TOM TYLER
August 9th, 1903 -- May 1st, 1954

Above: Tom Tyler as the World's Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel--his most famous serial role.

While Buster Crabbe, Kane Richmond, Ralph Byrd, and others have many fans in the serial fraternity, the tall, handsome, sometimes grim Tom Tyler would seem to be an unsung hero with few admirers or partisans. This is a shame, as Tyler was one of the great serial heroes, and one of the cliffhanger's most underrated actors. Maybe this will help set the record straight.

Above: Tom Tyler with Jeanne Bates in THE PHANTOM (Columbia, 1943).

Tom was born Vincent Markowski in Port Henry, New York. Reportedly, he worked as a coal miner, lumberjack, and boxer in his younger days before finding his way to Hollywood. Thanks to his early jobs he developed a most impressive physique, and his athleticism managed to land him a job at FBO Pictures (later RKO) as a replacement for cowboy star Fred Thompson. Starting with LET’S GO GALLEGHER in 1925, Tom starred in many popular, big-budget silent westerns, including some of John Ford’s early films. During this period he also 1928 National Amateur Athletic Union medal for weightlifting. Tyler was truly riding high in the silent era, but his voice sadly caused him some problems when sound came in. Tough and raspy, his voice was actually rather well suited for cowboy heroes, but in the age of the vocally mellifluous stars like Ronald Colman and Leslie Howard, Tyler's voice was deemed unsuitable for a hero and he was relegated to the B-western "Poverty Row", studios such as Victory and Reliable. Every now and then, however, Tyler's career would rise to greater heights, and his seven cliffhangers are among those heights.

Tyler debuted in sound serials with THE PHANTOM OF THE WEST, made by shoestring studio Mascot in 1930. Tyler was a western hero out to avenge his father's death. By all accounts, this serial was weak, poorly done, and rather amateurish (as were several of Mascot's early serials; they would get much more proficient as time went on, eventually becoming the foundation of Republic Pictures) but it gave Tyler exposure as a cliffhanger hero, and may have led to his next starring serial.

Above: Tom Tyler and Dorothy Gulliver await the coming of the mystery villain in PHANTOM OF THE WEST (Mascot, 1931).

Tyler's next serial was BATTLING WITH BUFFALO BILL (Universal, 1931). As the legendary Bill Cody (complete with long hair, moustache, buckskins, goatee--the whole bit) Tom battled Indians, badmen, and other pesky menaces for twelve chapters. Interestingly, the head villain, a gambler out to take possesion of a gold mine, was none other than Francis Ford, brother of Tyler's former (and future) director John Ford. Made at the beginning of the sound era, BATTLING WITH BUFFALO BILL lacked the smoothness and polish of some of Tyler's later serials, but was a step above PHANTOM OF THE WEST and the Reliable westerns, and would lead to three more serials with Universal.

Above: Tom Tyler grapples with an Indian in this action scene from BATTLING WITH BUFFALO BILL (Universal, 1931).

Tyler's next Universal serial was JUNGLE MYSTERY, released in 1932. Tom was again the hero, and solved the title mystery with the aid of Noah Beery Jr. and Cecilia Parker. Phillo McCullough, William Desmond (who had been in Tyler's PHANTOM OF THE WEST) and Frank Lackteen were among the supporting cast. Unfortunately, JUNGLE MYSTERY is among the handful of "lost" sound serials; no copies are known to survive today.

Above: Tom Tyler grapples with a big ape in JUNGLE MYSTERY (Universal, 1932).

Tyler went from tropical Africa to the frozen north for his next serial, CLANCY OF THE MOUNTED (Universal, 1933). Tyler, as Clancy, cleared his brother of a murder charge and captured the real culprits. Francis Ford and William Desmond once more appeared with Tom, and Jacqueline Wells (later known as Julie Bishop) was the heroine. I haven't got anything else to say about this one, because, like JUNGLE MYSTERY, all prints seem to be lost in the mists of time. Let's hope both serials will resurface someday.

Above: Tom Tyler (right) grapples with a bad guy in this still from the currently-lost serial, CLANCY OF THE MOUNTED (Universal, 1933).

Tyler's last Universal serial was released the same year: PHANTOM OF THE AIR (not to be confused with PHANTOM OF THE WEST). As pilot Bob Raymond, Tom helped inventor Thomas Edmunds (William Desmond) and his daughter (Gloria Shea) protect Edmunds' top-secret invention the Contragrav from a group of villains headed by Mort Crome (LeRoy Mason). Raymond was successful in defeating Crome, but only after twelve episodes of aerial thrills and spills. PHANTOM OF THE AIR was an action-packed, rough-hewn gem of a serial, and the two-fisted Tyler fit perfectly into the non-stop action.

