Santa Clarita Valley History In Pictures

'The Man Within'
Starring Tom Mix

Lobby card for the 1916 film "The Man Within," a 3-reel short starring Tom Mix, along with Mix's then-mistress Victoria Forde (he would divorce Olive and marry Victoria in 1918), Pat Chrisman, Sid Jordan and Joe Ryan.

Produced by Selig Polyscope Company, "The Man Within" was directed by Mix and written by Stanley Stedman. Released in May 1916, it was probably filmed in Las Vegas, N.M., where Mix was working for Selig prior to coming to Newhall in the latter part of 1916.

About Tom Mix.

Born in Mix Run, Penn., on Jan. 6, 1880, Tom Mix appeared in more than 300 films (counting "shorts") from 1909 to 1935. He occasionally filmed in Newhall from 1916 to the mid-1920s and set up one of his early "Mixville" Western movie towns between Spruce Street (now called Main Street) and Newhall Avenue.

A part-time Newhall resident during that period, Mix lived across the street (probably on Walnut Street) from the Thibaudeau home, which was located at the southwest corner of Market Street and Newhall Avenue. In a televised interview, lifelong Newhall resident Gladys Thibaudeau Laney (1910-2014) said she observed Tom buying his sidekick "wonder horse" Tony on her family's property when she was a young girl. The timing works; Tom reportedly purchased Tony for $600 in 1917 from Pat Chrisman (1882-1953), a horse trainer and actor friend who co-starred in a number of Mix films (Birchard 1993:118).

In the late Teens, Mix established his most famous "Mixville" on Glendale Boulevard in the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles.

Prior to his movie career, Mix appeared in a series of Wild West shows where he was noticed by pioneering film producer Col. William N. Selig, who hired him to handle horses. He worked with Selig, writing, directing and acting, until 1917, when he signed with Fox to star in moving pictures alongside Tony.

Mix reached the height of his popularity during the 1920s, assuming the mantle of King of the Cowboys from William S. Hart, who retired from filming in 1925. But Mix did not adapt well to "talkies," and his career waned in the 1930s. His popularity remained intact, however, as he took his show on the road on the Western performance circuit. It was on the road that he would perish, when his 1937 Cord sent him to an untimely demise on Oct. 12, 1940, south of Florence, Ariz. Adding insult to injury and death, most of the 85 films he made with Fox were lost in a 1937 fire at the company's East Coast storage facility. But Mix was remembered fondly through his radio show and comic books, which outlived him by more than a decade.


LW2027: Online image only.
NEWHALL MIXVILLE

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Arrives in Newhall, 1916: News Reports
(Tom Mix Mayor??)

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Newhall Mixville

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Newhall Mixville?

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Mix in Newhall: Birchard Story 1971

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Tom & Tony 1919

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Reckless Driving, Newhall 1920

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On Location in Newhall 1922

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Studio Cottage


TOM MIX

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Tom Mix & Tony

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The Man Within 1916

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Western Blood 1918

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Fighting for Gold 1919

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Prairie Trails 1920

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Clip: Wertz/Placerita House Torched for "Trailin'" 1921

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3 Jumps Ahead Lobby Cards x3

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3 Jumps Ahead 1923

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3 Jumps Ahead 1923

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Ads for 3 Jumps Ahead 1923

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Mix Says He Jumped Beale's Cut 1923

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1923 Letter: 3 Jumps Ahead

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Mile-A-Minute Romeo 1923

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The Rainbow Trail 1925

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Arcade Card

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Grauman's Chinese Theatre 12-12-1927

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King Cowboy 1928

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Pays Back Taxes 1930

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Final Ride 1940-1990

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No. 1 - Jan 1948

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No. 8 - Aug 1948

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Modern Portrait

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