William S. Hart

William Surrey Hart (December 6, 1864 – June 23, 1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer.[1] He is remembered as a foremost western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integrity."[2] During the late 1910s and early 1920s, he was one of the most consistently popular movie stars, frequently ranking high among male actors in popularity contests held by movie fan magazines.[3][4][5]

William S. Hart
Hart, c. 1918
Born
William Surrey Hart

(1864-12-06)December 6, 1864
Newburgh, New York, United States
DiedJune 23, 1946(1946-06-23) (aged 81)
Newhall, California, United States
Occupation
  • Actor
  • screenwriter
  • director
  • producer
Years active1888–1941
Spouse(s)Winifred Westover (1921–1927)
Children1
Hart on the June 1917 cover of Motion Picture Magazine
Hart's ranch home ("La Loma de los Vientos") in Newhall, California was built between 1924 and 1928. The former residence, an example of the Spanish Colonial Revival architectural style, is currently a museum.

Biography

Hart was born in Newburgh, New York, to Nicholas Hart (c. 1834–1895) and Rosanna Hart (c. 1839–1909). William had two brothers, who died very young, and four sisters. His father was born in England, and his mother was born in Ireland. He was a distant cousin of the western star Neal Hart.

He began his acting career on stage in his 20s, and in film when he was 49, which coincided with the beginning of film's transition from curiosity to commercial art form.[6] Hart's stage debut came in 1888 as a member of a company headed by Daniel E. Bandmann. The following year he joined Lawrence Barrett's company in New York and later spent several seasons with Mlle. Hortense Rhéa's traveling company.[7] He toured and traveled extensively while trying to make a name for himself as an actor, and for a time directed shows at the Asheville Opera House in North Carolina, around the year 1900. He had some success as a Shakespearean actor on Broadway, working with Margaret Mather and other stars; he appeared in the original 1899 stage production of Ben-Hur. His family had moved to Asheville but, after his youngest sister Lotta died of typhoid fever in 1901, they all left together for Brooklyn until William went back on tour.[8]

Hart went on to become one of the first great stars of the motion picture western. Fascinated by the Old West, he acquired Billy the Kid's "six shooters" and was a friend of legendary lawmen Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson. He entered films in 1914 where, after playing supporting roles in two short films, he achieved stardom as the lead in the feature The Bargain. Hart was particularly interested in making realistic western films. His films are noted for their authentic costumes and props, as well as Hart's acting ability, honed on Shakespearean theater stages in the United States and England.

Beginning in 1915, Hart starred in his own series of two-reel western short subjects for producer Thomas Ince, which were so popular that they were supplanted by a series of feature films. Many of Hart's early films continued to play in theaters, under new titles, for another decade. In 1915 and 1916 exhibitors voted him the biggest money making star in the United States.[9] In 1917 Hart accepted a lucrative offer from Adolph Zukor to join Famous Players-Lasky, which merged into Paramount Pictures. In the films Hart began to ride a brown and white pinto he called Fritz. Fritz was the forerunner of later famous movie horses known by their own name, e.g., horses like Tom Mix's Tony, Roy Rogers's Trigger and Clayton Moore's Silver. In 1917, to signify "his patriotism and loyalty to Uncle Sam" it was announced to "change the name of his favorite horse from Fritz to one more truly American."[10] Hart was now making feature films exclusively, and films like Square Deal Sanderson and The Toll Gate were popular with fans. Hart married young Hollywood actress Winifred Westover. Although their marriage was short-lived, they had one child, William S. Hart, Jr. (1922–2004).

