#peg talmadge

[busterkeatonsociety]

This Day in Buster…May 31, 1921

Buster Keaton marries first wife, Natalie Talmadge, at the home of brother & sister-in-law Joseph M Schenck & Norma Talmadge.  Although the marriage lasted only 11 years, it resulted in sons Jimmy & Bobby & there was love for a time.

[friendlessghoul]

A group taken at Natalie's wedding. Left to right--Joseph M. Schenck, Norma Talmadge (his wife), Buster Keaton, and Natalie Talmadge; Mrs. Talmadge (mother), and Constance Talmadge.

-The Sunday Post, January 8, 1922

[busterkeatonsociety]

Some more from Buster Keaton & Natalie Talmadge's wedding day, May 31st, 1921

[citizenscreen]

Actor Margaret “Peg” Talmadge (November 3, 1864- September 29 1933), pictured with daughters Constance, Natalie, and Norma.

[thefyuzhe]

Buster’s first wedding May 31, 1921.

Buster Keaton, Natalie Talmadge, Norma Talmadge, Constance Talmadge, Peg Talmadge

[vintage-every-day]

Buster Keaton with Constance, Natalie, Peg (his mother-in-law) and Norma Talmadge

[damfinofanfiction]

Chapter 18 (part one): The Departure

I’m back. it has been a long time. had been so busy with everything including work, loss of a family member, etc. i would like to give you thanks for the words of kindness. have a happy easter!

Santa Fe Station was full of celebrities and Studio Heads on Memorial Day when Joe Schenck was heading east for a business trip. Buster was surrounded by the Talmadge women as well as Rudolph Valentino, MGM studio heads, and even Hollywood nobility Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks have all wished the producer safe travels. They witnessed as President of United Artists Studio Mike Levee and Broadway star Al Jolson join Schenck on the train. Thereupon, Jolson called out “Toot toot tootsie, Goodbye!” to the cheers of the spectators. He waved like a bird as the Locomotive left the station.

Before they have to leave, Buster excused himself from his wife and his in-laws to make a quick call in the station’s phone booth. He dialed a number to Gail’s house but was left with repeating tones. Maybe she isn't home, Buster wondered as he disappointingly hooked up the receiver.

He will be leaving for Arizona for a film shoot and Gail will be returning to work once her arm heals. He didn't know how much time they would spend together. But for now, he should be with his family as they will always be around as long he doesn't mess things up.

Later that afternoon, the Keatons and the in-laws were at the beach by their rented home. It had become crowded thanks to Norma inviting some of the attendees. Buster was basking in the sun's rays with his bare torso. Meanwhile, Norma and Dutch were mingling and sharing ice-cold drinks with the guests. Natalie was next to the boys who were piling sand and Peg was sitting in the folding chair. 

Nearby, Buster kept the eye on his young sons and mostly on his wife. Because of the non-consensual kiss, Natalie didn't want to be closer than six feet from him except in the presence of her mother and sisters. Buster began apologizing to her every day and he would find the flowers he bought for her in the trash. It was then buster knew that he fucked up that night when he refused to apologize in the first place.

He sat up when hearing one of the female guests call out, “Hey Buster! Can you perform a trick or two?” 

Keaton stood up, put on his sleeveless shirt, and headed for the extra space by the audience. His feet were up as he performed a handstand, and then they were on the ground again after a somersault. Everyone clapped for his stunt. Buster saw that Natalie was among the witnesses, though she did not applaud. As Buster returned to his family, he picked up some seashells and lent them to the boys to use to decorate their lumps of sand.

“I think I had tanned enough,” Buster said to Natalie. “May I sit with you?” he asked. “For Bobby’s sake.” after a brief pause, he added, “And Jimmy’s.”

Natalie appeared surprised when she turned her head to him. Buster never mentioned the name James or Jimmy for their oldest son since he was to be named Joseph according to tradition for a firstborn Keaton and Natalie didn't want him to be called that. That had convinced her enough to accept his request and Buster sat alongside them, He whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry about that night.” Natalie seemed a bit annoyed, hearing that an umpteenth time. She gently patted his shoulder.

The next day was their fourth anniversary. Buster and Natalie exchanged gifts over their candlelit table. As a traditional wedding present, he gave her a rose brooch and she gave him a floral paisley tie. There was no lovemaking like the year before, the only physical contact was him smooching her hand.

When June arrived Monday, work began to pick up. The crew was prepping for location shooting. Keaton brought in a Mule to his studio to have it in the movie as he found them funnier for him to ride on than horses. The cow, Brown eyes, was so successful in her training that Buster replaced the rope with string. 

During the noon hour, Buster managed to reach Gail by phone. He smiled warmly upon hearing her voice greeting him. “I was trying to call you Saturday,” he said, leaning back on his office chair.

“Oh please forgive me, I was at Lenore’s. The new maid was helping Sally cook. I’m hoping she doesn't burn the fish next time.”

“It’s alright Gail, a lot is going on. How are you?”

“Now that I’m counting down the days until this arm is no longer in the plaster, I’m doing great. How about you?”

