Pauline Frederick : on and off the stage (1940)

148 Pauline Frederick was her mother, Mumsy came in for her share of the laurels, and nothing ever pleased Mumsy more than that. Pauline was rather overcome at the enormous crowds waiting for her. Her arms were full of flowers and some of these she threw to the crowds. Autograph books were thrust at her from all sides and she scribbled her name as fast as she could. In its excitement the throng pressed in upon her despite the efforts of the good-natured policemen. At last it became impossible, and only with difficulty could the police extricate her from the throng and bundle her and her mother into the waiting car. It was all most terribly exciting and very exhausting. Though the reviews the next day were unenthusiastic about the play, damning it with faint praise as " too melodramatic/' they all agreed that as a matter of personal triumph the evening was exceptional. It was the same thing that she had met in Australia. The majority of the people in that large theatre had not come to see a play, they had come to see a person. It probably would not have mattered very much what play had been chosen so long as she acted it well, for despite the competition of the films with the legitimate theatre, the public will always be curious to see how film stars look " in the flesh," if only to see whether the camera lies or how much make-up disguises. Of course, the fact that Pauline appeared in the stage version of her greatest film success, added to her triumph. All of the company doing " Madame X " was English except Pauline, her leading man being Ian Fleming. Pauline was a little dubious at first as to how the company would accept her, the only American in their midst. The early lessons in teamwork which she had learned back in the chorus days, now stood her in good stead. Since stardom had come to her, she had always made a point of being on the very best of terms with her fellow actors, believing