Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-06
NORMA rTALMAGE
HAS ALWAYS BEEN
A MOVIE ACTRESS
a., Tells Little About How She
Started in Movicland
Work

.sortna TaImadge. who will be seen this
- IN AT Midnight" a Triangle fllm
!. ,he Victoria, Is a little bit disappointed
4 california. She broke the deep. deep
.l.upce Of the films. to say $50. right out
ths other day.
.,vou know I expected Just TO walk on
1,snoe blossams, and instead, all along
me lovely country highways read signs
nvo those we have in street cars. 1 have
~ fine to go to Jail, so I'm obeying
,h.m though / did so want TO so in and
nick orange blossoms. But I've taken.
,hs beautiful big house which Anna Paw
,owa lived in while here, and have my
,.o,ber and sister and Japanese poodle
,,ub me. and we have big library and
,sr,iy rose garden, and SO I'm happy
despite the signs.
.rse always 'flmed,'" said Miss Tai
r,sdzc as she commenced to spoil her
loyeness with yellow grease paint.
rReran when j was IA. Borrowed a long
sress and a big hat that were right up
IA the timetable. and went over TO the
yltagraph. Had hard time. deciding as
.o wbat studio I'd lend first aid to. but
snally decided on the Vite.
"The director was big man with sun
burst whiskers. He was apparently
hooking at the door when l opened 1t.
which was dsconcerting. and l trlpped
Aver nv long skirt, which made me aw-
fully mad But he gravely helped me
10 my feet and sat me down In a"chair
we don't require all that homage here,
he said with n twinkle. ] looked at him
N nifty, because he didn't seem to know
what he was getting; why. l was the
shampion plece-speaker in our high
school!
How did | get on at first in pictures!
on. very badly. | assure you. |. used
"a forget all about the chalk lines when
xot TO acting and act all over the stage, |
expecting the camera to follow me ABOUT
ike a pei dog Then I used to sneak side
looks at the camera to see II 1t were
stlll cranking, and then worry myself |
sick afterward for fear the director
might have caught me at II. AS for make |
up, used TO put that on to suit myself |
Regardless of anybody's feelings. And 1
never would dull-finish my nose-just left !
II as II was In all It's shining radiance.
'F1orcnce Turner was the only great
actress III pictures. those days. used to
try 10 initiate her, and one day when i
was walking across the stage with what
] thought was n snakily graceful and
naughty glide, my director called out:
Norma. what's the matter with you to-
day? For gawsa' walk straight"
what sort of parts do you like best
to play?'' asked.
@Well. I'm awfully tired of ingenues
md their little bags of tricks" she re-
Iponded ds she finished spelling her
1rettN complexion with one last dab of
elbow on a pink check. And do love
laying vampire parts. only, OF course,
me never begins to vamp' early In life,
oes None?-and everybody who sees you
} that sort of part naturally thinks you
nust be awfully old-50 or sol"
"knd he said he'd.take me. And would
ay me sz week. Twenty-Five dollars!
didn't know there was so much money
n the world When came up for the
bird time, signed contract. and there
stayed for FIVE years. Mabel Normand,
Wallace Reid, Lottie Plckford, Lillian
Nalker-they were all there then, and
hey all started with SIS week.
"oh, yes and besides the 25, there was
little restaurant where the actors for
inch got sandwich, a cup of coffee and
piece Of ,pie without paying anything.
lust to think l told mother that first
igkt when / went home. Besides the
Ionderful salary. they give you that
Ionderful pie! And then. the second day,
disgraced myself. went into the J
ro1eeting room with my lunch I'm my
and Leaving for something for a mo-
lent J left my pie on my chair. And
men ! returned somebody had sat on
!. . For days l was haunted by fear OF I
aaek from the unhappy person who had !
poiied his clothes sitting on my pie:
y days | watched furtiveiy for signs of
lat pie on the garments of my mates. o
j It. =.
10 Ike working out OF doors? No. q
ahkiy, think it's very hard. | have
zen used TO working under lights In =
le indoor studios. and think there's s
ore Illusion TO be gained with artificial I.
gay than with daylight Besides the
oHas confuse me. You see I'm not used
crowds. never having been on the t