Film, The Winning of Barbara Worth, Harold Bell Wright

Snapshots from the movie set for The Winning of Barbara Worth -- 1926

In 1926, when the movie The Winning of Barbara Worth, based on the novel by Harold Bell Wright, was filmed in the Black Rock Desert in North Central Nevada, the mayor of the nearby town of Winnemucca was Carlton E. Haviland. In August 2006 I received a message from Mr. Haviland's great-grandson, Kevin Allec. Mr. Allec says:

"I was going through my grandmother's things and found a photo album. Twenty-seven of the photos were taken on the set of The Winning of Barbara Worth movie. My grandmother Vera Haviland had just graduated from college in 1926 and she was quite the photo buff. A little background on my Grandmother. As you know the filming of the movie was on the Black Rock desert, and Winnemucca is the closest city of any size. My great-grandfather was the mayor of Winnemucca at the time. Carlton Haviland, my great-grandfather, also ran a stage line from Winnemucca to Paradise Valley. I am told by my cousins that some of his horses were used for the movie. There were also almost 100 people from town that were extras. I am wondering if my grandmother got in as an extra."

I have added a few comment on each of the photos in Vera Haviland's album. If you can provide any additional information about any of these photos, please click on the link at the bottom of the page and send me your opinions, observations or information.

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1. Evidently a lesser movie star, or two, from the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth. From the position of her head and elbows in the shadow, we can assume the photographer was looking down into the top of a camera, perhaps a box camera.

2. Evidently a lesser movie star from the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

3. Must be a bit player or an extra from the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

4. Black Rock Desert and a horse-drawn wagon used in the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

5. Can anyone figure out what it says on the side of the wagon used in the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth?

6. This appears to be the Hungarian actress Vilma Banky and a suiter on the set of the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

7. This is a photo of Vera Haviland, who appears to be sitting on her bed in a tent for extras on the set of the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth. Apparently when she wasn't running from the floodwaters, she found time to photograph actors and props around the set. The 27 photos on the page were found in her photo albums.

8. A United States Mail wagon used in the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth. The sign says, "Rubio City and Kingston, U.S.M." Rubio City and Kingston were ficticious names invented by Harold Bell Wright to describe the two real towns of Yuma, Arizona and another town in the center of the Imperial Valley in Southern California, probably the city of Imperial. Get it? Kings-town, Imperial?

9. Unidentified boy near a tent near the set for the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

10. Unidentified actor from the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth. This actor is also seen, but still not identified, in this publicity photo: #452: Vilma Banky standing; Gary Cooper on couch. Courtesy Dave Hadsell

11. Vilma Banky, the star of the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

12. Gary Cooper standing with some props from the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth. These could be the remains of the horses and the wagon in which little Barbara Worth's parents died in a sandstorm at the beginning of the story.

13. This is either an actor from the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth, of some local official or business person visiting the set. It is probably not mayor of Winnemucca, Carlton Haviland, because this man appears too young to have a daughter who just graduated from college.

14. Many of the cowboys and other extras hired for the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth, played instruments and entertained the community of actors, extras and visitors from nearby towns.

15. Vilma Banky, star of the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth, appears to be writing during off time.

16. Probably an actor and actress, or extras, from the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

17. Vehicle and people used in the the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

18. Wagon train from the filming of the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

19. Wagon and people used in the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

20. Wagon trains from the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth. This probably represented people flocking to the Imperial Valley to take advantage of the water from the new canals, or people fleeing the valley after the water dried up, or after the flood started.

21. Town of store fronts from the making of the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

22. Town of store fronts from the making of the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

23. Livestock yards where animals were kept for the making of the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth. I believe a scene for the movie is being shot behind the trucks at the left of the photo. I see a light deflector and probably a camera.

24. Wagon train pulled by what appears to be 19 brown mules and one white horse, from the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

25. Wagon trains from the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth. This probably represented people flocking to the Imperial Valley to take advantage of the water from the new canals, or people fleeing the valley after the water dried up, or after the flood started.

26. Someone dismounts from a horse, probably to deliver a message to Barbara Worth (Vilma Banky) during the making of the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth.

27. Filming a scene from the 1926 movie, The Winning of Barbara Worth. This appears to be in a nearby valley where the orchards were used to illustrate the prosperity that returned to the Imperial Valley after the Colorado River was returned to its natural course.