Life At The Algonquin

Tallulah's contest win may have been fleeting - she was paid $75 for three weeks work on Who Loved Him Best and had only a minor part - but she quickly found her niche in New York. Tallulah and her aunt Louise lived on West 45th Street for a few months and eventually settled into the Algonquin Hotel in February of 1918. The Algonquin was New York's hub for actors, artists and the cultural elite. Tallulah was in hog heaven. She spent most of her time lounging in the lobby watching the comings and goings of such notables as Ethel Barrymore, Anita Loos and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.

In her first play The Squab Farm

William Bankhead used his influence and connections to help secure Tallulah's first stage role. Although The Squab Farm only lasted three weeks, it was enough experience for Tallulah to know that her heart lay in the theater. Two minor film roles did little to subdue her desire to perform on the stage.

In the meantime, she was a hit on the social scene. Her extraordinary beauty and vivacious personality captivated the tenants and employees of the Algonguin and pretty soon she was on first-name basis with the hotel manager as well as the hotel's illustrious guests. One of her friendships was with Estelle Winwood, an English actress who would become Tallulah's closest female friend. She also left impressions upon playwrights, like Zoe Akins and Rachel Crothers, who would be instrumental in her early career. Crothers would write a play expressly for Tallulah (Everyday) and Akins patterned the character of Eva Lovelace in her play Morning Glory after Tallulah. The role would later win Katharine Hepburn her first Academy Award.

Tallulah wanted to experience everything - and she did! When she was not working and could escape from Aunt Louise, she partied. Louise finally threw up her hands when Tallulah turned eighteen and she left for Paris and volunteered for the Red Cross. Tallulah was elated and glad to be out from under Louise's stifling control, which she had more or less ignored. She moved into an apartment with actress Bijou Martin, whose wild parties introduced Tallulah to cocaine and marijuana. Tallulah did abstain from drinking, only because she had promised her father that she would stay away from alcohol.

In addition to her wild personality, Tallulah was becoming known for her wit. Some compared her to Dorothy Parker, who was not amused to hear that she had competition. Of course, one friend noted that Tallulah never kept her mouth shut, so she was bound to say something witty occasionally. Tallulah indeed was always talking and was never at a loss for something to say, even if it was an untruth. During one party, someone brought up the subject of rape and Tallulah quiped, "I was raped in our driveway when I was eleven. You know, dahling, it was a terrible experience because we had all that gravel."

Tallulah had been in New York for five years, but had yet to score a significant hit. Exasperated, she visited an astrologer and asked her when she would become famous. The astrologer told her, "Your future lies across the water. Go if you have to swim". Miraculously, a cable arrived a few days later from Charles Cochran, a London theater director, who told her that he was recommending her to Gerald Du Maurier for a substantial part in the play The Dancers.

All signs were pointing to England. Another inviting incentive was Napier George Henry Sturt Alington, "Naps" for short. Tallulah had met Napier while he was in New York to study the American banking system. Tallulah was madly in love with him and he had just returned to England. She immediately booked passage on the Majestic and sailed to England.

Across the Water