Fake News And An Old Hollywood Murder Mystery

A love triangle proved deadly for one Hollywood tycoon.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Thomas Ince changed Hollywood forever. After getting an unsuccessful start as a stage actor, the innovative man moved to Hollywood with his wife. He implemented changes in the production system that are still used today. That is when he wasn’t starting studios, like Paramount, that have shaped pop culture for generations.

Even so, Ince saw his fortunes dwindle and he wanted to ensure his family would be taken care of. As such, he made moves to get out of the businesses with some money in his pocket. He began negotiations with William Randolph Hearst. The publishing tycoon would take control of Paramount and Ince would advise him.

Before the deal could be formalized and days before his 42nd birthday, Ince would die. Leaving a very complicated mystery behind.

The Guest List

It was November 16, 1924, and the Hearst yacht, The Oneida, was sailing across the Pacific Ocean. A birthday dinner in Ince’s honor was thrown. Hearst seemed jovial but he had his eye on his mistress, Marion Davies. Something was amiss and Hearst had an idea about what it was.

He suspected that she and fellow guest, Charlie Chaplin, were far more than platonic friends. Whispers around town had made their way to him and Hearst was now trying to find out if the rumors were true. Helping him with this bit was eventual gossip maven (though at this point in time, she was a movie critic) Louella Parsons.

Rounding out the guest list was actress Elinor Glynn.

Thomas Ince would soon leave the yacht. But confusion reigns as to why he left. Was he ill or had he been killed?

Lies And Consequences

A big part of the reason why confusion has come out of Ince’s death is because of the immediate aftermath. A physician aboard the yacht, Dr. Goodman, said the young mogul was suffering from indigestion and left the boat to be treated on land. The official cause of death was listed as heart failure. Yet, the Los Angeles Times had a headline declaring Ince had been shot. That headline and others like it would soon be pulled, never to be seen again.

Hearst and his newspapers claimed Ince had never been aboard the yacht. This was quickly disproven, as many people had seen him with the group. Add to that a secretary for Hearst claimed she saw Ince bleeding from the head, and chaos controlled the narrative.

Further leading to speculation about what happened was the fact that Ince’s body was cremated before an investigation could be conducted. Nell Ince, Thomas’s widow, left for Europe shortly thereafter.

The Coverup

The rumors were too loud for the prosecutors to ignore. So they opened an inquiry into the death of Thomas Ince. However, they only called one witness: Dr. Goodman. He stuck to the story of indigestion and they accepted it. Many wondered why they wouldn’t look further into the case. The answer was simple: the body had been cremated leaving no evidence there. And it was an open secret that there was booze on the yacht. Since Prohibition was still in effect, they would have had to charge Hearst with having alcohol. Something nobody wanted to do.

For his part, Hearst seemed to throw around his money and influence. It is believed he gave Nell Ince a nice stipend and allowance for her to go to Europe. As it goes, the money would continue to flow for her as long as she never came back to the United States.

Shortly after the incident on the yacht, Louella Parsons was gifted with a lifetime contract with Hearst newspapers. This would be in effect as long as she never mentioned what happened the night Ince died. Parsons would develop reputation for being on the pulse of breaking news, and many believe this is where it began for her.

The Night In Question

What really happened the night Thomas Ince died? Most people believe that Hearst caught Charlie Chaplin and Marion Davies in the throes of passion. Hearst marched to his room to get his gun. Davies screamed, drawing the attention of the other guests.

Hearst was startled and shot Ince instead of Chaplin, the intended target. Nobody believes Hearst shot his friend on purpose. Adding further fuel to the theory is the fact that the tycoon would blanch whenever someone mentioned Thomas Ince in his presence.

The mystery of Thomas Ince’s death will go down the canals of Hollywood’s biggest mysteries and scandals.