FATE OR CHANCE?

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 538, 15 December 1928, Page 11 (Supplement)

FATE OR CHANCE?

The Romance of a Russian Princess Who is Now

an “Extra” in the Movies

Out in Hollywood, writes Elinor 61yn in “Photoplay,” there are hundreds 0 f extras of both sexes who, for all we |- no w, may be potential stars of magnitude and is it Fate or Chance which bring* them suddenly into the ken of producers and directors—or keeps them hidden and unknown? Who can 1611” There is one that I know of who, some day. seems bound to register with powers that be —and her story is such a romantic one that I have been asked to write it down for you. Before the war and the Russian Revolution, there was a great noble family of Golitzin —one branch in St. Petersburg and one in Moscow—and when I was staying with the Royal Family in l" 9 aT,d 191 °- they were great personages about the Court. The head of the Moscow branch. Prince Golitzin, always took a great Interest in science and medicine—and helped many struggling professors of both on their way while studying himHis mother had been tin Armenian princess and so his children all showed the almond, semi-Oriental eyes. His wife, the present princess, was a noted beauty.

not know if her husband were dead or a alive or in prison—all the rest of their * relations had been murdered. The town was raging with riotous A soldiers and this poor, gentle lady with her little family had nowhere to go. * They might have died of starvation \ and assault from the brutal soldiers, ‘ but Fate or Chance made a very celebrated Russian friend of mine, a colonel of the White Army, hear of their plight and come to their assistance. He, himself, had just escaped from prison with hairbreadth adventures; he managed to collect a little money and give them food and shelter. Their object was to get through to China and there await news of the prince. They could not afford to pay the nurse, but the faithful creature would not leave them and shared their hardships. They bore everything calmly and bravely, but naturally the horrors affected the gay characters of the children, and when I saw them afterwards, their eyes all seemed to have some shadow of deep-seated melancholy which was peculiarly intriguing. Again, by the kindness of my friend, they managed to reach Harbin, where the princess and the nurse worked to keep the children alive. I shall not go into any more details, but tell you that they finally arrived in Seattle—where the prince (escaped from ’ prison) joined them, and they were united once more. Here thqy l were about three years ago—the prince

When the revolution broke out, the prince was away at the war, fighting, and the princess was obliged to flee from Moscow with her young children. The little Princess Natascha (anglicised Natalie), the one I am going to tell you about, was perhaps then about eight or nine years old. They had lived

in a beautiful palace in Moscow, surrounded by dozens of servants and much state. Imagine what it could have been for them and hundreds of others—menaced by an infuriated mob, and never knowing when even their own domestics, with whom they had always lived on the kindest terms, would turn upon them and betray them to the Bolsheviks. However, the princess was a great character, and rather than stay with hourly prospect of being butchered as they saw numbers of their friends hacked to pieces, sne decided to try and get her children to safety. So they started, escaping from Moscow by night with two or three devoted servants who would not leave them, tracked by dogs, sheltering In woods for days with no food but berries. The horrors of the journey I would rather not write about —but at last they reached Tumen, a town in Siberia, with some of the children sick, no money left, and but one devoted nurse out of the retinue —the Bolsheviks having seized all the others. Their misery was complete; the poor princess did

practising medicine and the princess keeping a little school and the older children, now grown up, serving in shops. . ~ Our beautiful little Princess Natalie was now sixteen, when my the Russian colonel, then in New York, wrote to me to say he had seen the child’s remarkable beauty and he wondered if she could get work in the movies. He asked me to help them if I could. Just then —by chance again— I happened to see a Seattle paper in which there was a portrait of Princess Natalie —just taken in a rather shabby ordinary dress. She was the type I admire —perfectly chiselled features, very long black hair —and a white face terious eyes. I showed the picture to Irving Thalberg and we agreed that if she were small enough, she might be a great asset to the movies. That very day I received a letter from the princess, Natalie's mother, telling me of the introduction from my friend, and asking my advice about Natalie. When I heard that her height was five feet six, I was afraid to

advise them to take the great step of plunging into Hollywood on the chance of screen employment, knowing they would have to break up their home in Seattle. We exchanged letters and it was decided that Natalie should take the first chance of coming to Hollywood that she could get. j So one day, just when I was going to have a party for some great ones of the earth who Were passing through, a most lovely girl turned up. Some kind friends, other Russians, had brought her from Seattle in a motor. She was determined to work if she could! I admired her pluck—and was charmed with her lovely manners and deep, refined voice, speaking perfect English with only a fascinating accent. I asked her to the party, of course, wondering if she had an evening dress, but naturally not wishing to hurt her feelings by asking her. I had a most kind-hearted and sweet maid at that 1 time, who has since married—so I handed the princess over to her, feel- . ing that she might be able tactfully ’ to assist her about the wardrobe ques- ' tion. They went out together and I ! heard nothing of their doings, but 1 Princess Natalie arrived at the party 5 simply but exquisitely dressed in white, with silver shoes and every--1 thing perfect! It appeared that she would not take anything from me, but i my maid had persuaded her to let her lend her enough of her wages to buy the whole turnout, Natalie to pay her " back gradually as she earned money. (, There were some foreign notables at e the party who at once recognised Natalie as one of their ilk—and she y had a nice time, I believe. A more >• lovely and ' charming girl I had never y met. I tried to do everything I could e for her—but I never was able to secure for her anything beyond an extra’s p part or a tiny “bit.” Mr. de Mille then saw her and made her the lady-in-waiting to Pilate’s n wife —and for one brief moment in “The King of Kings" you see her diso tinguished, semi-Oriental beauty.—and y in my “It” she leans upon the counter, y looking like a bust of Aphrodite, e And now, by steady perseverance, she

has earned enough to be able to bring all her family to Hollywood to live with her and work there, and long ago she paid back my kind maid’s loan — with gratitude and appreciation. And when I saw her in May when I was in Hollywood, more beautiful than ever, more distinguished, I marvelled. How is it that some director has not noticed her, and the intelligence coming from her mysterious eyes, and brought her into his picture out of the mass of extras ? And again I say, is this Fate?—or will Chance take her by the hand when the hour strikes? Who can tell? It happened during Lon Chaney’s visit to New York. As Chaney stepped into a taxicab in front of his hotel, another taxi driver yelled to Lon’s chauffeur; “Hey, that’s Lon Chaney you’re drivin’.” “Shut vonr face,” shouted the irate cabman, “and stop insultin’ me customers.”