“I’m almost beat from today, though I’m kinda glad that the boss is away to the east. I don't know if you know that I'll be away too at the end of the week.”“How long are you there?” she questioned.He shrugged, “Maybe a month or three weeks. Give or take.” Buster’s eyes trailed onto her cast. “Such a shame I won't see your arm cast free before I go,” he said crestfallen. His tone was a bit cheerful when he added, I can send you flowers.”Gail replied, “That’ll be nice,” Buster asked, “Has it ever hurt? Sorry I didn't ask sooner.”“At first yes. The doctor prescribed me some painkillers. Now I didn't need them because I don't feel any pain.” “Doll, I would love to visit you this week but it won't happen on the account of my schedule. You can come over to my studio again if you want.” he didn't hear a response from her. “How much do you know about the game of bridge?”“I haven't practiced it since I moved out, though I still know a few basics.” the tone of her voice was less nervous.“That’ll be plenty! I’m still learning the game and could go for more skills. We can talk about it if you want to.”“Okay, sounds good to me!” After finishing the phone call, Buster found it was odd that Gail didn't sound a lot thrilled after revealing what she felt about him. He began to worry that she changed her mind about him and their blossoming relationship.The next day, he put aside his worries for Junior's birthday. The sister threw a small party at Norma’s home. Buster had taken an hour off from work for the occasion. Buster jr. or whom Natalie called “Jimmy” blew three candles on the cake and received a generous amount of presents from his doting aunts.  Buster was proud of how his toddler has grown. He himself has been lucky to reach his third birthday by the standards of having traveling show parents.As it was closing time on Wednesday, Buster called the studio carpenters in Arizona. He was informed that the bunkhouses in which the cast members will stay will be ready by the time filming begins. While on the line, Buster saw Gail entering his office. He signaled for her to sit down on the couch. After finishing the call, he brought out a deck of cards from his jacket and then moved next to her. Buster did all the shuffling due to Gail’s recovering arm.“I'd like to learn how to shuffle like that,” she said, admiring his skills.“If you could tell me how to win.”Soon enough, They began talking about the game and the ranks of the cards. Gail had been telling him what she had learned from practicing with Lenore. “It would be helpful for you not to react to what cards you have so the players won't know you have a good hand.” Buster nodded at her advice. In turn, he shuffled them for her. The first three cards he laid out were the king, a heart, and the queen. They both stared at how it was ordered. “I kissed Nate, my wife.” Gail turned to him upon Buster’s confession, “It was the night before I invited you over, the thrill of Roscoe’s wedding came over me,” He explained. “We were retiring to our bedrooms. I gave her a peck and Nate pushed me away. She was cold to me until the day before our anniversary. She kept pretending to be a puritan.” Buster would expect Gail to be heartbroken as he still advances his wife but she grasped his left hand with her right hand. She was feeling sorry for him.“Would you still see me when my arm gets better?” Gail asked.“Of course,” he replied softly. “Why couldn't I?” the two leaned on each other for a direct kiss. A liplock was what Buster needed after another chaste anniversary. His lips moved to the side of her neck, giving it several slow pecks. Gail gave out a light moan. If Natalie wasn't out with her sisters, the office bungalow was packed and the curtains were open, he wouldn't be doing this sort of activity. His hand went to the small of her back and the other one went under her skirt. He located a garter above her left knee. His finger hooked on it slightly. The hand slid onto her bare thigh and began rubbing it.

“Stop.”

He got confused upon hearing a whimper.

Gail pled to him, “Stop.” She pushed him off their embrace. Her face was pink but she was ashamed. Buster could almost think she was crying. She was heaving, “I'm sorry. I can’t.”

 “You're having second thoughts?” Buster asked in despair. He avoided getting close to Gail again in fear she would get away.

“No, I still like to be your sweetheart. I really do.” She was upset rather than timid, “It’s just that I promised my family long ago that I would remain a virgin until marriage.”

“How come you didn't mention this before?”

“I don't want to lose you. I knew that your wife was making you suffer when she didn't want any relations. I was right to wonder if you preferred sex,” she nearly cried.

Buster pleaded with her not to cry and to listen to him, “I’m fine with waiting if you want to. Besides, I wasn't planning on any hanky panky, your arm’s still healing. Didn't want to make it worse.” Buster didn't recall the last time he had made love to anybody. He knew it was when he made a brief visit to a red light district in late January. He considered an affair with Gail until he wanted her in his feature then she broke her arm. He was glad they had been kissed more than once. “We can do other things, right?” he asked.

Gail wiped her eyes as she nodded, “I would like a dance.”

Buster got up to move a couple of chairs out of the way and turned on the radio, and searched for the various stations until he found an instrumental song. “Then we’ll have a dance.” He extended his hand for her to gladly accept the dance. Gail and Buster smiled as they swayed on the floor. She rested on his shoulder to sniff his cologne. Content, He kissed her hand.

On Saturday, after bidding farewell to the family and the friends remaining in place, Buster along with the cast and the crew were driven to Kingston. Three carloads of equipment followed them. 

Buster looked out the window for every tree that passed by. He decided to take a shuteye. He still liked Gail and missed her, but was never certain about his future with Gail as long as she was never sure about him.

[busterkeatonfanfic]

Chapter 25

On the last night that Buster Collier was twenty-five, at Constance’s Santa Monica beach house, Buster got the drunkest he’d been in a long time. It was hard to say what he was out of sorts about. The melancholy seemed to have begun over the childish overalls he was wearing. All the men were wearing overalls, in fact, and the girls short pinafores with long legs all asparkle in shiny nude stockings. Jimmy and Bobby had been to a birthday party for little Thomasina Mix that afternoon at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre where all the guests were children, which had given Dutch the idea that everyone should dress like kids for Buster Collier’s birthday party. The sight of stout Peg Talmadge in a short frock with a big floppy bow on her head licking an oversized lollipop was one that he could have done the rest of his life without. But the overalls had reminded him of The Butcher Boy and he thought of Roscoe, who should have been here to enjoy the mindless merriment with everyone else. Sometimes he wondered how everyone could go on with their lives, forgetting all they owed him. 

