable (1945), Red River (1948), and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) with John Wayne; Badman's Territory (1946) with Randolph Scott; Masked Raiders (1949), Riders of the Range (1950), Rio Grande Patrol (1951), and Road Agent (1952) with Tim Holt; West of the Brazos (1950) and several other films with James Ellison; Trail of Robin Hood (1950) with Roy Rogers; and Best of the Badmen (1951) with Robert Ryan. Tyler was one of the John Ford Stock Company, appearing in six of the director's films.
Beginning in 1950, Tyler transitioned to television work, finding minor roles on The Lone Ranger (1950), Dick Tracy (1950), The Cisco Kid (1950–1951), The Range Rider (1951–1952), and The Roy Rogers Show (1952). His final television appearances were in four episodes of The Gene Autry Show in 1952 and 1953. The last screen appearance by Tom Tyler was as a "District Marshal" on the television series Steve Donovan, Western Marshal. The episode, called "Comanche Kid," premiered on January 14, 1956, but had been filmed as a pilot in 1950. In it, Tyler had difficulty drawing his gun because of his arthritis.
Marriage
Tyler married actress Jeanne Martel in September 1937; they met the previous year while filming Santa Fe Bound, in which she was his leading lady. They appeared in two other films together in 1937, Lost Ranch and Orphan of the Pecos. According to a United States census, they were still married in May 1940 but most likely separated soon after.
Death
Suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis and nearly destitute, Tyler moved back to Hamtramck and lived with his sister, Katherine Slepski, during the last year of his life. He died on May 1, 1954, aged 50, of heart failure and complications from scleroderma. He was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit.
Filmography
Three Weeks (1924) - Extra (uncredited)
Leatherstocking (1924) - Indian
Wild Horse Mesa (1925) - Cowboy
Let's Go, Gallagher (1925) - Tom Gallagher
The Wyoming Wildcat (1925) - Phil Stone
The Only Thing (1925) - Party Guest (uncredited)
The Cowboy Musketeer (1925) - Tom Latigo
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) - Charioteer (uncredited)
Born to Battle (1926) - Dennis Terhune
The Arizona Streak (1926) - Dandy Carrell
Wild to Go (1926) - Tom Blake
The Masquerade Bandit (1926) - Jeff Morton
The Cowboy Cop (1926) - Jerry McGill
Tom and His Pals (1926) - Tom Duffy
Out of the West (1926) - Tom Hanley
Red Hot Hoofs (1926) - Tom Buckley
Lightning Lariats (1927) - Tom Potter
The Sonora Kid (1927) - Tom MacReady
Cyclone of the Range (1927) - Tom MacKay
Splitting the Breeze (1927) - Death Valley Drake
Tom's Gang (1927) - Dave Collins
The Flying U Ranch (1927) - Señor Miguel García
The Cherokee Kid (1927) - Bill Duncan
The Desert Pirate (1927) - Tom Corrigan
The Texas Tornado (1928) - Tom Jones
When the Law Rides (1928) - Tom O'Malley
Phantom of the Range (1928) - Duke Carlton
Terror Mountain (1928) - Himself
The Avenging Rider (1928) - Tom Larkin
Tyrant of Red Gulch (1928) - Tom Masters
Trail of the Horse Thieves (1929) - Vic Stanley
Gun Law (1929) - Tom O'Brien
Idaho Red (1929) - Andy Thornton
The Pride of Pawnee (1929) - Kirk Stockton
The Law of the Plains (1929) - O'Brien
The Man from Nevada (1929) - Jack Carter
The Phantom Rider (1929) - Dick Cartwright
The Lone Horseman (1929) - Jack Gardner
Pioneers of the West (1929) - Phil Sampson
