Tumbleweeds (United Artists) (1925)

Advance Stories about the Picture and Title EXCEPTIONAL CAST FOR BILL HART FILM Barbara Bedford, Beautiful and Resourceful, His Chief Sup¬ port in “Tumbleweeds” A cast selected with especial reference to the fitness of each individual member to the role assigned, was chosen to in¬ terpret William S. Hart’s first produc¬ tion for United Artists Corporation— “Tumbleweeds” a powerful story of western drama coming next . to the . theatre. Barbara Bedford is leading woman, playing Molly Lassiter, a beautiful and resource,.ul girl of the midwest; MisS Bedford is recognized as a very excel¬ lent actress and is possessed of unusual charm and ability to project her vivid personality across the silver sheet. Lucien Littlefield, one of the foremost character actors and an expert at make¬ up, was selected for the semi-comedy role of “Kentucky Rose”—a quaint frontier type, a cowboy who believes himself a sort of range sheik, but who has a heart of gold. J. Gordon Russell plays Noll, one of the two heavies. Mr. Russell has ap¬ peared in several Hart pictures in the past and is a big man with much dra¬ matic insight. Richard R. Neill, as Freel, is the other villain. He is also well-known on the screen but has worked mostly in the East. He played a part in Mr. Hart’s “Wild Bill Hicock,” however. Jack Murphy, a clever youngster, will be seen as Bart Lassiter. Lillian Leigh¬ ton has a highly humorous role as Mrs. Riley, one of the homesteaders, while Gertrude Claire plays a sympathetic role. Capt. T. E. Duncan is a calvary major. Several other well-known players will be added for smaller roles as the need arises. Great crowds of extra people were employed in the great land rush scenes which were made on location at a famous old rancho. King Baggot directed and Justin H. McCloskey was his assistant. John Stuart Stumar, a cameraman with a wide range of experience with most of the large producing companies, was the first cameraman. “TUMBLEWEEDS” SHOWS BILL HART AT BEST Star Returns to Active Screen Work in Role That Fits Him Perfectly When Bill Hart stepped before a battery of cameras in “Tumbleweeds” some months ago, it was the first time in a year and a half that he had faced the movie lens. But the. great star looked better than ever, weighed exactly what he weighed when he first entered pictures, more than ten years ago, and in every way was the Bill Hart—“Two-Gun Bill”— the public has learned to adore. “Tumbleweeds” is now at the. theatre and if ever the west was repre¬ sented faithfully on the screen, this is one time. However, this has always been a characteristic of Mr. Hart’s productions. He is faithful to the types and incidents of the west. He does not believe in wild exaggeration and untruthful representation of peo¬ ple he holds in reverential esteem—the men who made the west. A fine cast' is supporting Mr. Hart and the picture is a real thriller. King Baggot directed. I “TUMBLEWEEDS” NAMED L BECAUSE OF HABITS Bill Hart’s New Picture Title Taken From Weed of Western Prairies What are “tumbleweeds?” While this question may seem odd to many who have lived in the west or middle west, it is a fact that numerous city dwellers, especially, do not know what a tumbleweed really is. Inasmuch as William S. Hart’s new screen production, “Tumbleweeds,” his first for United Artists Corporation, comes next . to the . . theatre, an explanation of the nature of the weed, which gives its name to Hal G. Evarts’ epic novel, may not be amiss: Herbert Quick, lamented author of “The Hawkeye,” in that fine story, tells of the Tumbleweeds in the following delightful fashion: “A new weed came in with settlement of the country and the breaking of the prairie sod, here and there, in those little black oblongs which are now great farms. Ah, how small they looked 1 And on these newly-plowed fields there grew up as if the seeds had been awaiting the plough for ages, this new seed. It was a lovely, tender, green thing as it sprouted from the black sod, but as summer ad¬ vanced it rivaled in size the plant from the mustard seed of Scripture. It grew into a great hemisphere of spiny foliage, its flat side on the ground, and its huge oval, sometimes four feet high, resting in a broad circle on the earth. And then see what nature does for the perpetuation of the race I Nature caused the root to decay as the millions of seeds ripened, and at the first strong wind of autumn, each weed fetched loose from its moorings and rolled across the prairie like a great ball, scattering its seeds as it went. We called them “tumbleweeds.” The encyclopedia calls them “plants, chiefly annuals, especially abundant in prairie regions.” The best known in the United States are the Russian thistle and two tumbling “pigweeds.” Oddly enough, the German immigrants used to call the tumbleweeds, “wolves” perhaps because they looked like packs of hunted animals as they rolled across the open spaces in the dusk. King Baggot directed “Tumbleweeds” for Mr. Hart. HART SEES DEMAND FOR WESTERN FILMS Star of “Tumbleweeds,” New Drama of the West, Ex¬ plains His Attitude “I firmly believe that the continual demand for western pictures,” says William S. Hart, whose production of “Tumbleweeds” for United Artists Cor¬ poration release will be at the. theatre next ., “is due to the fact that people realize that in the west is contained the most romantic history of our country, and that the bravery of those who blazed the trails in pioneer days is as potent in its effect today as