Constance Talmadge: Film's First Heroine

[dhermann1]

I've seen "Intolerance", not in a theater, but in college (I think . . .?) Stupendous movie, a little cumbersome, but amazing. Wasn't the set for the Babylonian scene left in the desert for decades?

 

[Midnight Palace]

Hmmm I hadn't heard about that!

 

[Doctor Strange]

Actually, it's the Egypt set from DeMille's silent version of The Ten Commandments that's still out there in the desert:

http://www.lostcitydemille.com/

I believe that the giant Babylon set from Intolerance was actually in Hollywood (which was largely still orange groves in 1916), and the entire area has been built over repeatedly since the twenties. I suspect that some of our LA-area Loungers know more about this.

And Intolerance remains a heckuva film experience. Yeah, it's too long and not all of the interwoven stories are equally interesting, but it's such a groundbreaking masterpiece that you can't really call yourself a serious film buff if you've never seen it!

And re Constance Talmadge, let's not forget her sisters Norma and Natalie (the first Mrs. Buster Keaton), both of whom had starring careers, though Natalie's was quite brief.