Thomas H. Ince
Thomas H. Ince | |
---|---|
Benedict Canyon, Beverly Hills, California | |
Other names | Creator of the Hollywood Studio system Father of the Western |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1897–1924 |
Spouse | |
Children | 3 |
Relatives | John Ince (brother) Ralph Ince (brother) Willette Kershaw (sister-in-law) |
Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent era filmmaker and media proprietor.[1] Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films.[2]
Ince revolutionized the motion picture industry by creating the first major Hollywood studio facility and invented
Ince's untimely death at the height of his career, after he became severely ill aboard the private yacht of media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, has caused much speculation, although the official cause of his death was heart failure.[5]
Life and career
Thomas Harper Ince was born on November 16, 1880, in Newport, Rhode Island, the middle of three sons and a daughter raised by English immigrants, John E. and Emma Ince.[6] His father was born in Wigan, Lancashire in 1841, and was the youngest of nine boys who enlisted in the British Navy as a "powder monkey". He later disembarked at San Francisco, and found work as a reporter and coal miner. Around 1887, when Ince was about seven, the family moved to Manhattan to pursue theater work. Ince's father worked as both an actor and musical agent and his mother, Ince himself, sister Bertha and brothers, John and Ralph all worked as actors. Ince made his Broadway debut at 15 in a small role of a revival 1893 play, Shore Acres by James A. Herne.[7] He appeared with several stock companies as a child and was later an office boy for theatrical manager Daniel Frohman.[8][9] He later formed an unsuccessful vaudeville company known as "Thomas H. Ince and His Comedians" in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. In 1907, Ince met actress Elinor Kershaw ("Nell") and they were married on October 19 of that year. They had three children.
Ince's directing career began in 1910 through a chance encounter in
Clashes between the trust and independent films became exacerbated, so Ince moved to California to escape these pressures. He hoped to achieve the effects accomplished with minimal facilities like Griffith, which he believed, could only be accomplished in
The offer came as a distinct shock, but I kept cool and concealed my excitement. I tried to convey the impression that he would have to raise the ante a trifle if he wanted me. That also worked, and I signed a contract for three months at $150 a week. Very soon after that, with Mrs. Ince, my cameraman, property man and Ethel Grandin, my leading woman, I turned my face westward.[8]
Together with his young wife and a small entourage, Ince moved to Bison Studios to begin work immediately. He was shocked, however, to discover that the studio was nothing more than a "tract of land graced only by a four-room bungalow and a barn."
Inceville
Ince's aspirations soon led him to leave the narrow confines of Edendale and find a location that would give him greater scope and variety. He settled upon a 460-acre (1.9 km2) tract of land called Bison Ranch located at
The "Miller 101 Bison Ranch Studio", which the Millers dubbed "Inceville" (and was later re-christened "Triangle Ranch") was the first of its kind in that it featured silent stages, production offices, printing labs, a commissary large enough to serve lunch to hundreds of workers, dressing rooms, props houses, elaborate sets, and other necessities – all in one location. While the site was under construction, Ince also leased the 101 Ranch and Wild West Show from the Miller Bros., bringing the whole troupe from Oklahoma out to California via train. The show consisted of 300 cowboys and cowgirls; 600 horses, cattle and other livestock (including steers and bison) and a whole Sioux tribe (200 of them in all) who set up their teepees on the property. They were then renamed "The Bison-101 Ranch Co.", and specialized in making westerns released under the name World Famous Features.
When construction was completed, the streets were lined with many types of structures, from humble cottages to mansions, mimicking the style and architecture of different countries.[14] Extensive outdoor western sets were built and used on the site for several years. According to Katherine La Hue in her book, Pacific Palisades: Where the Mountains Meet the Sea:
Ince invested $35,000 in building, stages and sets ... a bit of Switzerland, a
Puritan settlement, a Japanese village ... beyond the breakers, an ancient brigantineweighed anchor, cutlassed men swarming over the sides of the ship, while on the shore performing cowboys galloped about, twirling their lassos in pursuit of errant cattle ... The main herds were kept in the hills, where Ince also raised feed and garden produce. Supplies of every sort were needed to house and feed a veritable army of actors, directors and subordinates.
While the cowboys,
Ince lived in a house overlooking the vast studio, later the location of Marquez Knolls. Here he functioned as the central authority over multiple production units, changing the way films were made by organizing production methods into a disciplined system of filmmaking.[15] Indeed, "Inceville" became a prototype for Hollywood film studios of the future, with a studio head (Ince), producers, directors, production managers, production staff, and writers all working together under one organization (the unit system) and under the supervision of a General Manager, Fred J. Balshofer.
