William Surrey Hart (1864?-1946) Papers

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

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

Research is by appointment only

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

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

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

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.