Best known today for his later roles as Captain Marvel (1941) and The Phantom (1943), this collection brings together two of Tom Tyler’s last silent features: The Man from Nevada (1929) and Law of the Plains (1929), unseen for over 90 years. Produced by J. P. McGowan and distributed by Syndicate Pictures, these B-westerns were the bread and butter of most small-town theaters in the 1920s and 1930s. Just as the careers of western stars like William S. Hart and Tom Mix were winding down, Tyler emerged as a new breed of wholesome cowboy hero.
In The Man From Nevada, Tyler gallops to the rescue of Natalie Joyce and her family, protecting them from a villian who threatens to rob their homestead. Tyler is a fast riding, straight shooting rancher in Law of the Plains, avenging the death of his father against a gang of outlaws led by J. P. McGowan.
New 2K restorations from original 35mm nitrate prints: The Man from Nevada by USC HMH Foundation Moving Image Archive, and Law of the Plains by Undercrank Productions. New musical scores by Ben Model.
The Man from Nevada (1929) – 45 min.
The Law of the Plains (1929) – 36 min.
Tom Tyler: A Life in Pictures (2024) – 4 min.
Format: Blu-ray / DVD
85 mins ● B&W/tinted ● Silent with score (stereo) ● 1:33:1 aspect ratio ● Not Rated ● NTSC Region free
An Undercrank Productions/Library of Congress/USC HMH Foundation Moving Image Archive release. Produced for home video by Ben Model, Crystal Kui and Mary Della Valle.
Release date: May 6, 2025
Available at:
Reviews
“Tom Tyler is a pleasing western hero here, two-fisted, tall and handsome. Reliable director J.P. McGowan delivers again…”
—Carl Bennett, Silent Era
“This disc is cause for celebration by Western fans…It’s a joy to see another piece of this overlooked facet of American film restored to view.”
—J.B.Kaufman
“A big star in his time, he should have been even bigger, but it is now about him being rediscovered and having his early nearly-lost films and other works being restored and reissued (like those superhero serials, et al) and I think fans will really enjoy it all.”
—Nicholas Sheffo, Fulvue Drive-in