Before this, the director and cameraman controlled the production of the picture, but Ince put the producer in charge of the film from inception to final product. He defined the producer's role in both a creative and industrial sense. He was also one of the first to hire a separate screenwriter, director, and editor (instead of the director doing everything themselves). By 1913, the concept of the production manager had been created. With the aid of George Stout, an accountant for NYMP, Ince re-organized how films were outputted to bring discipline to the process. After this adjustment the studio's weekly output increased from one to two, and later three two-reel pictures per week, released under such names as "Kay-Bee" (Kessel-Baumann), "Domino" (comedy), and "Broncho" (western) productions. These were written, produced, cut, and assembled, with the finished product delivered within a week. By enabling more than one film to be made at a time, Ince decentralized the process of movie production to meet the increased demand from theaters. This was the dawning of the assembly-line system that all studios eventually adopted.
With this model, developed between 1913 and 1918, Ince gradually exercised even more control over the film production process as a director-general. In 1913 alone, he made over 150 two-reeler movies, mostly Westerns, thereby anchoring the popularity of the genre for decades. While many of Ince's films were praised in
Even though he was the first producer-director and directed most of his early productions, by 1913 Ince eventually ceased full-time directing to concentrate on producing,[16] transferring this responsibility to such proteges as Francis Ford and his brother John Ford, Jack Conway, William Desmond Taylor, Reginald Barker, Fred Niblo, Henry King and Frank Borzage.[17] The story was the preeminent aspect of Ince's pictures. Films such as The Italian, The Gangsters and the Girl (1914), and The Clodhopper (1917) are excellent examples of the dramatic structure that resulted from his masterful editing. Film preservationist David Shepard said of Ince in The American Film Heritage:
(He) did everything. He was so proficient at every aspect of film making that even films he didn't direct have the Ince-print, because he exercised such tight control over his scripts and edited so mercilessly that he could delegate direction to others and still get what he wanted. Much of what Ince contributed to the American film took place off the screen; he established production conventions that persisted forbears, and, though his career in films lasted only fourteen years, his influence far outlived him.
Ince also discovered many talents, including his old actor friend, William S. Hart, who made some of the best early westerns, beginning in 1914. Later, a rift developed between the two over sharing of profits.
Ince-Triangle Studios
By 1915, Ince was considered one of the best-known producer-directors. Around this time,
Triangle was one of the first vertically integrated film companies. By combining production, distribution, and theater operations under one roof, the partners created the most dynamic studio in Hollywood. They attracted directors and stars of the day, including Pickford,
Though Ince had many credits as a director at Triangle, he only supervised the production of most pictures, working primarily as executive producer. One of his important pictures as a director was Civilization (1916), an epic plea for peace and American neutrality set in a mythical country and dedicated to the mothers of those who died in World War I. The film competed with Griffith's famous epic, Intolerance and beat it at the box office. Civilization was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Ince added a few stages and an administration building to Triangle Studios before selling his shares to Griffith and Sennett in 1918. Three years later, the studios were acquired by Goldwyn Pictures, and in 1924 the facility became Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. Although many believe that such classics as Gone with the Wind and King Kong were later filmed on that same lot, those movies in fact had been shot at 9336 West Washington Blvd at the Thomas H. Ince Studios.
Thomas H. Ince Studios
For a while, Ince joined competitor Adolph Zukor to form Paramount-Artcraft Pictures (later Paramount Pictures). However, he yearned to go back to running his own studio. On July 19, 1918, following Samuel Goldwyn's acquisition of the Triangle lot, he purchased a 14-acre (57,000 m2) property at 9336 West Washington Blvd. on an option basis from Culver along with a $132,000 loan. Thus was formed Thomas H. Ince Studios, which operated from 1919 to 1924. (The area later known as RKO Forty Acres was southeast of the studio.) Ince Studios was to be another Culver City historic landmark.[20] When Ince conceived the idea of building his own studio, he was determined to have it different from the others. Plans submitted to him by architects Meyer & Holler, included having a whole front administrative building made into a replica of George Washington's home at Mount Vernon. The resulting administration building, known as "The Mansion", was the first building on the lot.
