WILLIAM S. HART - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 07/03/1929 - HFSID 264502

WILLIAM S. HART
William Hart writes a letter of thanks for the list that was sent to him and to say that he has already distributed it.
ALS: "Always sincerely yours/Bill Hart", 1 page, 8½x11. Horseshoe Ranch, Newhall, California, 1929 July 29. On letterhead of The William S. Hart Company to "Dear 'Slim' Branier". In full: "Glad you and the wife liked the books - Gosh! It's going great - I'm simply delighted - I received the package of prize lists - and gave it to my cowboy foreman to distribute - I'm afraid - its (sic) most too long a jump for our Calif boys - Oklahoma and Montana has (sic) the edge on distance - I'll send the big photo - today." Hart, who had shot some of his Westerns at locations on and around Newhall, purchased the 265 acres that would become Horseshoe Ranch in 1924 or 1925. He moved permanently to the property in 1927, when his ranch house was completed. Hart, who headquartered his company at the ranch (it had previously been based on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood), willed the property to the County of Los Angeles with the stipulation that it be called William S. Hart Park. At age 19, William S. Hart (1870-1946) began acting onstage in New York, going on to make his name as a Shakespearean actor on Broadway. By his 30s, he was a highly popular stage performer, particularly in western plays. Hart was 44 when he starred in his first film in 1914. Basing his westerns on his own memories of the West, he insisted on stark realism, using bare, unglamorous storylines that emphasized plot and character over action. In the early 1920s, other western stars emerged who emphasized spectacular action and larger-than-life heroics and Hart's popularity faded. In 1925, he made his final film, Tumbleweeds. Lightly creased. Chipped at upper left edge and mid-right edge, lower left and right corners torn off. 2 pinhead-size holes at lower left blank margin. Paperclip impression at upper left margin, tack head-size stain at lower right margin. Overall, fine condition.