New-York tribune., 1922-09-17
Enrope's Most
Beautiful Star.
Here at Last
Pola Negri Proves To Be
Far Lovelier Than One
Had Dared TO Hope
BY EIarriette Underhill

luncheon we went TO the telephone and
give them a few lines for q news para
: graph. Our own handsome star, Fred
erick B. Edwards, came to the tele-
phone and said, "Shoot!" but We were
very careful what we said to him be-
cause we were saving the big punches
for a Sunday story, However, he
wormed out OF US nearly everything we
knew, and then he sat down and wrote
such q brilliant yarn that anything we
might write would surely be anti
climactic. But this Is our story and we
are going to stick to 1t.
After having seen Pola Negrt all we
can say is that we shouldn't have a
word Of blame for them IL all the
fances in the United States said
Good by foreverl" and hit the trail
with this most gorgeous and fascinat-
ing creature in the hope that she light
some day note their presence on earth
and fling them q smile. That is how
: Miss Negri stands with us.
Of course we had pestered every one
Z who went abroad and met Miss Negri
{ for news of her, but reports were so
Z diversified that it didn't help very
much.
! Miss Negri was late for the luncheon,
{ and we were standing by the door
when she came in with Adolph Zukor
/. She looked to our critical eye as we
had longed to have her look, but had
not dared to hope she would look.
Here is q complete description OF Pola
Negri, and we get 1t realizing fully
that any authentic account of the pull
chritude Of this actress must of ne
cessity sound like the writings of
our once favorite author, viz, the
Duchess. She is not very tall-Pola
Negri, not the Duchess-and she is
quite slender; she has beautiful white
hands with lustrous pink nails. In
Europe they do not put any makeup on
their hands (they appear to have
used it all up on their faces, and so,
on the screen, all Of the foreign &C
tresses appear to have black, ugly
hands. Miss Negri's hair is jet black
and her skin is like white velvet. She
has very dark blue eyes with long
black lashes, a bright red mouth and
perfectly even, small white teeth.
She had on no makeup unless her
lips were tinted. We sat close to her
at the table, and although the luncheon
lasted for two hours not once did she
take out vanity case and touch up her
beauty, and after all was over her nose
was as white and as unshiny as it had
been at first and her mouth was Just
as red. Now add to this description
the fact that she is the smartest look
time. and you'll have fair idea of
the way Pola Negri looked to us.
She wore a three-cornered black vel
vet hat trimmed in dull silver. a black
satin cape with a huge real lace col
lar and long gown of the black satin
and lace. Her stockings were black
lace and her very pointed slippers were
black satin with big cut-steel buckles
Around her neck was black cord anc
suspended from this was a diamond
: about six inches in diameter. She
wore only one ring, but that was 6
twenty-carat square diamond, the sor
we have toyed with on certain occa
sions.
Of course, no one but screen stars
could afford them. When we were in.
troduced to Miss Negri she said in &
very low voice, 81 love New York II
n is SO beautiful and so high, and your
III westher-the sun he shine all the
W time" Then she stopped, blushed ant
laughed. "That is too bad I SPEAK
so little English. Mr.. Zukor will tel
you and I tell him." And she spoke il
very excited tone and shrugged hel
shoulders, and all we could catch was
an occasional "liebe" cor passion,
Carmen" and "America"
What she said to Mr. Zukor was that
when she read the criticisms of "Pas
sion" she could not believe they were
written about her That no one il
europe ever wrote Such nice thing:
about her, and, in fact, in Europ,
the critics did not write flatterinf
things about anybody. That she hac
loved America just as long as Amer
ica had loved her and that she and no
America is oh. SO fortunate because
she Is here. Then she said to US ir
English, what picture you like best o
And when we answered "Gipsy Blood
she said, "But was so wicked when
play Carmen and l like to play good
ladies. In my new picture I shall be
q good lady"
Here we gave Mr. Zukor a knowing
look but said nothing We happen to
know that Miss Negri's next picture
will be Bella Donna" and probably
no one ever called Bella Donna good
lady before.
II have been here now for one dav
and l have not sleep yet" conAded Miss
Negri. Il go to bed so tired and all
night listen to New York. shall not
sleep. know. until go to California.
You like California;"
And Miss Negri seemed very much