Tumbleweeds

Director: William S. Hart, King Baggot, James Bagle

Overview

The once-famous cowboy star, William S. Hart, stars in this silent film as a man intent on claiming some land during the 1889 land rush in the Oklahoma Territory. Though falling in love with a beautiful woman (Barbara Bedford) and hoping to settle down with her on his newly acquired land, he must first contend with men who wish to bring him harm. In the prologue of the 1939 revival of this film, Hart gives an eight-minute introduction--the first and only time he appeared in a film accompanied by his striking voice.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/25/2009
UPC:	0089218588791
Original Release:	1925
Rating:	NR
Source:	Alpha Video
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:14:00
Sales rank:	45,776

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Barbara Bedford	Molly Lassiter
Lucien Littlefield	Kentucky Rose
J. Gordon Russell	Noll Lassiter,Noll Lassiter
Richard R. Neill	Actor
William Hart	Don Carver
Jack Murphy	Bart Lassiter
Lillian Leighton	Mrs. Riley
Turner Savage	Riley Boy
James Gordon	Joe Hinman
King Baggot	Actor
Gertrude Claire	Old Woman
Monte Collins	Hick
T.E. Duncan	Major of Cavalry
Fred Gamble	Hotel Proprietor
George Marion Sr.	Old Man

Technical Credits

C. Sullivan

William S. Hart	Producer
C. Sullivan	Screenwriter

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Tumbleweeds
2. Chapter 1 [11:09]
3. Chapter 2 [14:18]
4. Chapter 3 [11:39]
5. Chapter 4 [12:05]
6. Chapter 5 [11:45]
7. Chapter 6 [13:32]

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Disc #1 -- Tumbleweeds
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Editorial Reviews

This is William S. Hart's final contribution to the Western genre he had helped define a decade earlier. Hart plays a "tumbleweed," one of the last of the roaming cowboys whose way of life is about to disappear with the arrival of empire building settlers. It is mere days before the legendary Oklahoma land rush, when the fertile Cherokee Strip will be taken over by farmers and shop keepers. Later, due to his infatuation with lovely Barbara Bedford, Hart is more than ready to stake his claim, both for the land and the lady. Despite the potential inherit in the material, Tumbleweeds is not the epic story telling of empire building Hart may have envisioned. Nevertheless, Hart's version of the land rush, some of it filmed at the Universal back lot, remains second to none in scope and excitement and certainly influenced the many versions to come, including the award-winning Cimarron. Since the director, King Baggot, never did anything like this, before or after, the credit most likely belongs with Hart himself. As always, Hart goes for realism in both setting and characterization. His aging cowpoke is no one-dimensional hero and is not above breaking the law to get what he wants. The supporting cast is equally well appointed, with Lucien Littlefield solid as the comic sidekick, Richard R. Neill and J. Gordon Russell properly menacing as the villainous "sooners," and Barbara Bedford, mature and beautiful, as the heroine. Tumbleweeds failed to deliver the hoped-for business and Hart, distressed at having to compete with showmen like Tom Mix and Hoot Gibson, chose to retire. He was back on the screen in a filmed prologue to the 1939 re-release of Tumbleweeds, however, proving perhaps only that talkies were not this rather bombastic Victorian stage actor's true métier.