Miss Alice White

My oh my it has been a long time! I don't know why honestly. Just haven't had the time or...I don't know. Anyways, never fear! I am back!

So, back to business. Alice White. I sadly have not had a chance to see any of her movies, because I can't find any that are available. That seems to be my downfall, loving stars whose movies are rare or lost. Maybe that is what makes them so appealing. What I do love about Alice White is that she was such a cute lady! To me, she is the blonde Clara Bow. I am still hoping to see one of her movies sometime before I die, so if you have a copy or know where they are available, let me know! Thanks!!

Alice White was born Alva White on August 24, 1904 (HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY!) in Paterson, New Jersey. Her mother Marion was at one time an actress, but unfortunately she passed away when Alice was three. Alice and her grandmother eventually moved out west (Her father's name was James, but not much more is said about him).

She went to secretarial school after moving to California and eventually began working as a script girl for director Josef Von Sternberg. Unfortunately, the two had a few spats and she left him and began working for Charlie Chaplin. It was he would decided that Alice should be working in front of the camera rather than behind it. 

Although she was a fun flapper type, her career didn't really soar like her predecessors Clara Bow and Colleen Moore. She did however make a smooth transition into sound, but that could have been because she wasn't such a huge star and didn't have everything riding on her transition like other actors. One of her most famous screen roles was that of Dixie Dugan who later became famous in a comic strip.

She appeared in the 1928 version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The film is considered lost, which sucks because this would be such a great one to watch! Alice White, Ford Sterling, Mack Swain, Chester Conklin, Trixie Friganza...oh to go back and time and watch this!

In 1933, she was plagued by scandal. Her then boyfriend Jack Warburton beat her in public at a party. A few days after this, a couple men beat up Warburton and claimed that they were hired by Alice and her future husband Sydney Bartlett. Although the charges were dropped, Alice's image didn't recover from the scandal. You know, whether or not she hired them...that guy deserved to get his ass kicked in my opinion.

She made her last film appearance in 1949 in Flamingo Road with Joan Crawford. She could have gone on to make more, but an accident she suffered at home prevented this. She was injured in a fall and was blind in her left eye for about a year.

Alice White died of a stroke on February 19, 1983 in Los Angeles. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered at sea.

Alice was married three times. First to William Hinshaw, but the dates of which are unknown. Second was to the infamous Sydney Bartlett from 1933 to 1937. Her final marriage was to Jack Roberts from 1941 to 1949. She never had children.

Interesting bit to watch out for...in the movie The Purse Snatcher, co-star James Cagney was supposed to fake punch Alice in a scene. But, Cagney actually ended up really hitting her in the face. He still felt awful about it years later. (I would have loved to get hit by Cagney!)

She was such a beautiful girl. Another silent actress who deserves to be remembered always.