ever. To give accurate pic¬ tures of the people and times in what is called the Far West but which in¬ volves the midwest, northwest and southwest as well, is my purpose in pro¬ ducing photoplays.” “Tumblpweeds” was directed by King Baggot and Barbara Bedford has the feminine lead opposite the star. “TUMBLEWEEDS.” THEY JUST KEEP ROLLING How Bill Hart’s New Photoplay Got Its Title is Herewith Explained A lot of people keep asking why “Tumbleweeds” was chosen as the title for William S. Hart’s new photoplay for United Artists Corporation release, and want to know what it means, and how it applies. Here’s the answer: During the settling of the Cherokee Land Strip between Kansas and Okla¬ homa back in 1889, the cowpunchers had to seek green fields and pastures new, because the cattle ranchers on the strip were forced to move and the cattle were dispersed. The punchers, as Hal G. Evarts, au¬ thor of the story “Tumbleweeds” had it, referred to themselves as “tumble¬ weeds” because they were continually on the move, and pointed with disdain to the lowly squash, anchored to its vine till somebody cut it loose for cooking purposes. They had a song— “I never cease my roamin’ I’m always hard to catch— But the punkin stays forever In the same ole garden patch.” Bill Hart plays a typical tumbleweed in the picture which King Baggot di¬ rected, and which comes next.. to the .;. theatre, but he finally ceases drifting. It is said that this is the biggest and finest picture the foremost western star has ever made. A fine cast is announced, with Barbara Bedford as leading woman. C. Gardner Sullivan adapted “Tumbleweeds” for the screen. THOUSANDS FILMED IN NEW HART MOVIE “Tumbleweeds” an Accurate Photographic Portrayal of Great Homestead Rush “Tumbleweeds,” which is to be seen at the .. theatre next ....., is a William S. Hart pro¬ duction in which great crowds of people are used, as well as enormous herds of cattle and horses, soldiers and thou¬ sands of vehicles. Having to do with the famous dash of the homesteaders to settle on the Cherokee Land Strip when it was opened in 1889, this feature alone en¬ tails the use of many hundreds of men and women as well as children, who ar¬ rive at Caldwell, Kan., to stake their homesites in the Strip. The actual dash itself is historically recognized as one of the greatest “rushes” in the story of the West’s upbuilding. Cattle ranch scenes necessitated the use of many big herds and all the at¬ tendant thrill of true cowboy life. Bill Hart has a role distinctly suited to him in the part of Don Carver, self- styled “tumbleweed” who only comes to rest when romance enters his life in the person of a delightful girl of the midwest—played by Barbara Bed¬ ford. King Baggot, formerly a favorite screen star, is director of the picture, adapted by C. Gardner Sullivan from •the novel by Hal G. Evarts, which formerly ran in the Saturday Evening Post. It is a United Artists Corpor¬ ation release. CALL “TUMBLEWEEDS” GREATEST HART FILM Cherokee Land Rush Scenes Made At Huge Expense Before Camera Battery When it is reflected that, on one scene alone for William S. Hart’s “Tumbleweeds,” which comes to the . theatre next ..., more than $100,000 worth of cameras were used, fully nineteen being trained on the action, it can be judged that this is one of the world’s greatest western pictures. It is Hart’s own production for United Artists Cor¬ poration release, and is Ijis greatest ef¬ fort in the eleven years of his success¬ ful screen career. The great scene referred to is the land rush which duplicates that which took place thirty-six years ago at the Cherokee Strip between Kansas and Oklahoma. Hundreds of wagons, peo¬ ple, horses and mules were utilized in this great dash—the most thrilling ever depicted for a picture anywhere. The scene was enacted before a crowd of spectators and members of the press and all were thrilled as if by an actual happening in life. King Baggot, director, with his as¬ sistant, and thirty sub-assistants staged the big event. It is notable that no one was injured—not even a horse or dog. When the siren whistled its shrieking signal, and bugles were blown, the great dash started and like a maddened army flew past the camera stands dis¬ tributed over five miles of territory from various angles. Some cameras were perched precariously on high par¬ allels while others were not more than two feet from the ground—to catch the wheels and horses’ hoofs. Still cameras, graflexes and others were working at top speed. William S. Hart, star and producer, is said to have done the finest work of his career in this production. He plays a typical cowboy of 1889, does marvelous riding and some hard hitting as well. Barbara Bedford is his lead¬ ing woman. The location at La Aguerro Rancho assumed the aspects of a young city of tents. Five thousand gallons of water were transported daily six miles to camp; during the rush scene 12,- 000 gallons a day had to be provided. Mess tents fed hundreds of men, wom¬ en and children. There were pro¬ visions for every emergency, including hospitals for man or beast; fire and police protection. Thousands of bales of hay were utilized for feed for the stock. Hundreds of cowboys handled the horses and cattle. Wagons came from everywhere—many covered prairie schooners—and the Ventura Boulevard and contiguous country resembled a trail of the old days, save for the autos which mingled incongruously with the vehicles of forty years ago. It was a study in the development of transpor¬ tation methods.