Natalie was angry with him, so he was cooling his heels—literally—in the freezing surf of the Pacific Ocean. He struggled to remember what had gotten her so mad. He watched the water wash over his feet, which were ghost white in the light of the waning moon. They’d gone numb, but the sting of the icy water felt distant and not at all unbearable. He hummed a tune that the Henry Starr Orchestra had been playing. 

“Buster, get back inside.”

He looked up and saw Norma Talmadge heading toward him. She had a beaver-fur coat over her pinafore and her shiny black Mary Jane shoes sank into the wet sand. It was a raw night. 

“Where are your shoes and socks?” she said.

He shrugged. He’d definitely put them somewhere.

“You’ve upset Nate pretty bad.”

Indignation rankled him. “So?”

Norma fell into step beside him, just short of the licking tide. “It wasn’t a very nice thing to say.”

Buster’s head swam, but he still couldn’t remember what he’d said to make his wife so livid with him. “You’re wrecking your shoes,” he said.

“Buster,” said Norma. She tugged on his arm and stopped him. His hair had fallen forward into his eyes and she stroked it off. He closed his eyes, enjoying the touch. “Come back inside, please.”

“I don’t even remember what she’s all fussed about,” he admitted, opening his eyes again. 

“About Dutch and Buster?” she prompted.

“Oh, that’s right.” Now it came back to him. He’d made some loud remark about Buster Collier and Constance having an affair and Nate, seeing how many people were in the room to hear, pulled him aside to scold him in a quiet hiss for embarrassing her sister. He’d bawled something at her and stormed out. Neither Buster nor Constance had announced their affair yet, but it was fast becoming as obvious as Norma and Gil Roland’s. “Don’t see what the big deal is,” he said. “She’s throwing a whole damned party for him. Anyone with half an eye is gonna know what’s going on.”

“Yes, but you needn’t have been crass about it,” said Norma, frowning. Though she was just a year his senior, she had a comforting, authoritative air that sometimes made her feel as much his big sister as Natalie and Constance’s. He trusted and distrusted her in equal measures, same as he trusted and distrusted Dutch. The Talmadge sisters were fond of him, but he knew their loyalty to Natalie would always trump whatever affection they had for him.

He tried to remember why it had been so important to open his big fat mouth about Buster and Constance. He was on the verge of recalling, but the reason slithered out of his grasp. Instead, he looked down at his ghostly feet. He thought of Nelly and the lake. Only two days had passed since he had visited her at her apartment, but the memory felt years distant and like it belonged to another man. 

“Come inside. Come on,” said Norma, linking her arm with his. He fell clumsily against her, but righted himself.

The warmth of her fur-wrapped arm against his reminded him. That was it. Both Constance and Norma had now taken lovers and he had somehow ended up with the only sister who didn’t want anything to do with sex. The unfairness of it settled on him again, making him despair. 

“Apologize to Nate,” said Norma. “Make up with her.” She tugged his arm.

Buster dug his toes into the sand, resisting. His head spun with whiskey. “I don’t wanna.” 

“Don’t be childish,” she said. 

He pulled away, walking deeper into the ocean and wetting the cuffs of his overalls. “Why are you still married to Joe?” he said. “Why not marry Gil?” He didn’t expect her to answer since he was deliberately needling her, but her voice was as clear as a bell in the cold night air. 

“He’s young, isn’t he? Maybe he’s too young.”

“And Joe’s too damn old.” Farther in now, he felt shells beneath his feet. The tide hadn’t succeeded yet in washing them up on the beach. 

“Marriage isn’t always about love.” 

That remark made him stop his slow trudge into the water. As much as he had regarded Joe, still regarded him, Joe was balding, twenty years older than Norma, and far from handsome with his shapeless nose and drooping little mouth. That her marriage to him had been a business venture was an open secret. He was still surprised to hear her say it out loud. 

“I married for love,” he said, lifting his eyes to the moon. He stumbled, his head spinning. “Least I thought I did.”

“I think I see your shoes back there on that rock,” said Norma, closing the conversation.

He waded back toward the shoreline where, numb from the ankles down, he suddenly stumbled to his knees and vomited on the wet sand. When the hot clammy crawl of his flesh had faded and he’d spit the taste out of his mouth, he looked up to see Norma standing alongside him with his shoes and socks in one hand. “C’mon, Bus,” she said, holding out her other hand. “Go inside and make up.” Nelly bicycled down to Doc’s to get groceries on Sunday morning. Task accomplished, she strapped the bag with the eggs in the rear basket and put the other two bags in the front basket, then rode back up Fairfax Avenue, enjoying the warm breeze around her legs. She was thinking idly of the salad she was going to make when she got home, with chilled ham and hard-boiled eggs. The Circus was playing at the Fox Theatre a few blocks away, and she had the vague notion of treating herself to a matinee if she finished the salad and her sweeping.

Her heart hammered suddenly when she pushed her bicycle through the door of the apartment building; there was a man waiting around the corner at her front door. Before she knew what to do, he looked up at her.

It was only Buster. “God almighty, you scared me!” she said.

“Hello,” he said with a small, apologetic smile.

“What are you doing here?” she said, a familiar flush crawling over her skin as he leaned in and pecked the corner of her mouth. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

He didn’t answer, but took her bicycle by the handles as she fumbled in her handbag for her key. “Thank you,” she said, pulling the key out. “Come on in.”

