POLA NEGRI THE PHILANTHROPIST.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18938, 7 December 1929, Page 20 (Supplement)

POLA NEGRI THE PHILANTHROPIST.

Her Reckless "Generosity.

A FTER MY LAST FILM is made I shall devote my life x\. to charities,” declared Pola Negri on her arrival in England. An intimate friend of the film star tells here of her philanthrophic activities.

You may have read and heard a good deal about the selfishness and heartlessness of Pola Negri. Because she married so shortly after Rudolph Valentino’s death—the public condemned her as fickle. Pola Negri is a much misunderstood woman. To begin with she is. a splendid actress —her bitterest enemies cannot deny that. She is accused of having temperament on the set. What real actress does not display temperament ? And she has been accused of being selfish, of rarely giving or helping others less fortunate over the hard places. And thereby hangs a tale. Helping Her Fellow Poles. When Pola has been in America she has been besieged by her countrymen, Polish people stranded over there who are in need of help. Every day they wrote or called seeking jobs, money—help of some kind. She never failed her countrymen in time of need. “ Geeve him feefty dollars! ” ordered Pola, each time a request was repeated to her. It was impossible to find work for all of them—so Pola - doled out day after day fifty dollars at least and oh, so many times far morei The story of Pola’s supporting an orphanage in Poland is well known.. She maintains entirely out of her own purse this charity. Without fail every month a large cheque is forwarded to them—and this has been going on for many years. But Pola will not discuss her charities. She gives and then forgets—which to my way of thinking is the only true charity. You never see pictures of Pola, her arms full of gifts, surrounded by crippled children or orphans. You never see snapshots of Pola in the act of doing a kind deed. This may be good publicity for some stars but Pola despises it. She will give a large cheque to any charity but she will not make a public

appearance for charity—that would be a cheap gesture, a cheap way to hold one’s public. If one cannot hold it by her talent for acting—why try to hold it at all? argues Pola. Stories of young lovers in dire straits always force Pola’s hand—she will always help them out. Wise Charity. Pola does not give her clothing wholesale to some charity as many of the well known stars do. She gives her frocks and coats to certain deserving young women connected with the film industry. And what is more, she demands to see what they have done in the way of making over clothing that has been given. If it is not nicely remodelled, it brings a reprimand from Pola. In this way she very wisely sees that the source of her giving gets the most good possible out of it. Careless giving is often harmful. But usually a great star is too busy to bother about watching the results of her giving—she gives as a rule in order not to be annoyed. But that is not Pola’s way. When the rivalry between Pola and Gloria Swanson was at its height, in Hollywood, an old character woman wrote to Pola asking for aid. The woman was American and Pola had never even heard of her. “ Geeve her feefty dollars! ” said Pola, after her secretary had read the letter to her. A postscript in the woman’s letter caught the secretary’s eye. “I wrote to Gloria Swanson to ask for help but she never answered my letter,” it said. The secretary repeated this to Pola. “ H—mm! ” said Pola, “So Gloria send her nothings! Well, I, Pola, will send her something—send her two hundred dollars!

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