The New York herald., 1921-05-23
Screen Shadows
Buster Keaton's Romance
With Miss Talmadge
Crowned in June.

that. rightfully speaking, according to
the. traffic regulations. ought to be
dimmed while in the city, especially
when passing another car. The Sig
nificance Of this may be lost upon
the average layman. even il he does
calisthenics every morning after aris-
Ing before pictures Of prominent movie
queens. But to those who keep
finger on the throbbing pulse of life
behind the screen, It means that the
comedian has become ascendant in
the struggle for a fair lady's hand as
lively as any in which he has en-
gagged on the films. and this time he
has won without having to wrench an
ankle or get his face spattered with
mud
1t did not mean when Buster came
East about month ago to claim the
young woman to whom he had become
engaged without having seen her In
two years, that he would merely throw
her and suit case into taxicab and
dash off with collar full of rice. Oh,
no-existence isn't so simple OF the
screen, no matter how direct and reck-
less Of consequences one may be on
the screen, even to meeting matrimony
half way. For another young man had
appeared on Miss Talmadge's horizon,
and the name Of Owen Gilman was
coupled with hers In the Broadway
betting.
1oac oy1f q
man who was known as ''the butter
and egg king Of Chicago" which would
hardly seem to bring him into the en-
chanted realm of the movies except, say,
in connection with messy grocery
store comedy Of Keaton's. Butter and
eggs have never been redolent of ro-
nance, no matter what else. But there
Is plenty Of endless prosperity In them,
for cows and hens have a way Of re-
peatins, and young Gilman. though only
%. was reported already to have
amassed enough in the way Of million
to entitle him to look twice at film
! star without being fined for 1t.
Had the stars inclined Miss Talmadge
in the path of butter and eggs it would
have meant, with her sister Norma $
marriage to Joseph M. Schenck movie
| magnate and pillar Of banks, and her
sister Constance's elopement with John
Pialoglou. wealthy tobacco merchant,
that the Talmadge family would have
| been amply barricaded against most Of
| this worlds wants. and that it would
have been possible for Natalie to swap
one Of her Plymouth Rock nuggets for
one Of Constance's packs Of Meccas.
Nowadays this might be considered no
mean advantage.
AS it was, Gilman was seen about with
her to the point of constantly stepping on
her shadow. He went with her to parties
and first nights at the theatre, and there
was every indication that Buster had
left the benign sunshine Of Los Angeles
just in time to get nipped by frost
here.
But Buster Is a matter-of-fact young
man, who is daunted by nothing, not
even by strange bulldog. let alone an
other man. He let no grass grow under
his feet and did some concentrated
lowering himself. Then he presented
to Natalie the ring--and after that 1t
remained only to cart away the debris
which naturally winds up a Keaton ro-
nance. You know how girls are over
ring: Natalie took one look at It and
then was 50 dazzled she couldn't see
any one but Buster.
Now June will be put to It's usual pur-
pose.
The Germans are using the films not
merely as propaganda to dust the blue
mould off their national character. but
also in the broad sense Of putting their
trade back to a position whore Made In
Germany will mean the usual number
of women fainting in the bargain coun-
ter rush. With characteristic enterprise.
and with a thoroughness undreamed of
in this country, they are clapping
scientific, business and technical sub
jects into the movies almost before they
know what real food tastes like again.
great variety Of such films has
sprung up, and In Germany you can
learn banking, architecture, agriculture,
chemistry, house building, electrical en-
gineering and even millinery without
batting an eye. The Germans are TAX
Ing this means Of advertising for the
rest of the world as we'll as themselves
because they realize that IL their wares
were boosted in print the publicity or
gan could readily be charged with being
pro- German. but II a moving picture re-
yeals tho excellence Of Teuton products.
who can call It Germanophile or liar?
Little comprehension appears TO be
shown here OF the way in which the
movie industry has blossomed in Ger
many since the war. until now. judging
by the numbers OF film companies in
and around Berlin. they can provide that
city with enough scandal to replace the
affairs Of the royalty who were chased
out. The pictures OF the movie studios
there show huge, elaborate and glass in
closed establishments which indicate
that their vampires require a species OF
Grand Central Terminal In order to
have enough room to ruin a man. More
over there Is a special cafe In Berlin
where unless you can convince Hans,
the waiter, that you infest studio, you
are politely dragged out.
They are likewise developing the tech
nical side of the business as we'll as the
romantic and beer imbibing aspects.
They are experimenting with new forms
In fIlms-somethlng we ceased to do as
soon as II was discovered that the cow
boys revolver was about the highest
art form known to the American cont!-
nent. One inventor Fritz Kaufman, has
devised O simple electro magnetic deyico
that can be attached to any projection
machine and that. with specially made
film. can change the shape OF picture
from It's present squatty aspect to
hieh. towering form. exactly as though
one looked out OF church window, and
nlparting sense of depth that almost
makes one dizzy.
Sylvester Schaeffer. who became well
known over here an a protean artist In