Alice White was a renowned American film actress, born Alva White on August 25, 1904, and passed away on February 19, 1983. Her illustrious career spanned late silent films and early sound films, showcasing her versatility as an actress.
After leaving school, White pursued a career in the film industry, initially working as a secretary and "script girl" for the esteemed director Josef Von Sternberg. She also held a position as a switchboard operator at the prestigious Hollywood Writers' Club. However, her tenure with Von Sternberg came to an abrupt end due to creative differences.
Undeterred, White joined the ranks of Charlie Chaplin, who saw immense potential in her and decided to feature her in front of the camera. Her effervescent and vivacious personality drew comparisons with the iconic Clara Bow, but White's career progressed at a slower pace.
In his book, Silent Films, 1877-1996: A Critical Guide to 646 Movies, Robert K. Klepper penned a glowing review of White's work, stating that she possessed her own unique charm and was a delightful actress in her own right. Klepper astutely noted that while Clara Bow embodied the quintessential flapper, Alice White exuded a bubbly, vivacious quality that set her apart.
White's early filmography featured a succession of flappers and gold diggers, which eventually caught the attention of the renowned director and producer Mervyn LeRoy. Her screen debut was in The Sea Tiger (1927),followed by Show Girl (1928) and its "talkie" musical sequel Show Girl in Hollywood (1930),both released by Warner Brothers and based on novels by J. P. McEvoy.
In these films, White portrayed the character "Dixie Dugan", a role that would become synonymous with her name. Interestingly, McEvoy created the comic strip Dixie Dugan in October 1929, featuring a character with a "helmet" hairstyle and appearance similar to the actress Louise Brooks. To maintain her physical fitness, White relied on the services of the esteemed Hollywood 'beauty sculptor' Sylvia of Hollywood.
White's subsequent film appearances included The Girl from Woolworth's (1929),where she played a singing clerk in the music department of a Woolworth's store. In her book, Remembering Woolworth's: A Nostalgic History of the World's Most Famous Five-and-Dime, Karen Plunkett-Powell praised White's performance, stating that First National Pictures produced this 60-minute musical as a showcase for the up-and-coming actress.
However, White's career was marred by a scandal in 1931, which stemmed from her involvement with boyfriend actor Jack Warburton and future husband Sy Bartlett. Although she later married Bartlett, the scandal had a lasting impact on her reputation, and she appeared only in supporting roles after this. By the late 1930s, her name had plummeted to the bottom of the cast lists.
White made her final film appearance in Flamingo Road (1949) before eventually returning to her secretarial work.