In 1921, Hollywood comic actor Roscoe Arbuckle was charged with rape and manslaughter in the death of aspiring actress Virginia Rappe. Amid the controversy, many of Arbuckle's fellow actors declined public comment on the case. However, Hart, who had never worked with Arbuckle or even met him, made a number of damaging public statements in which he presumed the actor's guilt. Arbuckle, who was eventually acquitted but saw his career ruined, later wrote a premise for a film parodying Hart as a thief, bully and wife beater, and it was bought by Buster Keaton. The following year, Keaton co-wrote, directed and starred in the 1922 comedy film The Frozen North. As a result, Hart refused to speak to Keaton for many years.[11][12]

By the early 1920s, however, Hart's brand of gritty, rugged westerns with drab costumes and moralistic themes gradually fell out of fashion. The public became attracted by a new kind of movie cowboy, epitomized by Tom Mix, who wore flashier costumes and was involved in more action scenes. Paramount dropped Hart, who then made one last bid for his kind of western. He produced Tumbleweeds (1925) with his own money, arranging to release it independently through United Artists. The film turned out well, with an epic land-rush sequence, but did only fair business at the box office. Hart was angered by United Artists' failure to promote his film properly and sued United Artists. The legal proceedings dragged on for years, and the courts finally ruled in Hart's favor, in 1940.

After Tumbleweeds, Hart retired to his Newhall, California, ranch home, "La Loma de los Vientos", which was designed by architect Arthur R. Kelly. In 1939 he appeared in his only sound film, a spoken prologue for a reissue of Tumbleweeds. In this segment, filmed at his ranch, the 74-year-old Hart reflected on the Old West and fondly recalled his silent movie heyday. The speech turned out to be his farewell to the screen. Most prints and video versions of Tumbleweeds circulating today include the speech.

Hart died on June 23, 1946, in Newhall at age 81. He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Dedications

For his contribution to the motion picture industry, William S. Hart has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6363 Hollywood Blvd. In 1975, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

As part of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, California, Hart's former home and 260-acre (1.1 km²) ranch in Newhall is now William S. Hart Park. The William S. Hart High School District as well as William S. Hart Senior High School, both located in the Santa Clarita Valley in the northern part of Los Angeles County, were named in his honor. A Santa Clarita baseball field complex is named in his honor.

The "Range Rider of the Yellowstone," a statue commissioned by Hart and modeled from life, stands on the Rimrocks in front of the airport at Billings, Montana. Hart donated it to the city in 1927, where it remains a memorial to his memory. .

On November 10, 1962, Hart was honored posthumously in an episode of The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show, a short-lived western variety program on ABC.

Published books
Portrait of Hart in the June 1916 issue of The Photo-Play Journal

After Hart retired from film making he began writing short stories and book-length manuscripts.[13] His published books are:

  • Pinto Ben and Other Stories (written with Mary Hart), 1919, Britton Publishing Company
  • The Golden West Boys, Injun and Whitey, 1920, Grossett & Dunlap
  • Injun and Whitey Strike Out for Themselves, 1921, Grossett & Dunlap
  • Injun and Whitey to the Rescue, 1922, Grossett & Dunlap
  • "Told Under a White Oak Tree" (credited as by "Bill Hart's Pinto Pony"), 1922, Houghton Mifflin Co.
  • A Lighter of Flames, 1923, Thomas Y. Crowell
  • The Order of Chanta Sutas, 1925, unknown publisher
  • My Life East and West, 1929, Houghton Mifflin Co.
  • Hoofbeats, 1933, Dial Press
  • Law on Horseback and Other Stories, 1935, self-published
  • And All Points West (written with Mary Hart), 1940, Lacotah Press