He walked the bicycle through the door for her and propped it against the sofa. “You are duty-bound to ignore any dust bunnies you see around here,” she gabbled, still caught off her guard. “I was going to sweep when I got home.” She grabbed the bag with the eggs and set it on the counter, and Buster followed obligingly with the other two bags. He turned to face her and it was only then she realized that he wasn’t himself. 

“Something the matter?” she said.

Buster shook his head, but he reached for her and enfolded her in his arms before she could get a chance to really study his face. She inhaled. He smelled clean, like aftershave and shampoo, but there was a sour undertone to his skin. Something was the matter, but she could tell he didn’t intend to elaborate. She stroked his back and buried her face in his neck. Another realization struck her: she’d missed him despite having seen him only three days ago. Desire also gnawed at her, but Buster didn’t seem to be in the mood, so she tried to set it aside.  

“I’m glad to see you,” she said, drawing back to kiss his cheek. 

Buster gave a half-hearted smile and stroked her cheek with a thumb. He leaned forward and kissed her, but it wasn’t a lingering kiss. 

“You’re not glum because of me, are you?” she said, insecurity getting the better of her. 

Buster shook his head. He smiled again in a tired way and kissed her. 

“You don’t have to tell me. As long as it’s not because of me. I was going to make a ham and egg salad. Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll put it together? You could help me with that darned LA Times crossword, too.”

“Alright.”

She began to unpack the groceries as Buster seated himself on the sofa. When he started to unlace his shoes, she relaxed. His unexpected appearance and strange mood were still mysteries that remained to be solved, but at least she hadn’t offended him. 

“I was thinking of going to see a matinee of The Circus. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Chaplin film,” she said. “Was the last one The Gold Rush? You know, I don’t even remember.”

“Last one was The Gold Rush,” Buster confirmed. “He’s lazy. The Gold Rush came out in ‘twenty-four. Imagine if I went four years between pictures.”

She glanced over and he was lying on the sofa on his back with the newspaper up to his face.  

“Have you seen The Circus yet?”

“Huh-uh.”

“What’s a bird of prey? It’s not hawk and it’s not eagle.”

“Down or across?”

“Down, I think.”

She set cans inside cabinets as Buster fell silent. She thought the small talk had failed, but—

“It’s falcon,” he said. 

“Oh. There were a couple others that were giving me trouble too,” she said. “There’s a ten-word Greek philosopher. Then there’s a clue that just says ‘a refrain.’ I have no idea what that one is.”

With the sacks unpacked, she folded them in half and set a pot of water to boil for the eggs. The silence with Buster was companionable and she hoped that the silly task of solving the crossword was taking his mind off of whatever was eating him. She began to dice the side of ham she’d left on the counter. “What’s a river in Russia?”

Buster didn’t reply. 

“Buster?” She looked back. He was fast asleep, head drooped to the side on the sofa pillow, the newspaper resting open on his midsection.

Nelly chopped more quietly, pitying him and wondering what the trouble was, whether he’d fought with his wife, was worried about his new picture, or vexed over something else altogether. She knew little at present about his day-to-day. At the cabin, most of his stories had been about gay parties, the outrageous things that guests had said and done when drunk, and his career in pictures. She felt like she knew Roscoe Arbuckle back to front now and every detail of what took place behind the scenes with Battling Butler to College, but not how Buster spent his time at the Villa. She could only imagine what his marriage was like. She was sure of just three things. One, he didn’t share a bed with his wife. Two, he wasn’t faithful to her and hadn’t been since at least last summer. Three, he seemed to believe they would be divorced in due time. She’d never forgotten his cynical remark about it the night of the party at the Villa when they’d been discussing Charlie Chaplin’s divorce. At the thought of Buster divorcing Natalie, Nelly clamped her mind closed. It was enough that he wanted her to be his mistress and sought out her company. She wouldn’t daydream about impossibilities.

The water in the pot boiled and she slid seven eggs into it, four for the salad, two for the dressing, and one for her breakfast tomorrow. Buster continued sleeping and she let him, glad that she could offer him some sort of respite. She washed the lettuce and softly shredded the leaves for the salad.

The eggs were cooling, the salad prepared, and Nelly curled in her armchair reading the latest issue of The Stage when Buster roused, asking in a voice thick with sleep, “What time is it?”

“Just after twelve o’clock,” she said, laying aside the magazine. 

He beckoned her with two fingers and she went to him, seating herself on the edge of the sofa. “Sorry I conked out on you,” he said, shading a yawn with his hand. 

“I didn’t mind,” said Nelly. “I think you must need the sleep.” She lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles. 

“Guess I must,” Buster said. His brown eyes still looked tired and a little distant, but he seemed more like himself. 

“Burning the candle at both ends?” she said, still clinging to his hand. 

He smiled. “Go ahead with your lecture.”

“Okay, I will. How much sleep do you get? You’ll wear yourself down and get ill.”

“Not as much as I should.”

Nelly pulled her legs onto the sofa and flipped around so that she was lying on top of Buster between his legs. She folded her arms across his chest, propping herself up, and he put his arms around her. His body was hard and muscled, all planes and angles. “You should get more sleep.”

“You know the last time I got any sleep worth a damn?” he said.

“No. When?”

“Those three nights with you. Slept like a baby.” He put a hand on the back of her neck and pushed, bringing her mouth down to his. 

