NORMA TALMADGE - AUTOGRAPH SENTIMENT SIGNED CIRCA 1932 - HFSID 22995

NORMA TALMADGE
Signature of the early Vitagraph star.
Autograph sentiment signed: "Most sincerely/Norma Talmadge", 6x4½ album leaf. Dated (unknown hand) at lower margin: "Aug 17. '32". Signed two years after Talmadge was seen in her last film, Du Barry, Woman of Passion (1930). Actress Norma Talmadge (1893-1957) began her film career in the 1910 Vitagraph film, The Household Pest, and she would go on to appear in a number of features for the New York City-based studio before briefly signing with D.W. Griffith, for whom her sister, Constance, was working. In 1916, Talmadge met and married Joseph Schenck, and the two became partners in their own film company. Their studio's first film, Panthea, was a tremendous hit, and the couple moved the production company to Hollywood. Over the next few years, Talmadge would star in several other hits, including The Wonderful Thing (1921), The Eternal Flame (1922) and The Song of Love (1923). By 1928, however, her popularity had begun to wane, and Talmadge was unable to make a successful transition from the silents to "talkies". She divorced Schenck on April 4, 1934 and married George Jessel just nineteen days later. Jessel had a radio show at the time, and Talmadge was added to the cast. When the program did not help her career, she divorced Jessel in 1939. In 1927, Talmadge had accidently begun a tradition when she stepped into wet cement in front of Graumann's Chinese Theater, becoming the first star of many to leave a lasting impression in front of the landmark. Lightly creased with fold, vertical fold at the "a" of Norma. Slightly soiled. Three file holes at blank left margin. Overall, fine condition.