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William Surrey Hart (1864?-1946) Papers
GC 1012  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Acquisition Information
  • Biography/Administrative History
  • Scope and Content of Collection
  • Indexing Terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: William Surrey Hart (1864?-1946) Papers
    Dates: 1889-1947
    Collection Number: GC 1012
    Creator/Collector:
    Extent: 50 linear feet
    Repository: Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
    Los Angeles, California 90007-4057
    Abstract: Letters (including fan mail), literary productions, legal and financial records, scrapbooks, clippings, theater programs, and other materials relating to the life and career of William S. Hart.
    Language of Material: English

    Access

    Research is by appointment only

    Publication Rights

    Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder

    Preferred Citation

    William Surrey Hart (1864?-1946) Papers . Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

    Biography/Administrative History

    Stage and motion picture actor, film director, author. Best known for his roles in western films.

    Scope and Content of Collection

    Letters (including fan mail), literary productions, legal and financial records, scrapbooks, clippings, theater programs, and other materials relating to the life and career of William S. Hart. Hart's correspondence includes letters from Wyatt Earp and Thomas H. Ince. Paul Conlon's (Hart's publicist) correspondence with newspaper editors and others is also part of the collection. There are manuscripts and typescripts of many of Hart's writings, including the manuscript for his autobiography, My Life East and West. Legal documents relate to Hart's various lawsuits, including Hart vs. Thomas Ince and Hart vs. United Artists. Financial records include documents pertaining to Hart's life at his ranch in Newhall, California, and to his career (there are records from the Famous Players- Lasky Corporation and from the William S. Hart Company). The clippings and scrapbooks describe, for example, Hart's film appearances, his marriage to and separation from Winifred Westover, and his decision to remain retired, rather than returning to films. Additionally, there are two Mary Ellen Hart (Hart's sister) diaries that contain only brief passages. See also Gen. Col. 1191 The Fred Gehring Letters, and Gen. Col. 1192 The William S. Hart County Park Research Files. See also P-20.1, P-75, P-98, MSS-247, MSS-251, MSS-575.

    Indexing Terms

    Actors and actresses.