“What are you saying?” she said, as a particular part of him twitched against her groin. 

He got serious for a moment. “Wish you could sleep over.”

“You could stay here. I wouldn’t mind, but my bed’s a little small.”

Buster shook his head, his mouth a line. “Missus expects me home at night.”

Even though she won’t let you share a bed with her. Nelly thought it, but wasn’t brave enough to say it aloud. So she said instead, “That’s too bad.”

“It is. I miss holding my Nellie Dean when I’m falling asleep.”

It was the tenderest and frankest thing he’d ever said to her, and hearing the words leave his lips, she knew beyond a doubt now that she was deeply in trouble. He’d won her heart, but his was not free to give. 

The thought evaporated as Buster’s mood turned from tender to ravenous. He began to pry at the buttons at her bodice and Nelly forgot her heart, knew only what her flesh wanted from him and was willing to give in return.

Notes: There actually was a party at Constance Talmadge’s on February 11th for Buster Collier’s birthday in which all the adults dressed as children. (The above image is reputed to be from Marion Davies’ New Year’s Eve party, so apparently costume parties where you dressed like kids were popular; there’s another image of the Talmadge women wearing kids’ clothing while posing with Peg, who appears to be on her deathbed, so it isn’t from the party in 1928.) Did Constance (”Dutch”) Talmadge have an affair with Buster Collier? Maybe. They seem to have been awful chummy around this time and I found an article from the period where they were rumored to have been engaged, though Constance denied it. I decided to run with it. The Gold Rush actually came out in 1925, but I thought it would be more realistic for Buster to get the date wrong. He did consider Chaplin lazy for the long gaps between his films. I don’t know why, but the section where Buster and Norma interact was one of my favorite scenes to write for this story so far. Other “pet” chapters include Chapter 5 and 6, and Chapter 13. Do you have any favorite chapters so far?

[silent-era-of-cinema]

Norma Marie Talmadge (May 2, 1894 – December 24, 1957) was an American actress and film producer of the silent era. A major box-office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among the most popular idols of the American screen.

A specialist in melodrama, her most famous film was Smilin’ Through (1922), but she also scored artistic triumphs teamed with director Frank Borzage in Secrets (1924) and The Lady (1925). Her younger sister Constance Talmadge was also a movie star. Talmadge married millionaire film producer Joseph M. Schenck and they successfully created their own production company. After reaching fame in the film studios on the East Coast, she moved to Hollywood in 1922.

Talmadge was one of the most elegant and glamorous film stars of the Roaring '20s. However, by the end of the silent film era, her popularity with audiences had waned. After her two talkies proved disappointing at the box office, she retired a very wealthy woman.

According to her birth certificate, Talmadge was born on May 2, 1894, in Jersey City, New Jersey. Although it has been widely reported she was born in Niagara Falls, New York, after achieving stardom, she admitted that she and her mother provided the more scenic setting of Niagara Falls to fan magazines to be more romantic. Talmadge was the eldest daughter of Fred Talmadge, an unemployed chronic alcoholic, and Margaret "Peg" Talmadge, a witty and indomitable woman. She had two younger sisters, Natalie and Constance, both of whom also became actresses.

The girls' childhoods were marked by poverty. One Christmas morning, Fred Talmadge left the house to buy food, and never came back, leaving his wife to raise their three daughters. Peg took in laundry, sold cosmetics, taught painting classes, and rented out rooms, raising her daughters in Brooklyn, New York.

After telling her mother about a classmate from Erasmus Hall High School who modeled for popular illustrated song slides (which were often shown before the one-reeler in movie theaters so the audience could sing along), Mrs. Talmadge decided to locate the photographer. She arranged an interview for her daughter, who after an initial rejection, was soon hired. When they went to the theater to see her debut, Peg resolved to get her into motion pictures.

Norma Talmadge was the eldest of the three daughters and the first pushed by their mother to look for a career as a film actress.[9] Mother and daughter traveled to the Vitagraph Studios in Flatbush, New York, just a streetcar ride from her home.[7] They managed to get past the studio gates and in to see the casting director, who promptly threw them out. However, scenario editor Beta Breuil, attracted by Talmadge's beauty, arranged a small part for her as a young girl who is kissed under a photographer's cloth in The Household Pest (1909).

Thanks to Breuill's continued patronage, between 1911 and 1912, Talmadge played bit parts in over 100 films. She eventually earned a spot in the stock company at $25 per week and got a steady stream of work. Her first role as a contract actress was 1911's Neighboring Kingdom, with comedian John Bunny. Her first real success came with Vitagraph's three-reel adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities (1911), in which she played the small role of the unnamed seamstress who accompanies Sidney Carton to the guillotine. With help from the studio's major star, Maurice Costello, the star of A Tale of Two Cities, Talmadge's acting improved and she continued to play roles from leads to extras, gaining experience and public exposure in a variety of characters—from a colored mammy to a clumsy waitress to a reckless young modern, she began attracting both public and critical notice. By 1913, she was Vitagraph's most promising young actress. That same year, she was assigned to Van Dyke Brooke's acting unit, and throughout 1913 and 1914, appeared in more films, frequently with Antonio Moreno as her leading man.

In 1915, Talmadge got her big break, starring in Vitagraph's prestigious feature film The Battle Cry of Peace, an anti-German propagandist drama, but ambitious Peg saw that her daughter's potential could carry them further, and got a two-year contract with National Pictures Company for eight features at $400 per week. Talmadge's last film for Vitagraph was The Crown Prince's Double. In the summer of 1915, she left Vitagraph. In the five years she had been with Vitagraph, she made over 250 films.

