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Settlers nervously await the signal to begin
the rush for land on Oklahoma's Cherokee
Strip. The land rush sequence in Tumble-
weeds is considered to be one of the best of
its kind.

~ent with him. Triangle imported new about settling down and raising a family. that it was too long and sought to cut the
stars at bigger salaries; for example, Hart is rumored to have fallen in love film . Hart blocked this action, and
Douglas Fairbanks received $2,000 per with most of his leading ladies; it is United Artists countered by deliberately
week. Negotiations with the company known that he proposed to many of mishandling the distribution of the film,
only doubled Hart's salary and added a them. Winifred Westover, his co-star in ruining any chance for a successful run.
$50 bonus; one year later Hart's salary fohn Petticoats, accepted him, and they Hart filed a lawsuit against United Art-
was raised to $1,000 per week. It began to were married on December 7, 1921. Un- ists and won, but the damage had already
be obvious even to Hart that Ince was fortunately, after a short and unhappy been done. Hart never made another
taking advantage of their friendship. interlude they separated in May 1922. film, although he did participate in a few
In 1917 Ince, Sennett, Griffith, Fair- Their son, William, Jr., was born Septem- small film-making ventures.
banks, Hart, and others left Triangle to ber 6, 1922, but public hopes that the In 1926 he commissioned Los Angeles
join Adolph Zukor at Famous Players- child would bring the couple back to- architect Arthur Kelly to design and
Lasky (later Paramount). Zukor offered gether were in vain. Hart provided a build a Spanish colonial-style home on a
Hart $150,000 per picture, guaranteed, generous financial settlement for Wini- working ranch in Newhall, California,
plus a fifty-fifty split of 35 percent of the fred and his son soon after the couple that he had leased since 1918. His sister
profits with Ince. Hart was finally receiv- separated. They were divorced in 1927. Mary Ellen lived there with him until
ing what he deserved for his films, even At the same time, Hart's films were her death in 1944. Hart himself died in
though he was forced to share the profits beginning to show some signs of decline: 1946. He left the bulk of his estate to the
with Ince, who was involved in the films they were becoming increasingly pre- County of Los Angeles with the stipula-
in name only. Hart and Ince argued con- dictable, repetitive, and overly senti- tion that his home and the grounds of the
stantly once shooting on the first pic- mental. Hart refused to speed up his ranch were to be used as a public park
ture began. The resentment that had films by adding action sequences as and museum. The home stands today
been building for years finally broke other stars such as Tom Mix were doing. not only as a tribute to William S. Hart,
the friendship, culminating in Hart's Paramount was concerned that exhibi- but also as a true museum. Hart's per-
successful lawsuit against Ince in 1920. tors were losing interest in Hart's films sonal effects and movie paraphernalia
In 1919 Hart was approached by Mary and requested that Hart give them con- are shown along with his marvelous
Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fair- trol over the production of his films. He collection of Western art and artifacts.
banks, and D. W. Griffith to join them refused, and rather than submit to the An educational and thoroughly enter-
in forming United Artists. Hart, now direction of others, Hart left Paramount, taining visit to the William S. Hart
feeling a loyalty to Zukor, choose to ac- intending to make his own films. Ranch is what Hart had in mind when he
cept a second contract with Paramount But his departure from Paramount ef- gave the property to the County in order
for nine pictures at $200,000 each fectively ended his film career. In 1925 to give back to the people some of what
guaranteed. He was also looking for fi- his final film Tumbleweeds was released they had given to him.
nancial security, and he did not wish to through United Artists. Although it is
take on the burden of running a new now considered to be one of his best Katherine Child is Collections Manager
company. He was also beginning to think films, United Artists thought at the time of the William S. Hart Park Museum.

TERRA, Vol. 26, No. 2 • N ov. / Dec. 1987 125