Of rats and autograph seekers.

What a treat in celebration of Edith Meinhard's birthday this year! News is a rarity, but thanks to a fellow fan in the Louise Brooks Society Facebook group (cheers, Susanne!), we can at last fill in some biographical gaps. In 1947, Edith married a man named Evald Verner Jensen, which tracks with listings I had previously found in West Berlin phone books in the 1960s. 

The above was taken from the 1968-69 phone book, which would be the last time she was listed. Edith passed away on June 26, 1968, at the age of 59. (Thanks also to Matthaus Edinger for this information.)

Also thanks to the LBS group, I came across a 1931 interview she had done for Mein Film magazine. Her charm and talent was recognized by many, and rightfully so. Without further ado, please enjoy!

(Unfortunately I only know a few German words, so the following has been automatically translated, then edited for clarity to the best of my ability. Apologies for any awkwardness herein, some things don't work out smoothly into English. I've also included scans of my personal copy for posterity.)

    I am extremely happy to be immortalized in your beautiful anniversary edition, and I would like to take the opportunity to tell you that I "got hooked” early on. My first film appearance was at the age of ten, and I was chosen by Maxim Film, who were filming an adaptation of Felix Hollander's novel "The Dancer", to play the role of the hero as a young boy. With my beguiling violin playing I could lure the rats out of their hiding places!

    God, was I scared of those rats! Even though I had made up my mind, oh, to be so brave, it took a while before I got used to the rats, and until the rats got used to me.

    This first role brought me great success and I was delighted to be able to admire my picture in all the postcard shops! And then came the high point of my ten-year existence: I was asked for an autograph! I was blessed! That seemed to me to be the culmination of fame!

    I have since overcome this overwhelming first request for my autograph, but I am always happy when I receive nice autograph letters. And for the fun of your kind readers, I will reproduce the following letter from two dear boys that I recently received:

Well-born, beautiful, gracious diva, you, our favorite film star, Edith Meinhardt!

Two of your biggest admirers send greetings and wish you the best of luck with all your films. We've seen such wonderful films with you and we cannot fail to write to you. We ask and implore you, beautiful diva, to give us two beautiful autographs. Please, please, be so good - there are no photos here, we beg you to provide some for us, and yet we hope that you are good to us, our joy would be immense. Please, please, if you can, I, Gustav B., would like a photo where you are already grown up [?], please, please, my dear one, where you can show more of your wonderful figure. Please see what you can do.

    Isn't that nice?

    I send my warmest greetings to your charming readers and the gracious editorial team, and I wish you continued well-deserved success!

I couldn't write her for an autograph, but I'm lucky to have one just the same.