In August, the Talmadges left for California, where Norma's first role was in Captivating Mary Carstairs. The whole enterprise was a fiasco; the sets and costumes were cheap and the studio itself lacked adequate backing. The film was a flop, and the small new studio shut down after the release of Mary Carstairs. The demise of National Pictures Company left the family stranded in California after only one picture. Deciding it was smarter to aim high, they went to the Triangle Film Corporation, where D. W. Griffith was supervising productions. On the strength of The Battle Cry, Talmadge got a contract with Griffith's Fine Arts Company. For eight months, she starred in seven features for Triangle, including the comedy The Social Secretary (1916), a comedy written by Anita Loos and directed by John Emerson, that gave her an opportunity to disguise her beauty as a girl trying to avoid the unwelcome attentions of her male employers.

When the contract ran out, the Talmadges returned to New York. At a party, Talmadge met Broadway and film producer Joseph M. Schenck, a wealthy exhibitor who wanted to produce his own films. Immediately taken by Talmadge both personally and professionally, Schenck proposed marriage and a production studio. Two months later, on October 20, 1916, they were married. Talmadge called her much older husband "Daddy". He supervised, controlled, and nurtured her career in alliance with her mother.

In 1917, the couple formed the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation, which became a lucrative enterprise. Schenck vowed he would make his wife the greatest star of all, and one to be remembered always. The best stories, most opulent costumes, grandest sets, talented casts, and distinguished directors, along with spectacular publicity, would be hers. Before long, women around the world wanted to be the romantic Norma Talmadge and flocked to her extravagant movies filmed on the East Coast.

Schenck soon had a stable of stars operating in his studio in New York, with the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation making dramas on the ground floor, the Constance Talmadge Film Corporation making sophisticated comedies on the second floor, and the comic unit with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle on the top floor, with Natalie Talmadge acting as secretary and taking occasional small roles in her sisters' films. Arbuckle brought in his nephew Al St. John and vaudeville star Buster Keaton. When Schenck decided it was financially advantageous to rent Arbuckle to Paramount Pictures for feature films, Keaton took over the comedy unit and was soon brought into the Talmadge family fold, at least for a time through an unhappy arranged marriage to Natalie Talmadge.

Talmadge's first film for her studio, the now lost Panthea, (1917) was directed by Allan Dwan with assistants Erich von Stroheim and Arthur Rosson. The film was a dramatic tour de force for her in a story set in Russia of a woman who sacrifices herself to help her husband. The film was a hit, turning Talmadge into a sensation and established her as a first-rate dramatic actress.

Talmadge's acting ability improved rapidly during this period. She made four to six films a year in New York between 1917 and 1921. Under Schenck's personal supervision, other films followed, including Poppy (1917), in which, she was paired with Eugene O'Brien. The teaming was such a hit, they made 10 more films together, including The Moth, and The Secret of the Storm Country, a sequel to Tess of the Storm Country (1914), starring Mary Pickford.

In 1918, she reteamed with Sidney Franklin, who directed The Safety Curtain, Her Only Way, Forbidden City, The Heart of Wetona, and 1919's The Probation Wife. These films have small-scale settings and familiar actors appearing from one film to the next. An advantage of the East Coast locale was access to the country's best high-fashion designers, such as Madame Francis and Lucile. Between 1919 and 1920, Talmadge's name appeared on a regular monthly fashion advice column for Photoplay magazine; her publicist was Beulah Livingstone.

Throughout the 1920s, Talmadge continued to triumph in films such as 1920's Yes or No, The Branded Woman, Passion Flower (1921), and The Sign on the Door (1921). The next year, she had the most popular film of her entire career, Smilin' Through (1922) directed by Sidney Franklin. One of the greatest screen romances of the silent film era, it was remade twice, in 1932 with Norma Shearer, and in 1941 with Jeanette MacDonald.

After Smilin' Through, Schenck closed the New York studios and Norma and Constance moved to Hollywood to join Keaton and Natalie. Talmadge's Hollywood films were different from her New York films. Bigger and glossier, they were fewer but more varied, often with period or exotic settings. She teamed with cinematographer Tony Gaudio and some of Hollywood's finest costume designers for a more glamorous image. She also worked with top-flight directors such as Frank Lloyd, Clarence Brown, and Frank Borzage. With help from films directed by her first husband Joseph M. Schenck, she became one of the highest-paid actresses of the 1920s.

In 1923, a poll of picture exhibitors named Norma Talmadge the number-one box office star. She was earning $10,000 a week, and receiving as many as 3,000 letters weekly from her fans. Her film Secrets (1924), directed by Frank Borzage, marked the pinnacle of her career, with her giving her best performance and receiving the best reviews. In 1924, Schenck had moved over to head United Artists, but Talmadge still had a distribution contract with First National. She continued to make successful films such as The Lady (1925) directed by Frank Borzage and the romantic comedy Kiki (1926) directed by Clarence Brown, remade later by Mary Pickford as a sound film in 1931.

