Tyrone Power, who reigned as the "scrumptious looking" leading man of the forties and fifties has been considered by many to have "gotten by" on his looks. He always wanted to be a better actor and admitted on many occasions that his films were a monument to public patience." His Stage work certainly was "worth writing about." Perhaps the most remembered of all was Mister Roberts in which he not only toured the States, but appeared on the London Stage in the lead role.
Tyrone came from a theatrical family, his father was a matinee idol ,and in some encyclopedias, it's very possible to get Tyrone's credits mixed up with is father's. It was expected that the young Tyrone would follow in his father's footsteps and when in his teens, he was put in a Shakespearian company in Chicago and made his debut in "The Merchant of Venice."
Radio work followed, because Tyrone certainly had a very impressive voice. He went with his father to Hollywood and got bit parts in such films as "aTom Brown of Culver" (1932) and "Flirtation Walk" (1934). His love of the stage drew him to New York where he appeared with Katharine Cornell and Burgess Meredith in "The Flowers of the Forest." It was here that a 20th Century Fox talent scout spotted him and whisked him back to Hollywood. He had small parts in "girl's Dormitory" (1936) and "Ladies in Love" as Loretta Young's love interest. It was "Lloyd's of London" that really zoomed him to the young star bracket. Quickly he made "Love is News," "Cafe Metropole," "Thin Ice," and "Second Honeymoon" all in 1937. His leading ladies being Loretta Young and Sonja Henie.
Tyrone was now "hot property" and 20th quickly capitalized on is good looks and growing popularity. they teamed him with their leading lady, Alice Faye in the blockbuster "In Old Chicago"
and followed that with "Alexander's Ragtime Band." Ty was "Alexander" competing with Don Ameche for Alice. Don Ameche acted as his best man when he married Annabella in 1939. MGM borrowed him for their "Marie Antoinette" and then he starred with his wife, Annabella, the French actress, in "Suez" which dealt with the building of the famous canal. The critics couldn't have cared less.
Voted the "King of Hollywood" in 1939, he starred in "Jesse James" which was a huge box office success. "The Rains Came," a story about India, quickly followed with Ty appearing as a very handsome Indian prince. As Alice's Faye's leading man in "Rose of Washington Square" Ty gave a very memorable performance and followed it with "Second Fiddle" with Sonja Henie. The title was a misnomer because the handsome Mr. Power lead the Orchestra in looks and sex appeal.
The forties roared in with the gangster films and Ty starred as "Johnny Apollo."
This was followed by "Brigham Young," but neither one did much to enhance Ty’s scope as an actor. "The Mark of Zorro" gave Ty a chance to bare his chest and please his fans and kept him on top as far as the box office rating were concerned. "Blood and Sand" (1941) was a chance to portray a handsome bullfigher. The females loved it and the critics were kind. Betty Grable was number one at 20th and Ty starred with her in "A Yank in the R.A.F." It was a very great success and in 1942 "Son of Fury" had Ty back in swashbuckling form, showing his prowess as a sword fighter. A tear jerker with Joan Fontaine, "This Above All" a wartime romance, and then back into costume again for" The Black Swan." "Crash Dive" 1943 was another was film but "The Razor's Edge" made in 1946 was a controversial film. It was hailed as Ty’s "comeback" (He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Marines during the war). George Cukor said it was "an
impossible" script, but nevertheless Ty’s smiling portrayal of the bank clerk had the fans clammering for tickets at the box office, which made a "star" despite the critical reception of the film.
"Nightmare Alley" made in 1947 proved to be a box-office nightmare. "Captain form Castille" was successful, but "the Luck of the Irish" and "That Wonderful Urge" were not too impressive. Convinced that Power was most popular in costume roles, 20th quickly made "Prince of Foxes" and "The Black Rose" in 1949 and 1950 respectively. Neither were spectacular hits and Ty wasn't too keen to follow with another mediocre melodrama,so he grabbed the stage role of "Mister Roberts." The fans showed up and convinved Ty, with their nightly applause, that he was still their hero. He made a western "Rawhide" with Susan Hayward in 1951 and "I'll Never Forget You" with Ann Blyth.
"The Mississippi Gambler" and "Macdonald of the Canadian Mounties" [sic] were made in Universal Studios in 1953 and "King of the Kyber Rifles" was made at 20th in 1954 followed b "Untamed" with Susan Hayward in 1955. No box office records were set for any of the films, but "The Eddy Duchin Story" made in 1956 at Columbia proved to be one of the year's top money makers.
Tyrone Power was not free of his contract with 20th and eagerly returned to the stage. On Broadway he did a reading with Charles Laughton of "John Brown's Body" and in London he did. "The Devil's Disciple" (1956). In partnership with Mai Zeitterling he produced a drama about life at sea, "Seven Waves Away." "The Sun Also Rises,"
the film version of Ernest Hemingway's famous novel, enhanced by Ty's career, then Billy Wilder cast him as the suspect in "Witness for the Prosecution" which co-starred Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton. This was a great success, both financially and emotionally for Ty, it boosted his morale and pushed him again into the forefront of American actors. He then toured the States with Faye Emerson in "Back to Methuselah" and towards the end of 1958 went to film "Solomon and Sheba," Ty tragically died of a heart attack following the filming of a sward fight with George Sanders. King Vidor who directed the film thought it might have been one of Ty's best films.
Ty's sudden and tragic death was felt deeply by the movie colony who and fans alike, who had lost a respected and handsome leading man.
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