Evening star., 1924-02-23
Behind the Screen
Intimate Pictures OF the Silver Sheet
H.
looking at the expense side of the

looking Irs at the expense side OF the
miss Miss Talmadge laughed merrily.
"Weu.' She reeorted. "it hasn't al
ways been like this. has 1t. Constance?
Remember the old Vitagraph days,
when we always had to eat inside a
quarter? 1t wasn't question with
US Of soup to nuts, but OF soup OF
nuts"
l happened to be at a dance several
years ago which was attended by both
the 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 bene1t oy
this protracted exercise, and as dlo
so I caught, over ConStance'S snoul-
der the eyes of Norma following ner
sisters figure through the ebb and
flow of dancers. The quality of that
glance will always linger with me.
Why, indeed. should 1t not! For mere
she was-young. beautiful, an looi OF
the screen-and she was surveying
this sister, only a few years younger.
with the fond. admiring glance which
some dowager might bestoW on one OF
the younger generation.
NV interest was SO piqued by this
matter of the self-appointed wall.
tiower that / asked close friend OF
the Talmadges if this were habltual
attitude of Normas.
"Oh. dear, yes" replied she. Nor
mas always like that. Very seldom
do you find her dancing more than
several times an evening. What she
Just loves is to think of Constance as
the belle Of the BALI"
"And how about Natalie" / asked.
Indeed, yes. Norma and Constance
are as devoted to her as they are to
each other. and they all three unite
in worshiping their mother"
"a close corporation" l commented.
yet Buster keaton and Joe Schenck
seem to come in for almost as hlgh
dividends as the original stock
holders"
"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, 1 think that was
largely the trouble between Con-
stance and her husband. He was not
only outside the profession. but l
understand that he objected to Con-
stance going on with her work on
the screen.
have been told by those who
have worked with Miss Norma Tai
madge on the set that, in contrast
to her sister Constance, who is ex-
ceedingly tempered. she dis
popularity associated with a great
emotional actress. Gusts of impa-
tience followed Immediately by the
most radiant, sunShiny laughter;
fiurries of annoyance. ripples OF
amusement-these are the manifes-
tations of 4 nature which, in the
words of one admirer. is "as big and
sweet as all outdoors" Thoroughly
consistent with such n nature is Miss
Talmadge's type of generosity. This
functions more conSpicuouSly through
some concrete human appeal than
through official solicitation. Testi-
mony to this is offered by n letter
from Joe Schenck to L friend OF
mine.
The letter. written by Schencll
while he and Miss TalmadGe were
on recent visit to Germany, records
how Norma was followed by a beggar
in the streets of Berlin. Old and
emaciated and dirty, he fell on his
knees before the radiant young
American and begged her for help.
Miss Talmadgc thereupon emptied
the entire contents of her purse into
his hands. 1T was nice little gift"
commented Miss Talmadge in report
ing the incident to her husband, but
it made me happy to do it. for I
never saw a human being so grateful
as he was
And how much did you happen
to have in your baG?" questioned her
husband.
"Oh. it was all of thousand
marks answered she.
Her husband rocked with merri-
ment. And do you realize that you