In back of the impressive office building were approximately 40 buildings, most of which were designed in the
Ince had two or three companies working continuously on the lot at any given time. According to film historian Marc Wanamaker, Ince worked with a team of eight directors but "he retained creative control of his films, developing the shooting scripts" and personally assembling each of his films.[2] By now, Ince had drifted away from westerns in favor of social dramas and he made a few significant films including Anna Christie (1923), based on the play by Eugene O'Neill, and Human Wreckage (1923), which was an early anti-drug film starring Dorothy Davenport (widow of addicted star Wallace Reid).
Although Ince found distribution for his films through Paramount and MGM, he was no longer as powerful as he once had been and tried to regain his status in Hollywood. In 1919, with several other independent entrepreneurs (notably his old partner at Triangle, Mack Sennett, Marshall Neilan, Allan Dwan and Maurice Tourneur) he co-founded the independent releasing company, Associated Producers, Inc., to distribute their films. However, Associated Producers merged with First National in 1922.
Though Ince still made some significant motion pictures, the studio system was starting to take over Hollywood. With little room for an independent producer and despite his attempts, Ince could not regain the powerful standing he once held in the industry. He and other independent producers tried to form the Cinematic Finance Corporation in 1921, which made loans to producers who already had been successful, but only accomplished its goal in a limited sense.
In 1925, a year after Ince's death, the studio was sold (with
In 1991,
Death
Ince's death at the age of 44 has been the subject of much speculation and scandal, with rumors of murder, mystery, and jealousy. The official cause of his death was heart failure, and while witnesses (including his widow Nell) corroborate that his medical condition brought about his death, rumors and sensationalism continued decades later, fueled by the 2001 release of the movie The Cat's Meow.
Ince and
According to Ince's widow, Nell, Ince took a train to
Dr. Glasgow signed the
However, several conflicting stories circulated about the incident, often revolving around a claim that Hearst shot Ince in the head after mistaking him for
Movie columnist
Years later, Hearst spoke to a journalist about the rumor that he had murdered Tom Ince. "Not only am I innocent of this Ince murder," he said, "So is everybody else." Nell Ince herself was increasingly frustrated over the Hearst rumors surrounding her husband's death and remarked: "Do you think I would have done nothing if I even suspected that my husband had been victim of foul play on anyone's part?"[23]
But the myth of Ince's death overshadowed his reputation as a pioneering filmmaker and his role in the growth of the film industry. His studio was sold soon after he died. His final film,
In popular culture
Murder at San Simeon (Scribner), a 1996 novel by Patricia Hearst (William Randolph's granddaughter) and Cordelia Frances Biddle, is a mystery based on the 1924 death of producer Thomas Ince aboard the yacht of William Randolph Hearst. This fictitious version presents Chaplin and Davies as lovers and Hearst as the jealous old man unwilling to share his mistress.
RKO 281 is a 1999 film about the making of Citizen Kane. The movie includes a scene depicting screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz telling director Orson Welles his account of the incident.
The Cat's Meow, the 2001 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, is another fictitious version of Ince's death. Bogdanovich notes that he heard the story from director Orson Welles, who said he heard it from screenwriter Charles Lederer (Marion Davies's nephew).[33] In Bogdanovich's film, Ince is portrayed by Cary Elwes. The movie was adapted by Steven Peros from his own play, which premiered in Los Angeles in 1997.
Ince's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6727 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles.
The Silver Sheet
A studio publication promoting Thomas H. Ince Productions.
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The Silver Sheet (1920)
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Hail the Woman (1921)
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Skin Deep (1922)
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Lorna Doone (1922)
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Scars of Jealousy (1923)
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Bell Boy 13 (1923)
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The Galloping Fish (1924)
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Soul of the Beast (1923)
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Anna Christie (1923)
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What a Wife Learned (1923)
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A Man of Action (1923)
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Her Reputation (1923)
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Idle Tongues (1924)
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The Marriage Cheat (1924)
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Enticement (1925)
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Those Who Dance (1924)
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Playing with Souls (1925)
Filmography, posters and newspaper ads
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The Battle of Gettysburg (1913)
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The Wrath of the Gods (1914)
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The Italian (1915)
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The Return of Draw Egan (1916)
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The Phantom (1916)
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Triangle-Keystone comedies (1916)
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The Aryan (1916)
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Civilization (1916)
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Civilization Peace Song (1916)
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Civilization (1916)
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Hell's Hinges (1916)
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Aloha Oe (1916)
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Peggy (1916)
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False to the Finish (1917)
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Haunted by Himself (1917)
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Her Busted Debut (1917)
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Mystic Faces (1918)
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Wagon Tracks (1919)
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Child of M'sieu (1919)
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Silk Hosiery (1920)
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Her Husband's Friend (1921)
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Lorna Doone (1922)
Notes
- ^ "US World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918 Thomas Harper Ince". FamilySearch.org. Although in later years Ince would remove two years from his age, he wrote on his Draft Registration Card that he was born in 1880. His christening records also show a birth date of 1880. "Rhode Island Birth and Christenings, 1600–1914". FamilySearch.org.