'Neath Western Skies (1929) - Tex McCloud
Call of the Desert (1930) - Rex Carson
Half Pint Polly (1930, Short) - Don Wilson
The Canyon of Missing Men (1930) - Dave Brandon
Her Man (1930) - Sailor (uncredited)
The Phantom of the West (1931, serial) - Jim Lester
West of Cheyenne (1931) - Tom Langdon
God's Country and the Man (1931) - Tex Malone
Rider of the Plains (1931) - Blackie Saunders
Partners of the Trail (1931) - Larry Condon
The Man from Death Valley (1931) - Dave
Two Fisted Justice (1931) - "Kentucky" Carson
Battling with Buffalo Bill (1931) - William Cody
Galloping Thru (1931) - Tom McGuire
Single-Handed Sanders (1932) - Matt Sanders
The Man from New Mexico (1932) - Jess Ryder
Vanishing Men (1932) - Sheriff Doug Barrett
Honor of the Mounted (1932) - Constable Tom Halliday
Jungle Mystery (1932, serial) - Kirk Montgomery
The Forty-Niners (1932) - "Tennessee" Matthews
When a Man Rides Alone (1933) - The Llano Kid
Clancy of the Mounted (1933, serial) - Sergeant Tom Clancy
The Phantom of the Air (1933, serial) - Bob Raymond
Deadwood Pass (1933) - Tom
War of the Range (1933) - Tom Bradley
Ridin' Thru (1934) - Tom Saunders
Mystery Ranch (1934) - Bob Morris
Fighting Hero (1934) - Tom Hall
Terror of the Plains (1934) - Tom Lansing
Unconquered Bandit (1935) - Tom Morgan
Coyote Trails (1935) - Tom Riley
Tracy Rides (1935) - Sheriff Tom Tracy
Born to Battle (1935) - "Cyclone" Tom Saunders
Silent Valley (1935) - Sheriff Tom Hall
The Silver Bullet (1935) - Tom Henderson
The Laramie Kid (1935) - Tom Talbot
Rio Rattler (1935) - Tom Denton
Powdersmoke Range (1935) - Sundown Saunders
Trigger Tom (1935) - Tom Hunter
Fast Bullets (1936) - Ranger Tom Hilton
Ridin' On (1936) - Tom Roarke
Roamin' Wild (1936) - Tom Barton
Pinto Rustlers (1936) - Tom Evans
The Last Outlaw (1936) - Al Goss
Santa Fe Bound (1936) - Tom Crenshaw
Rip Roarin' Buckaroo (1936) - "Scotty" McQuade
The Phantom of the Range (1936) - Jerry Lane
Cheyenne Rides Again (1937) - Tom "Cheyenne Tommy" Wade
Feud of the Trail (1937) - Tom Wade / Jack Granger
Mystery Range (1937) - Tom Wade
Orphan of the Pecos (1937) - Tom Rayburn
Brothers of the West (1937) - Tom Wade
Lost Ranch (1937) - Tom Wade
King of Alcatraz (1938) - Gus Banshek
Stagecoach (1939) - Luke Plummer
The Night Riders (1939) - Jackson
Frontier Marshal (1939) - Buck Newton (uncredited)
Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) - Capt. Morgan (uncredited)
Gone with the Wind (1939) - Commanding Officer During Evacuation (uncredited)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940) - Deputy (uncredited)
The Light of Western Stars (1940) - Sheriff Tom Hawes
Brother Orchid (1940) - Curley Matthews
The Westerner (1940) - King Evans
The Mummy's Hand (1940) - Kharis
Cherokee Strip (1940) - Frank Lovell
Texas Rangers Ride Again (1940) - Ranger Gilpin (uncredited)
Buck Privates (1941) - Ring Announcer at Boxing Match (uncredited)
Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941, serial) - Captain Marvel
Border Vigilantes (1941) - Henchman Yager
Bad Men of Missouri (1941) - Deputy Sheriff Dave (uncreidted)
Outlaws of Cherokee Trail (1941) - Stony Brooke
Riders of the Timberline (1941) - Henchman Bill Slade
Gauchos of El Dorado (1941) - "Stony" Brooke
West of Cimarron (1941) - Stony Brooke
Code of the Outlaw (1942) - Stony Brooke
Valley of the Sun (1942) - Geronimo
Raiders of the Range (1942) - Stony Brooke
