Motion Picture Magazine (Feb-Jul 1919)

■ them during my career as a P. A. I expected Miss White to portray for me, when I was introduced to her, one of several roles ; she would be either bored, disdainful, peevish, up-stage or gushingly sweet. Most of the stars assume one or the other of these characterizations on meeting strangers — and my ! how they will talk about themselves. This one fooled me. Miss White struck me as just a human, likeable person — "full of pep," to use the Americanism for enthusiasm and spirits. My first meeting with her was a good character impression of the star. I had been told that Miss White would be in the office at 5 :30 on a certain evening and I would be introduced to her and could talk Over publicity plans at the time. At 6:30 I came back to my office, after spending an hour and a half in the projection-room looking at a new picture. I had forgotten all about my appointment with her, but she had arrived at the office at the appointed time and had waited an hour for me. Now a press-agent is by no means an indispensable or important personage "around a motion picture office and a star is. So when I returned to my office and found the star waiting for me and beguiling the time by looking at old "stills" that were lying around, I said to myself, "Here is where I am in wrong right at the start." I began a hurried and rather abject series of apologies, which she cut short by saying, "Oh, that's all right; I didn't mind waiting." The idea of a big picture star not minding waiting for a press-agent was almost too much for me, and I had to hold tight to a chair to keep from falling. Then I laid out some publicity plans which entailed considerable bother and much discomfort for her, and she agreed to everything without a murmur. Again was my preconceived idea of stars knocked sky-high. I might say right here that my personal acquaintance with Miss White has accomplished for me just what I hope this article will for its readers. I have said that you picture fans have impressions of Miss White formed from reading publicity of a more or less imaginative trend about her. Well, we press-agents also have our own ideas about stars. This is a little secret of the trade. I shouldn't tell — but I will. We press-agents get together every so often and talk the stars over. We have a little organization that includes the men from every big picture concern, and these men collectively can tell you things about stars which the public never learns. Well, at these meetings we find out which are the good-natured ones and which the peevish ones, the ones who will force you to submit every story and then rewrite it half a dozen times and the ones that never look at our stuff. Note — The latter variety are the rarest and naturally the press-agent's delight. Now it so chanced I had never heard Miss White discussed at our little gatherings, but I had heard many other stars talked of pro and con. The things I had learnt at our little confabs and my personal experiences with the ladies and gentlemen who specialize in electric signs had led me to expect anything but the sort of reception I met at my first meeting with Miss White. So I was agreeably and delightfully surprised. From that day to this my association with Miss White has carried out the impression formed on the day of our first meeting. She is democratic to a degree, absolutely devoid of egotism, that all-prevailing star ailment, and my idea of an all-around good fellow. She loves to entertain and to have congenial people around her, and her home at Bayside, L. I., is the scene of many happy parties. Her house parties generally overflow the house in the The stage hand who summer, and she has them sleeping works with Pearl on the porches and in tents on the White every day says lawn. No other star has contributed "She's the best little Qf }ier time more liberally for war S?S SdVto work than Pearl White. During Hell for her" (Continued on page 10Z) I "\ !