- ^ a b Wanamaker, Marc (1982). "Thomas H. Ince, Father of the Western". The Movie, pp. 2170–2172.
- ISBN 9781439640647. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ "The Culver Studios". theculverstudios.com.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8131-3423-9. Retrieved 10 January 2016. Taves' extensive biography contains a strong rebuttal to the much rumored murder of Thomas Ince; see pp. 1-13.
- ^ Emma Brennan Ince;(mother of Thomas) Internet Broadway Database
- ISBN 9780786439089. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ a b c Ince, Thomas H. (13 Dec 1924). "In The Movies – Yesterday and Today". Los Angeles Record. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ "Special Collections – Margaret Herrick Library – Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences". oscars.org.
- ^ "MoMA". moma.org.
- ^ ISBN 9781439648292. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ ISBN 9780748629442. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ "Inceville". movielocationsplus.com. Archived from the original on 2021-03-03. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
- ^ Soares, Andre (2014-01-24). "Inceville: Film Pioneer Thomas Ince's Studios". Altfg.com. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
- ^ Thomas H. Ince -- Encyclopædia Britannica [www.britannica.com]
- ^ "The Return of Thomas H. Ince". MoMA. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
- ^ a b "Thomas H. Ince – Writer – Films as Director (selected list):, Films as Producer:, Films as Actor:, Publications". filmreference.com.
- ^ The Backlot Film Festival – History – Thomas Ince Biography Archived 2008-02-10 at the Wayback Machine at www.backlotfilmfestival.com
- ^ "D. W. Griffith: Hollywood Independent". Cobbles.com. 1917-06-26. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
- ^ "History – The Culver Studios". theculverstudios.com.
- ^ "Home". Ericowenmoss.com. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
- ^ "Half Pudding Half Sauce: "Dias Dorados" – A Country House in Early Californian Style". halfpuddinghalfsauce.blogspot.ca. 6 November 2012.
- ^ a b c d Rogers St. Johns, Adela (1969). The Honeycomb. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc., pp.185-193. Rogers St. Johns was a journalist, screenwriter, and personal friend of Elinor and Thomas Ince.
- ^ Los Angeles Times. November 16, 1924 (morning edition. No record is available of this article on November 16.
- ^ "Thomas H. Ince, Pioneer of Films, Called By Death: Heart Disease Proves Fatal to Screen Magnate After Sudden Attack at Yacht Party". Los Angeles Times. November 20, 1924.
- ^ "Ince's Death Natural, Prosecutor Asserts". The New York Times. December 11, 1924.
- ^ "Los Angeles News and Events". LA Weekly. 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
- ^ "Peter Bogdanovich on completing Orson Welles long awaited 'The Other Side of the Wind'". Wellesnet | Orson Welles Web Resource. 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
- ^ "Hollywood Confidential". Jonathan Rosenbaum. 2002-06-28. Archived from the original on 2020-09-23. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
- ^ "Ince Will Lie in State One Hour". Los Angeles Times. November 21, 1924.
- ^ "Film World Mourns Ince". Los Angeles Times. November 22, 1924.
- ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7.
- ^ French, Lawrence, "Peter Bogdanovich on Completing Orson Welles Long Awaited The Other Side of the Wind for Showtime" (March 9, 2008 interview). Wellesnet: The Orson Welles Web Resource, March 14, 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2013
References
- Aleiss, Angela (2005). "Hollywood and the Silent American: Life in Inceville". Making the White Man's Indian: Native Americans and Hollywood Movies. Westport CT: Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0-275-98396-X.
- Hall Kaplan, Margaret (February 12, 1984). "Inceville: Key Site for Film Pioneers". Los Angeles Times.
- Higgins, Steve (1989). "Thomas H. Ince: American Filmmaker". In MacCann, Richard Dyer (ed.). The First Film Makers. Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press.
- Taves, Brian (2011). ISBN 978-0-8131-3422-2.
- Wanamaker, Marc (1982). "Thomas H. Ince, Father of the Western". The Movie. No. 102. pp. 2170–2172.
- Wanamaker, Marc (Summer 1973). "The Western at Inceville:1912". Views and Reviews. No. 4. pp. 69–76.