Jerry Tyler was born in Shenandoah, Iowa, in 1911 to small farmers who struggled to make ends meet amidst rising prices.
Tyler worked many odd jobs beginning at a young age and made his way to the West Coast during the Great Depression.
[1] Tyler briefly joined the California National Guard but left after refusing to take part in breaking the San Francisco General Strike in 1934.
The show became a key tool for workers from local unions to coordinate with each other and gain public support for strikes.
The show was cancelled, however, in 1950 amidst the Red Scare after the ILWU, MCS, and nine other unions were expelled from the CIO due to alleged communist infiltration.