Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-04-24
Story Of tho Talmadees.

The Talmadgc sisters have often
been asked If they inherited any hts
ltronic ability from their parents
Mr.. Talmadge shakes his head and
confesses that when he was at Wes-
ileyan University nothing could drive
him to enter into college theatricals
HE was much more interested in
football. But Talmedge mater"
more Familiarity known to her daugh-
tiers as plain Peg" confesses to
having been a member of the old
Amaraneth Dramatic Society, Of
Brooklyn, of which Robert billiard,
Edith Kingdom, Percy Williams and
many others, since in the lmelight.
were then budding amateurs. Mrs.
Talmadge had seven words to speak
in the Anaraneth performance of
Turned Up" and. because at the
/ crucial moment she forgot TO say
them after the first performance she
was turned down."
Her next venture in the dramatic
world was ten or fifteen years later
when her three very small daughters
| began giving performances in the
cellar underneath their home in
Brooklyn. There We're many old
| trunks under the rafters filled with
odds and ends Of clothing of bygone
days and the girls used these trunks
as happy hunting ground for
props" and costumes. Every day
after school they would rush to the
cellar and so enthusiastic were they
about reproducing their history les
sons in tableauX form that Mrs
Talmadge. believing with Pestolozzi
in the educational value Of play, did
not scold the girls for cutting up her
old evening dresses, nor complain of
, the noise of their dreadful orchestra
composed chiefly Of bells. drums
and frying pans-but entered into
the spirit of things and helped the
girls cut and sew their Greek togas
and Egyptian head dresses. She
even took a hand at painting the
furniture, composed chiefly of wood
en- boxes and old kitchen chairs, for
the ball room sets, little dreaming
that some day these same girls
would be spending hundreds of thou
sands of dollars a year on motion
picture sets.
There was just one thing I did
draw the line at in those days" says
Mrs. Talmadge, smiling reminiscent
ly, land that was those members of
their cast which comprised their
dramatic school of animals. Every
time l put my foot in the cellar, I
went safeguarded with a candle, as
there was no telling when bulgy-
eyed ho-toad or Shiny turtle would
suddenly dart out OF some dark cor
ner and nonchalently fasten itself in
the hem of your dress.
1.-The girls had funny hobby Of
collecting angle worms, and Natalie,
who was always the domestic and
more practical member Of the family,
wanted to turn the cellar into q hos
pital for wounded dolls and decrepit
animals. They had bowls of gold
fish, with tadpoles and cells and mud
turtles living on the cooperative
plan with the fish. half dozen cats
and dogs. a three legged rabbit, and
hundreds of those terrible worms Of
all shapes and sizes.
often when the muse refused to
work and Norma couldn't get new
play done in time for Saturday, they
would put on a three ring circus
and all the animals would come into
action. Constance was the envy Of
the other two girls. because she could
hang from trapeze by her toes, but
Norma showed the greater ability as
an actress.
oh oh
liked she wanted to dramatize 1t, al
SO, she liked to make herself the
leading lady, which didn't always
make hit with Constance and Nat
allie. But altho they sometimes quar-.
relied about the star part, there
was never any argument about the
managership. 1t was definitely UNI
derstood that that little task was to
be thrust upon Peg the girls new
er had called me mother, but have
always used my first name, and I
confess like it. 1t gives me the
feeling Of being fourth sister,"
In the same way that Mrs. Tai
madge encouraged /. her daughters
childhood ambitions, and always kept
the guiding hand by being one Of
them, rather than a critical locker
on. SO they grew up she continued
to take an active interest in all their
individual interests. she did not
have fit OF Mysteries when Norma
announced she would like to 60 in
pictures. Instead she took her by
the hand and herself escorted Norma
to the Vitagraph studio. where she
was accepted for small parts.
Later. az Norma rrne nareA nnA
rose from bits" to "leads", It was
I"Ma" Taimadge who encoura red her
daughter to study French, who went
with her to all her singing lessons,
and even now, every Tuesday and
Thursday night. Mrs. Talmadge is an
audience Of one at the studio OF
Adolf Bolm, watching the progress
OF Norma and Constance In Russian
ballet dancing. $3.50 "A q -s1 "a All ~ .55
just as Norma was allowed to fol-
low her fayorite pursuit so Con-
/ stanGs was mot iiss ualsd wnen three
Years ago she, too, wanted TO flicker
on the silver sheet, and altho Mrs.
lTalnadge naturally had great hopes
lthat Natalie also. would bring home
4 salaTy check Of four fikures every
saturday nigkt, when Natalie m
nOrt1ced thgt III i1ixl su&l clcnt1y
iyAhllle D: 4 s. akyillIs