Selected filmography
  • Ben-Hur (1907, Short) - Messala (unverified)
  • His Hour of Manhood (1914, Short) - Pete Larson
  • Jim Cameron's Wife (1914, Short) - Andy Stiles
  • The Bargain (1914) - Jim Stokes
  • Two-Gun Hicks (1914, Short) - Two-Gun Hicks
  • In the Sage Brush Country (1914, Short) - Jim Brandon
  • The Bad Buck of Santa Ynez (1914, extant; Library of Congress)
  • The Gringo (1914, *unconfirmed)
  • The Scourge of the Desert (1915, Short) - Bill Evers
  • Mr. 'Silent' Haskins (1915, Short) - Lon Haskins
  • The Grudge (1915, Short) - Rio Ed
  • The Sheriff's Streak of Yellow (1915, Short) - Sheriff Hale
  • The Roughneck (1915, Short, ?; Library of Congress) - Dave Page
  • On the Night Stage (1915) - Texas
  • The Taking of Luke McVane (1915, Short) - Luke McVane
  • The Man from Nowhere (1915, Short) - Buck Varley - the Man from Nowhere
  • 'Bad Buck' of Santa Ynez (1915, Short, extant; Library of Congress) - Bad Buck Peters
  • The Darkening Trail (1915) - Yukon Ed
  • The Conversion of Frosty Blake (1915, Short) - Frosty Blake
  • Tools of Providence (1915, Short) - Steve Blake
  • The Ruse (1915, Short, extant; Library of Congress) - 'Bat' Peters
  • Cash Parrish's Pal (1915, Short) - Cash Parrish
  • Knight of the Trail (1915, Short) - Jim Treen
  • Pinto Ben (1915, Short) - Pinto Ben - Boss Rider
  • Keno Bates, Liar (1915, Short) - Keno Bates
  • The Disciple (1915) - Jim Houston
  • Between Men (1915, extant; Library of Congress) - Bob White
  • Grit (1915, Short)
  • Hell's Hinges (1916, extant; Library of Congress) - Blaze Tracy
  • The Aryan (1916, extant; Library of Congress) - Steve Denton
  • The Primal Lure (1916) - Angus McConnell
  • The Apostle of Vengeance (1916) - David Hudson
  • The Captive God (1916) - Chiapa
  • The Patriot (1916) - Bob Wiley
  • The Dawn Maker (1916) - Joe Elk
  • The Return of Draw Egan (1916, extant;DVD) - Draw Egan aka William Blake
  • The Devil's Double (1916) - 'Bowie' Blake
  • Truthful Tulliver (1917) - Truthful Tulliver
  • The Gunfighter (1917) - Cliff Hudspeth
  • The Desert Man (1917) - Jim Alton
  • The Square Deal Man (1917) - Jack O'Diamonds
  • Wolf Lowry (1917) - Tom 'Wolf' Lowery
  • The Cold Deck (1917) - Jefferson 'On-the-Level' Leigh
  • All Star Liberty Loan Drive Special for War Effort (1917)
  • The Silent Man (1917) - 'Silent' Budd Marr
  • The Narrow Trail (1917) - Ice Harding
  • Wolves of the Rail (1918) - 'Buck' Andrade
  • 'Blue Blazes' Rawden (1918) - Blue Blazes Rawden
  • The Tiger Man (1918) - Hawk Parsons
  • Selfish Yates (1918) - 'Selfish' Yates
  • Shark Monroe (1918) - Shark Monroe
  • Riddle Gawne (1918) - Jefferson 'Riddle' Gawne
  • The Border Wireless (1918) - Steve Ransom
  • Branding Broadway (1918) - Robert Sands
  • The Lion of the Hills (1918)
  • Staking His Life (1918) - Bud Randall
  • Breed of Men (1919) - Careless Carmody
  • The Poppy Girl's Husband (1919) - Hairpin Harry Dutton
  • The Money Corral (1919) - Lem Beason
  • Square Deal Sanderson (1919) - Square Deal Sanderson
  • Wagon Tracks (1919, extant; Library of Congress) - Buckskin Hamilton
  • John Petticoats (1919, extant; Library of Congress) - 'Hardwood' John Haynes
  • The Toll Gate (1920, extant; Library of Congress) - Black Deering
  • Sand! (1920, extant, DVD) - Dan Kurrie
  • The Cradle of Courage (1920) - 'Square' Kelly
  • The Testing Block (1920) - 'Sierra' Bill
  • O'Malley of the Mounted (1921) - Sergeant O'Malley
  • The Whistle (1921, extant; Library of Congress) - Robert Evans
  • Three Word Brand (1921) - Three Word Brand / Governor Marsden / Ben Trego
  • White Oak (1921, extant; Library of Congress) - Oak Miller - A Gambling Man
  • Travelin' On (1922, extant; Library of Congress) - J.B., The Stranger
  • Hollywood (1923) - Himself
  • Wild Bill Hickok (1923) - Wild Bill Hickok
  • Singer Jim McKee (1924, extant; Library of Congress) - 'Singer' Jim McKee
  • Hello, 'Frisco (1924, Short) - Himself
  • Tumbleweeds (1925, extant; Library of Congress, others) - Don Carver
  • Show People (1928, *cameo at studio luncheon) - Himself (uncredited)
  • Tumbleweeds (1940/rerelease, *filmed talkie prologue to accompany 1925 silent)
  • The Dawn-Maker (1916)
  • The Return of Draw Egan (1916)
  • The Square Deal Man (1917)
  • The Money Corral (1919)
  • The Whistle (1921)
  • White Oak (1921)