Above: Tom Tyler tries to revive Gloria Dea after surviving a violent plane crash in PHANTOM OF THE AIR (Universal, 1933).

After Tyler's successful quartet of cliffhangers for Universal, the studio should have starred him in a B-western series, but they let him go and he drifted back to Poverty Row. However, in 1939, Tyler's old director John Ford cast Tom in his classic western STAGECOACH as the villainous Luke Plummer. Tyler played the evil, steely-eyed gunslinger to perfection, and shot it out with hero John Wayne in a darkened street at the end. The role was small but memorable, and Tyler garnered very good reviews for his performance. This public acclaim is almost certainly what made Republic Pictures decide to sign Tom to a contract and give him the lead in one of their very best serials.

That serial was THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, released by Republic in 1941 and based on the popular comic book character. Tyler was Captain Marvel, with Frank Coghlan Jr. as his alter ego Billy Batson. Billy had the ability to turn into Captain Marvel by uttering the word "Shazam", the name of the ancient wise man who endowed Billy with his powers in order to enable him to save the world from the master villain known only as the Scorpion (superbly voiced by Gerald Mohr and secretly a member of a group of respectable scientists). Coghlan handled most of the dialogue sequences, and the super-powered Tom only appeared when the situation called for it. Tyler made an exceptionally convincing superhero, his weightlifter’s build and commanding presence making an impression every time he appeared. Tyler's Marvel was at his best when chucking villains off building, lifting trees, blocking bullets, and even flying through the air (courtesy of Republic's special effects team, the Lydecker brothers). Somehow, Tyler (doubled by the great stuntman Dave Sharpe) made all this incredible action look real and believable. The serial was a tremendous success for Republic (and, over sixty years later, is still their most popular effort), and the studio decided to utilize Tom further, putting him into their Three Mesquiteers series of B-westerns which had been running since the thirties. Tom played Stony Brooke, a role that had been previously played by Bob Livingston and John Wayne (Tyler's antagonist in STAGECOACH!). Tyler did a very good job in the part, but the series was drawing near to an end (Republic had so many new western series going that they had lost interest in the Mesquiteers) and was cancelled in 1943.

Above: Tom Tyler overpowers two Arabs singlehanded in this action shot from THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL (Republic, 1941).

Above: Another good shot of Tyler as Captain Marvel.

The series had done well for Tyler, however. It had attracted the attention of Columbia Pictures, and in 1943 (in a stroke of casting brilliance; the best example of perfect casting in serial history) they signed him to play the Phantom that masked, mysterious jungle hero created for the comic strips by Lee Falk. Tom’s imposing size, hawk-like profile, and grim, gravelly voice suited the character perfectly, and it's impossible (for me, at least) to picture anyone else in the role. The serial did justice to the character as well; it was one of Columbia's best cliffhangers. Tyler dominated the whole production, despite excellent performances by the rest of the cast, particularly Kenneth MacDonald as the villainous Dr. Bremmer. Tyler finished his serial career with a genuine bang in what was probably his very best role.

Above: Geoffrey Prescott (Tom Tyler, third from left), prior to assuming the role of THE PHANTOM (Columbia, 1943), chats with guide Larkin (John Maxwell, far left), expedition member Byron Andrews (Guy Kingsford, second from left), Professor Davidson (Frank Shannon) and Diana Palmer (Jeanne Bates).

Tyler's health would begin to decline in the late forties, limiting his future film career. Some of his more notable appearances were in Tim Holt's RIO GRANDE PATROL, Errol Flynn's SAN ANTONIO, and Randolph Scott's RETURN OF THE BADMEN. All of these roles, however, were villain parts. Tyler also made a guest appearance of sorts as Frank James in Scott's BADMEN'S TERRITORY. Perhaps the best part of his later years was the role of the wounded Corporal Mike Quahayne in John Ford's classic SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON; it even gave him a chance to sing (!) snatches of the title song together with Mildred Natwick. By this time Tom’s increasingly bad arthritis had taken its toll, and he no longer looked the action hero of his serial days; however, he still delivered a wonderfully gutsy performance.

Tom passed away from heart failure in 1954. He's left us many good cliffhangers, but the roles of THE PHANTOM and CAPTAIN MARVEL will always stand out in his serial filmography--especially THE PHANTOM. Tyler gave the definitive interpretation of The Ghost Who Walks, and deserves a place in serial immortality for it. Well done, Tom.