The Omaha morning bee., 1924-02-28
BEHIND THE SCREEN
Rv & S4UTJET, COIDWYN
By SAMUEL GOLDWYN

but, STRUCK as l. Was Dy the pro-
fessional Significance of her speech,
l was even more impressed by its
personal 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 10 gilt stars won
from her recitations in geography or
history-that all later memories of her
are overshadowed by this one touch
ing revelation of the real Norma Tai
madge.
To understand the woman whose
glowing attitudes have so enriched
screen art you must think of her, not
as q single figure, but as part of a
pattern. True, her career is the most
brilliant thread in this tapestry, but
it is dependent for its brilliance and
tering but equally firm threads of
its background and intermingling
figures. This includes not only Miss
Talmadges husband. but her mother
and two sisters. They would appear
as a unit in any field of endeavor,
but, as it happens, pictures have
supplied the hand weaving them into
their fixed and arresting design.
AS very young child. so schenck
his told me, Norma displayed her
iistrionic gifts. The talent was
promptly encouraged by her mother
and it was undoubtedly due to Mrs.
.falmadge's influence that her eldest
dzughter entered the employ of the
Old Vitagraph company. Unlike
many others whose names have added
lustre to the screen, Miss Talmadge
VI. l.
very first she was given a small part.
Yet at this time she was a girl in
her early teens. Young as she was,
however. 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 Norma Is
frock and help her put on her make
up. At last this career of self-efface
ment was rewarded by a chance for
more individual enterprise Con.
stance became an extra in the Vita.
graph studies.
On the part of neither Norma nor
Constance is there any effort to
suppress these humble days from the
strangers consciousness. Quite the
'''iiti III OuCt tnty were u1n1ng at
the Ritz with a friend of mine who
has decidedly less command of this
worlds resources than have the Tai
madge girls.
"Oh. how wonderfulr' exclaimed
this friend. Think of being able TO
order like you, Norma-without ever
looking at the expense side of the
menum
Miss Talmadge laughed merrily
We'll" she retorted "it hasn't al
ways been like this, has 1t. Constance?
Remember the old Vitagraph days
when we always had to eat inside Il
quarter? 1t wasn't a question with
us of soup to nuts. but of soup or
nuts"
I happened to be at dance several
years ago which was attended by
both sisters. Norma Talmadge took
that evening only several turns about
the room. Constance. on the other
hand, danced every number. ! my
self was lucky enough to benefit by
this protracted exercise and as / did
so l caught over Constance's shoul-
der the eyes Of Norma following her
sisters figure through the ebb and
flow of dancers. The quality Of that
glance will always linger with me.
Why, indeed. should it not? For here
she was-young. beautiful, an idol OF
the screen-and she was surveying
this sister only a few years younger
with the fond. admiring glance which
some dowacer might bestow on one
OF the younger generation.
My interest was so piqued by this
matter OF the self-appointed wallfiow-
or that | asked a close friend of the
Talmadges II this were a habitSal
attitude OF Norma's.
'Oh. dear. yes,' replied she.
"Norma's always like that Very
seldom do you find her dancing more
than several times an evening. What
she Just loves is to think of Con.
stance as the belle of the ball"
And how about Natalie?' ] asked.
Indeed, yes. Norma and Con
stance are as devoted to her as they
are TO each other, and they all three
unite in worshipping their mother.
"A close corporation" com
mented. yet Buster Keaton and Joe
Schenck seem to come in for almost
as high dividends as the original
stockholders.
"Of course" assented my informer.
"a Talmadge-in-law is all right so
long as he is also an in-picture For
you've got TO remember that pictures
are the leading interest of the whole
family. In fact. I think that was
largely the trouble between Constance
and her husband. He was not only
outside the profession. but I under.
stand that he objected to Constance
going on with her work on the
screen"