William S. Hart Ranch and Museum

When Hart died, he bequeathed his home to Los Angeles County so that it could be converted into a park and museum.[6] His former home in Newhall, Santa Clarita, California has become a satellite of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and remains free and open to the public to this day.[14] The home is a Spanish Colonial Revival style mansion and contains many of the movie star's possessions including Native American artifacts and works by artists Charles Marion Russell, James Montgomery Flagg, and Joe de Yong.[14] The Museum is an important part of Hart's legacy as he said before he died: "When I was making pictures, the people gave me their nickels, dimes, and quarters. When I am gone, I want them to have my home."[6] The surrounding 265-acre William S. Hart Park includes the mansion, trails, an animal area with farm animals, bison, and a picnic area.[15] Since 2015, the park has been home to the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival and Annual Hart of the West Powwow. The former being previously held at Melody Ranch.[16]

References
Hart, c. 1920
  1. Obituary Variety, June 26, 1946, page 62.
  2. King, Susan (July 25, 2011). "Classic Hollywood: Western film pioneers have silent-era roots" – via LA Times.
  3. "Popularity Contest Closes". Motion Picture Magazine. Chicago: Brewster Publications. December 1920. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  4. "The Motion Picture Hall of Fame". Motion Picture Magazine. Chicago: Brewster Publications. July 1918. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  5. "The Greatest of Popularity Contests". Motion Picture Classic. Chicago: Brewster Publications. June 1920. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  6. "about.php". William S. Hart Museum.
  7. Davis, Ronald L., 2003. William S. Hart: Projecting the American West – pp. 28-32 Retrieved March 2, 2014
  8. Davis, Ronald L. (May 2, 2018). "William S. Hart: Projecting the American West". University of Oklahoma Press – via Google Books.
  9. "SHOOTIN FAME". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania. August 27, 1942. p. 6. Retrieved April 27, 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Bill Hart Changes Horse's Name From One of Teutonism". Montgomery Advertiser. July 8, 1917.
  11. Neibaur, James (2013). Buster Keaton's Silent Shorts: 1920–1923. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 185–186. ISBN 978-0-8108-8741-1.
  12. Meade, Marion (August 22, 1997). Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase. Chapter 12 "Cops": DaCapo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-80802-9.CS1 maint: location (link)
  13. Ronald L. Davis, William S. Hart: Projecting the American West, University of Oklahoma Press, 2003
  14. "tours.php". William S. Hart Museum.
  15. "Animals at Hart Park". Friends of Hart Park and Museum. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  16. "2015 Cowboy Festival Moves from Melody Ranch to Old Town Newhall". October 28, 2014.

Further reading
  • William Surrey Hart, My Life East and West, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1929.
  • Jeanine Basinger, Silent Stars, 1999 (ISBN 0-8195-6451-6). (chapter on William S. Hart and Tom Mix)
  • Ronald L. Davis, William S. Hart: Projecting the American West, University of Oklahoma Press, 2003.
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