One of the at least nine theories of the origin of the tradition for celebrities to stamp a hand in Hollywood involves Talmadge. According to it, in 1927, she accidentally stepped into wet concrete in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Talmadge's last film for First National was Camille (1926), an adaptation of a novel by Alexandre Dumas the younger later remade by Greta Garbo. During filming, Talmadge fell in love with leading man Gilbert Roland. She asked Schenck for a divorce, but he was not ready to grant it. Despite his personal feelings, he was not going to break up a moneymaking team and continued casting Roland in Talmadge's next three films released by United Artists. Talmadge and Schenck separated, though he continued producing her films. He was now president of the prestigious but theater-poor United Artists Corporation, and the rest of Talmadge's films were released for that company. UA's distribution problems, however, began to erode her popularity. Her first films for this studio, The Dove (1927) and The Woman Disputed (1928), were box-office failures and ended up being her last silent movies.

By the time Woman Disputed (1928) was released, the talking film revolution had begun, and Talmadge began taking voice lessons in preparation. She worked diligently with voice coaches for over a year so she could make her sound debut. Her first talkie, New York Nights (1929), showed that she could speak and act acceptably in talkies. While her performance was considered to be good, the film was not. Talmadge next took on the role of Madame du Barry in the 1930 film Du Barry, Woman of Passion. With incompetent direction and Talmadge's inexperience at a role requiring very demanding vocal acting, the film was a failure, in spite of the elaborate sets by William Cameron Menzies.

On March 29, 1928, at the bungalow of Mary Pickford, United Artists brought together Talmadge, Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, John Barrymore, Dolores del Río, and D. W. Griffith to speak on the radio show The Dodge Brothers Hour to prove that Griffith could meet the challenge of talking movies.

Talmadge's sister Constance sent her a telegram with this advice: "Quit pressing your luck, baby. The critics can't knock those trust funds Mama set up for us". As time passed, it became increasingly clear that the public was no longer interested in its old favorites, and Talmadge was seen as an icon of the past. Talmadge had been increasingly bored with filmmaking before the talkie challenge came along, and this setback seems to have discouraged her from further attempts.

She still had two more films left on her United Artists contract. In late 1930, Samuel Goldwyn announced he had bought the film rights to Zoë Akins' comedy play The Greeks Had a Word for It for her. She reportedly did some stage rehearsals for it in New York, but within a few months, she asked to be released from her contract. She never again appeared on screen. (Goldwyn eventually made the film version of The Greeks Had a Word for It under the title The Greeks Had a Word for Them in 1932.)

Upon leaving the movie world, Norma Talmadge rid herself of all the duties and responsibilities of stardom. She told eager fans who were pressing her for an autograph as she left a restaurant, "Get away, dears. I don't need you anymore and you don't need me."

Some time before late 1932, Talmadge decided against marrying Gilbert Roland, as he was 11 years her junior and she feared he would eventually leave her. Mother Peg fell ill, and died in September 1925. In late 1932, Talmadge began seeing her ex-husband Joseph Schenck's poker friend, comedian George Jessel. In April 1934, Schenck, from whom she had been separated for seven years, finally granted Talmadge her divorce, and nine days later, she married Jessel. Schenck continued to do what he could for Norma and her sisters, acting as a financial adviser and guiding her business affairs.

Talmadge's last professional works consisted of appearances on Jessel's radio program, which was sagging in the ratings. The program soon ended, and the marriage did not last; the couple divorced in 1939. Schenck's business acumen and her mother's watchful ambition for her daughters had resulted in a huge fortune for Talmadge, and she never wanted for money. Restless since the end of her filmmaking days, Talmadge traveled, often shuttling between her houses, entertaining, and visiting with her sisters. In 1946, she married Dr. Carvel James, a Beverly Hills physician.

In her later years, Talmadge, who had never been comfortable with the burdens of public celebrity, became reclusive. Increasingly crippled by painful arthritis and reported to be dependent on painkilling drugs, she moved to the warm climate of Las Vegas for her final years. According to Anita Loos' memories of Talmadge, the drug addiction came first which caused arthritis and was the basis of Norma's interest in her physician husband. In 1956, she was voted by her peers as one of the top five female stars of the pre-1925 era, but was too ill to travel to Rochester, New York, to accept her award.

After suffering a series of strokes in 1957, Talmadge died of pneumonia on Christmas Eve of that year. At the time of her death, her estate was valued at more than US$1,000,000 ($9,180,462 in 2020). She is interred with Constance and Natalie in their own niche in the Abbey of the Psalms in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Norma Talmadge has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1500 Vine Street.

Talmadge Street in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles is named in honor of the silent screen star. Also, the community of Talmadge, San Diego is named for her and her sisters, and one of the community's streets is named Norma in her honor.

[akkerdistel]

I’ve been reading this book. So, apparently this is where the famous quote on the thrilling destiny of looking across a pillow into Buster's face comes from :-) Or one of the places anyway. In The Talmadge Girls: a memoir (1978) Anita Loos also remembers Buster Keaton in this way (p.116):

I’ve never forgotten an afternoon when I happened to be inspecting Nate’s rather scanty garden. I ran into Buster, who was digging a tiny ditch in which the water trickled aimlessly. Buster was as intent as if he were constructing the Panama Canal. When I asked what he was doing, he replied: “Just having fun! I can make my little ditch go anywhere I choose... to the right... or left or straight ahead.” He paused to sigh in satisfaction. “I sure have authority over my little creek!” That was the only authority Buster ever knew as a member of the Talmadge clan. Henpecked by a wife who considered every male an automatic enemy, poor Buster remained an uncomplaining husband as long as Natalie would have him.

She obviously pitied him, as this is the only recollection of him she chose to write down. On other pages, she briefly calls him 'that mini-Molière of filmdom' and thought he brought art into movies.

