Evening star., 1924-02-23
CONTINUED from Yesterdays Star,
CHAPTER XIX.
The Two TaImadges.


The Two Tnlmadges.
ACCOMPANIED Schenck to the
RivoIi to see his fiancee on the
screen, and / was very forctbly
struck with the beauty and talen,
Of Miss Norma Talmadge.
every 1ovely-very gifted" was my
verdict as we left the theater.
isn't she, thought" he responded
eagerly. II tell you that girl is bound
to so far" He hesitated for mo-
ment, and then turning toward me
abruptly he asked, How about it.
Sam? Wouldn't you like to have her
for your company? She'd come with
you for thousand a week"
/ shook my head. I'm sorry. Joe,
I replied, but you know what the
situation is. It's the big name that
counts nowadays, and Miss Talmadge
beautiful and talented as she is
hasn't enough fame for man trying
to put over new company. But why
don't you try Zukor? He's better eS-
tablished and could afford to take
chance"
NO" answered he, "T might as well
tell you that he's turned her down al
ready"
This dialogue was destined to be an
illuminating comment upon both my
competitor and myself. In refusing to
heed the knock of opportunity we
both lost many thousands of dollars
Indeed, / might as well admit here, in
these annals of a life SO crowded with
opportunity was lenient. once again
year or so after this episode, she
again knocked at my door. And once
again ! was deaf to the golden visitor
y tNfN cot nl
who had in the meanwhile married
Miss TalmadGe, came to me with a
proposition.
Sam" announced he. 1--WE started
producing Norma's pictures and. OF
course. l realize that I'm not so aw-
fully experienced. Now. what l want
to know is this: Won't you let her
work over in your studio and get Inc
benefit of your advice? If you dc
I'll give you % per cent Of the re-
ceipts of her pictures"
] hesitated for moment, and then
told him 1 didn't see my way clear
TO any such arrangement. 1 was toe
busy, / explained, to give her the at
Nowadays in looking down the long
road over which l have come | often
pause at this point. For realize to-
day that had I accepted this offer
should have made enough to balance
many costly experiments.
The realization of my blunder came
to me not long afterward when | was
dining with Schenck at his nome
After dinner we sat talking togetheI
I'm the living room. and 1t must nave
been almost midnight when the door
was flung open and Miss Talmadge
stood before us. Her eyes were shin
ing with excitement; the cheeks above
the full collar of her gorgeous eve
minot rose. Never in all my life have
I seen 4 more vivid apparition OF
beautiful, victorious youth.
There was only a second for me TO
record that impression, for Miss Tai
maGge just hesitated there on the
threshold, and then with tumuitu-
Gus gesture she threw herself into
her husbands arms.
"Oh. Daddy" she cried, clinging TO
him and looking up into his eyes. Il
could hardly wait until l got home to
tell you! They all said / drew bigger
crowds than Clara kimball Young.
Think of it! Oh, isn't it just too Won
derful: I'm the happiest girl in the
world"
had heard from Joe previously
that his wife was making personal
appearances that evening at the Loew
theaters, but / was certainly as un-
heroine of the incident herself. For
in those days the beautiful Clara
Kimball Young was one of the most
popular women on.the screen, ana the
announcement that she was going TO
make a personal appearance at any
New York theater was almost equiva-
lent to calling out the police reserves.
But, struck as I was by the profess
sionaI significance of her speech,
was even more impressed by its per-
sonal bearing. 1t was so evident
Miss Talmadge's eagerness to share
any triumph with her husband-she
was so exactly like child returning
TO its home with the ten gilt stars
yatf In a
ply or history-that all later memo
ries of her are overshadowed by this
one touching revelation of the real
Norma Talmadge.
To understand the woman whose
glowing attitudes have so enriched
screen art you must think OF her, not
AS a single figure but as part OF a
pattern. True, her career is the most
it is dependent for its brilliance and
effect upon the somewhat less Ellt-
tering but equally firm threads OF it's
background and intermingling hg-
,res. The fabric OF which speak is
family life. This includes not only
Miss Talmadge's husband. but her
mother and two sisters. They would
appear as a unit in any held OF en-
deavor, but, as it happens, pictures
have supplied the hand weaving them
into their fixed and arresting design.
AS a very young child, so Schenck
has told me, Norma displayed her his
trionic gifts. The talent was prompt
ly encouraged by her mother. and II
was undoubtedly due to Mrs. Tall
rnadge's influence that her eldest
daughter entered the employ of the
old Vitagraph company. Unlike many
others whose names have added luster
to the screen. Miss Talmadge was
never an extra performer. At the
very first She was given a small part
Yet at this time she was girl in her
early teens. Young as she was, how
over she contrived to have a sister
even younger. This sister, Constance,
used to come to the studio with her
almost every day, and, wide-eyed over
the Importance of her more mature
relative, would fasten Normas frock
and help her put on her makeup. At
last this career of self-effacement
was rewarded by a chance for more
individual enterprise. Constance be-
came an extra in the Vitagraph stu
dios.
On the part OF neither Norma nor
Constance is there any effort to sup
press these humble days from the
strangers consciousness. Quite the
contrary. Once they were dining at
the Ritz with friend of mine who
has decidedly less command of this
worlds resources than have the Tall
madge girls.
"Oh, how wonderful" exclaimed
this friend. think of being able to
order like you. Norma-without ever