Westward Ho (1942) - Stony Brooke
The Phantom Plainsmen (1942) - Stony Brooke
The Talk of the Town (1942) - Clyde Bracken
Shadows on the Sage (1942) - Stony Brooke
Valley of Hunted Men (1942) - Stony Brooke
Thundering Trails (1943) - Stony Brooke
The Blocked Trail (1943) - Stony Brooke
Santa Fe Scouts (1943) - Stony Brooke
Riders of the Rio Grande (1943) - Stony Brooke
Wagon Tracks West (1943) - Clawtooth
The Phantom (1943, serial) - Jeffrey Prescott, the Phantom
Gun to Gun (1944, Short) - Captain Haines (uncredited)
The Navy Way (1944) - Triangle A Ranch Hand (uncredited)
Boss of Boomtown (1944) - Jim Ward
Ladies of Washington (1944) - Agent (uncredited)
The Princess and the Pirate (1944) - Lieutenant (uncredited)
Sing Me a Song of Texas (1945) - Steve Andrews
They Were Expendable (1945) - Captain at Airport (uncredited)
San Antonio (1945) - Lafe McWilliams
Badman's Territory (1946) - Frank James
Never Say Goodbye (1946) - Policeman (uncredited)
Cheyenne (1947) - Pecos
The Dude Goes West (1948) - Spiggoty
Return of the Bad Men (1948) - Wild Bill Yeager
Red River (1948) - Quitter (uncredited)
The Golden Eye (1948) - Minor Role (scenes deleted)
The Three Musketeers (1948) - 1st Traveller (uncredited)
Blood on the Moon (1948) - Frank Reardon
I Shot Jesse James (1949) - Frank James
The Younger Brothers (1949) - Hatch
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949) - Townsman (uncredited)
Lust for Gold (1949) - Luke (uncredited)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) - Cpl. Mike Quayne
Masked Raiders (1949) - Trig Trevett
Square Dance Jubilee (1949) - Henchman Buck
Samson and Delilah (1949) - Gristmill Captain (uncredited)
Riders of the Range (1950) - The Ringo Kid
The Daltons' Women (1950) - Emmett Dalton
Hostile Country (1950) - Tom Brady
Marshal of Heldorado (1950) - Mike Tulliver
Crooked River (1950) - Henchman Weston
Colorado Ranger (1950) - Henchman Pete
West of the Brazos (1950) - Henchman Sam
The Lone Ranger (1950, TV Series) - Jeff Garth
Fast on the Draw (1950) - Outlaw Leader
Rio Grande Patrol (1950) - Chet Yance
Dick Tracy (1950, TV Series) - Coffyhead
Trail of Robin Hood (1950) - Himself
The Cisco Kid (1950–1951, TV Series) - Sheriff Jim Turner
The Great Missouri Raid (1951) - Allen Parmer
Best of the Badmen (1951) - Frank James
Mysterious Island (1951) - Union Dispatch Rider (uncredited)
The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1951–1952, TV Series) - Sheriff
The Roy Rogers Show (1952, TV Series) - Henchman / Andy
Boston Blackie (1951–1952, TV Series)
Road Agent (1952) - Larkin - Henchman
Outlaw Women (1952) - Chillawaka Charlie
The Lion and the Horse (1952) - Bud Sabin
What Price Glory (1952) - Capt. Davis (uncredited)
Sky King (1952, TV Series) - Al
Cowboy G-Men (1952, TV Series) - Henchman Cactus
The Range Rider (1951–1952, TV Series) - Shotgun Guard / Indian
Cow Country (1953) - Pete
The Gene Autry Show (1952–1953, TV series) - Lanky henchman at Hideout / Slender Thug in the White Hat / Henchman Snake-Eye
References
Bibliography
External links
Tom Tyler fansite
1903 births
1954 deaths
20th-century American male actors
American male film actors
American male silent film actors
American people of Lithuanian descent
Male film serial actors
Male actors from New York (state)
People from Port Henry, New York
People from Hamtramck, Michigan
Male Western (genre) film actors
Deaths from scleroderma