To Miss Anita Page, M.G.M studios, Culver City, California...
Miss Anita Page receives so much fan mail~ 10,000 letters a week to be precise, that Anita is only second to Garbo in the popularity stakes. Many of these letters are for photo requests, some are letters of admiration and some are even marriage proposals... among the more ardent Anita admirers is Benito Mussolini.
Have you ever wondered what fans write to Miss Page? Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret...
June 4th, 1932. London, England.
My Dear Miss Page! I sincerely trust that you will please forgive the liberty taken in communicating with your charmingly beautiful self, but my friends, Colonel, The Count Ivan Dimitri Petroff-Karanoff, and Captain, The Baron Serge Alexis Cordovia who have seen you many times in Hollywood, have told me alot about your wondrous beauty, and later insisted upon me seeing several of your magnificent productions, and having seen the vision of your loveliness, would fain ask the honour of possessing one of your glorious portraits, for ever since I have been entirely unable to forget you dear lady. Your captivating face, beautiful with a fascinating touch of piquancy, is greatly accentuated by your long lashed eyes, so winsome with potential passion, and vivified by the divine curves of a mouth as red as a carnation's crimson glory. There is rhythm and melody of contour, and your gait suggests lithe sinuosity of figure, that proclaims the aristocracy of birthright due to a provocatively beautiful lady. Miss Page! You possess genius for the art that claims you, and an emanation of personality, far more important than the skilfully performed technicalities of ordinary talent, yet with a perfection of physical co-ordination, that fascinates and thrills the ever alert and watchful eye. Your ravishing and devastating beauty, the dainty loveliness of your shimmering dresses, combined with the magnetism radiated by your vivid personality, enslaves masculinity without a spoken word. Same is emphasised by the magic of sensuous and bewitching allurement, I sincerely hope you will please overlook the emotional verbosity, and seemingly superficial glitter of this epistle dear lady, by entrusting an autographed portrait of your exquisitely beautiful and adorable self, in the keeping of one who so ardently admires m'Lady. Interrogatively? Cecil Jackson~Craig.
January 21st, 1933. Spokane, USA.
Dear Anita, I hope this didn't reach you through a secretary. I have been waiting my chance to write when work was short for screen stars, and I feel this is the best time. I have four pictures of you around my mirror so you see I am not trying to keep secrets from you. I have sketched many pictures of you. If you write to me I will send a few of them to you. And I may even send one of me. I was told by a fortune teller you were the one I was to marry. Time will tell that, as I never plan on anything until it happens. I have followed you through your career, and I could give you reasons for not gaining the success of Connie B. or Garbo or others, but those failings are why I admire you. I have gone with one girl who looks just like you and another who has your actions, but please tell me how I can combine the two? Because of closing banks I am forced to start anew, and this time I have chosen radio singing, and maybe in time become the actor I've hoped for. Bing and Bob Crosby and many others have started from Spokane, so why shouldn't I? If stars mean anything in a fellows young life, I am to become a great actor as I was born June 27. That is a little encouragement. I have only seen you in person once, and that was the morning you arrived in Spokane at the airport. You waved to me twice as you drove by with your mother. She seemed such a lovely person, she is very much like my own mother. My heart was surely thumping even though I only meant another fan. I only hope I am lucky enough to get a picture of you, a Kodak picture even would mean a lot if you would drop a line or two telling whether or not you received this letter. I will be haunting the mail box until I hear from you. Sincerely Myron Jenkinson. P.S. Please don't let my name be known as anyone but "Mister X".
November 8th, 1931. New Jersey, USA.
Dear Anita, there is a girl on our street who loves you so much. In our 15c and 10c store they had paper dolls of movie actresses. I bought one and every time we played she'd always say "I want Anita Page", alright I gave it to her. I'm sending you this letter asking if you would come for a vacation don't tell anyone because it's a secret between you and me. So come if you can to the address above and don't forget. I'll be waiting for you. So don't forget to come. I'll tell you someting I'll never forget the time when I seen you play in 'Reducing' with Marie Dressler. My mother says Marie Dressler is a very good player. So for the last time don't forget to come to the address on the other side. Your new friend, Marion B. Muth.