Evening star., 1922-08-11
BILL HART WANTS
DIVORCE QU|E1ED
Mould Not Have "His Pub
lie" Hear Of Cruelty
Charges and the Like.
CALLED MODEL BY HAYS
Movie Gtar in Chaplin's Fix, With
Possible Demand for Big
Payment.
CALLED MODEL BY HANS
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
LOS ANGELES. Calf. August IL
Bill Hart. the good bad man Of the
screen. who has made it just about
Unanimous" at Hollywood. vowed
to-day that he would not stand for
any charges of extreme eruelty on
the part of his wife, who is about to
sue him for divorce. Mr.. Hart says
he cannot let such heartless changes
go before Ibis public"
The Hart explosion has nearly COM
pleted the wreck of Hollywood's do
mestic domain. It is true the Pick
ford-Miller marriage was a sort of
happy interlude in a sea Of scandal
and divorce, but the wedding bells
Of that romace had scarcely ceased
to peal in movieland when good, old
Bill Hart went wrong"
The sad part of this latest epi-
sode is that Will Hays, grand censor
and amha ssador of a new moral life
in the movies. had just given Bill
Hart a clean bill of health. On hts
visit to Los Angeles and Hollywood
master General pointed to Hart and
referred TO him as IAN ideal example
of what American home life can be-"
Hays was hardly out OF town before
the first public rumblings of the I'M
pending break at the Hart freside
were, heard. These rumblings were
to the effect that the young wife.
soon to become mother. had found
that "the ideal example of what
American home life can be-" as she
learned it from Hart, is no atmo-
phere for gentle and loving lady.
Denies Cruelty Charge.
Just what Bib Hart will be ac-
cused of formally is not yet of record.
but Bill himself steps quickly to the
front with denial that he can be
charged with cruelty. which may be
good hint in itself. He says he has
never done a wrong to man or Wofn-
an. Tears swell in his eyes and his
mouth twitches with emotion -Rs he
says it But these arts fail to i'm
press Mrs. Hart.
Tell it to the Judge" she says in
effect.
But Bill and his friends don't want
it told to the judge. They are trying
to arrange nice quiet little movie
divorce, with no public scandal or
anything of that sort. Mrs. Hart
has not as yet agreed to- the plan.
She is very bitter and the money set
tlement for herself and her unborn
child will have to be extremely heavy
to appease her anguished feelings
Hart has large fortune. Mrs. Hart
knows it. She herself, as Winifred
Westover, has been star of the
screen and she knows something of
the extravaSant salaries of a short
time ago.
Hart has always been considered in
movielsnd thrifty person. He says
ne has made what he feels is a most
liberal offer" to Mrs. Hart Her at
that Bill hasn't begun to approach
the right figures yet. Therefore ne
EQUATIONS still are under way
Situation Like Chaplins,
1t would appear that Hart is in
pretty much the same position that
Charlie Chaplin was when his loving
wife. Mildred, decided: she wanted her
freedom and large cash settlement.
Chaplin also is on the thrifty side,
put 1t was case of business before
pleasure and he had to come through
handsomely. 1t was a painful expe
rlence. Now Bill Hart wants to start
out making pictures and resume his
writing fer the boys and girls mag
azines. A divorce. with a lot of un-
pleasant netoriety. is about the last
thing he wants. But a divorce with
out notoriety is something else again.
Whatever becomes of it, however.
Bill Hart has made it unanimous by
Joining the screen stars in the divorce
held. for 1t is quite sure the differ
ences with his wife cannot be patched
up. The roll can be called from A
to q now and it is difficult to find a
movie home which has not been
scorched. Bill is in good company at
the moment, for Blanche Sweet has
separated from Marshall Neilan after
brief married career of less than
two months.
Meantime there is great sympathy
in Los Angeles for Will Hays. H
has such an eaSy lob
tCopyriehf 1922