The memoir is as much about Anita herself as the (two) celebrated Talmadge sisters. Nothing in depth about them, just happy or sharp memories concerning Norma’s beauty, writing succesful screenplays for Constance, shopping, gossipping and finally getting out of touch. The only one who really becomes a full and strong character in this memoir is mother Talmadge, Peg. Most of all, it struck me how exhausting this rich Hollywood life was. But Anita Loos certainly writes juicy, even as an old lady.

Another odd thing is that I actually started rooting for Natalie. She’s hardly ever mentioned and when she is, it is to show how bumbling good-for-nothing she was. Take Peg, telling Anita ever so casually, that Natalie's brain rattles. Or things like this (p.50):

John cast Dutch’s sister Natalie as one of our heroine’s obstacles. But, instead of making good as an ugly girl, Nate merely made her dull, which ended her acting career and sent her back to answering fan mail.

So, when halfway into the book, she's finally attributed to saying something remotely clever, I couldn’t help but applaud her. At least, until that rather depressing memory of Buster amidst the Talmadges that Anita shares.

Recommended if you like an entertaining quick read about Anita's roaring 20′s, which happens to somewhat include the Talmadge girls. But if you'd want to understand the Talmadge clan a little better after reading their Wikipedia pages, this might not be the book.

[busterkeatonsociety]

This Day in Buster…May 31, 1921

Buster Keaton marries Natalie Talmadge on the anniversary of his parents Joe and Myra's wedding at the home of Joseph Schenck, his boss & brother-in-law.  Although the marriage ended in divorce just over a decade later, there were happy times & their union led to two sons, Jimmy & Bobby.

[friendlessghoul]

Talmadge Family All in New York The entire Talmadge family, Constance, Mrs. Peggy, Joseph Schenck, Buster Keaton, Natalie Keaton and Joseph Keaton, are all in New York, leaving Norma Talmadge quite alone in her big English home. Eileen Percy is Norma's constant companion since her family left her, and the other day Santa Monica Beach saw Norma and Eileen in horn rimmed glasses, stunning bathing suits, a hot dog in each hand.

Daily News, October 23, 1923

[zazamatic]

One of the great “power” couples of silent Hollywood, Fred Thomson and Frances Marion were counted among Cinemaland’s most popular pairs during the ten years they spent together in the heady twenties before their fairy tale existence was shattered by Fred’s sudden and tragic death on Christmas Day 1928 at age 38.

The brilliant architect Wallace Neff transformed the Thomson’s dreams and needs onto the barren hillside converting it into a kingdom unto itself and an enchanted one at that. As Frances was to write:

“In a short while our hill resembled a gigantic wedding cake. pine trees studded every tier, while on top rose a huge house with a drawing room two stories and a half high, rare tapestries on the walls, an Aeolian pipe organ, and windows overlooking five acres of lawn. Beautifully laid out on the terrace were a tiled barbeque, an aviary, and a hundred-foot swimming pool. Fred and his horses and I had gone Hollywood!”

Reporter Grace Kingsley breathlessly recounted a visit to a party Frances threw for her lady friends at the Enchanted hill in 1927, “We were being ushered into the lofty hall and into the great living room, with its wide view of the surrounding country, which you look at through those beautiful arched windows and which gives also a view on the other side of the long Italian garden, with its colored walls, its fountains and many-hued flowers. If there was a feminine star missing that day from Frances’ party I don’t know who it could have been.” Kingsley went on to prove her point by naming such luminaries as Lillian Gish, Colleen Moore, Norma Shearer, Gloria Swanson, Hedda Hopper, Theda Bara, Mabel Normand, Claire Windsor, Mary Astor, ZaSu Pitts, Peg Talmadge, Janet Gaynor, Bessie Love and Marie Dressler among those in attendance. “Somewhere in the Fred Thomson-Frances Marion home is a big pipe organ,” she continued, “and somebody was playing it as we visited together – a charming, distant harmony that lent a still more beautiful atmosphere in an already entirely delightful occasion.”

Ten days before Christmas, as the couple gazed down at the twinkling lights of Beverly Hills far down in the distance, she noticed her husband had a slight limp. She asked him if the leg he broke the previous year in an on-set accident was troubling him. “No,” he replied. “I stepped on a rusty nail and it bothers me a little. Nothing to worry about.” He died Christmas Day in his wife’s arms. A victim of medical misdiagnosis with his tetanus believed by doctors to be a gallbladder problem.

In 1997 the estate was sold to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Allen paid $20,000,000 for the legendary estate and then quickly ordered the entire Enchanted Hill and its outbuildings, Silver King’s mahogany-floored stable; the guest house; Cowboy’s House; the two riding rings; tennis court; acres of mature and lush gardens; and the 100-foot swimming pool to be bulldozed into oblivion. More than a decade later, it sits as a vacant, weed-covered lot.

https://paradiseleased.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/lost-hollywood-the-enchanted-hill-of-fred-thomson-and-frances-marion/

[busterkeatonsociety]

My wife's relations...

Original Caption) Here's a famous film family. Constance Talmadge; Buster Keaton and his wife, who was Natalie Talmadge; mother of the famous film favorites; and daughter Norma, first of the trio to gain prominence in the pictures. 'Tis rumored that Buster Keaton will soon be a proud Daddy.

[mabelnormandandstephenlivehere]

Happy Easter and Passover from my aunt MABEL & I! 5 April 2015 This China Easter Egg belonged to my great-aunt MABEL Normand given to her by Peg Talmadge. #TheMabelNormandFamilyEstate 2015

[fortheloveofbuster]