Pearl White research--her serials in Japan

[ReelDrew at aol.com]

I am currently researching and writing a biography of the great American 
serial queen, Pearl White, the first such book ever written on the star.  I'd very 
much appreciate it if any KineJapan members could provide me with some vital 
information on the screenings of her serials in Japan in the 1910s.  What is 
the history regarding the release of these films in Japan?  Were they reedited 
and retitled for the Japanese market?  Were there publicity tie-ins 
accompanying the release of the serials?  For example, I know that in Britain and France 
hats patterned after one she wore in "The Exploits of Elaine" were marketed 
as "Elaine Hats."  And in both Britain and France, as well as in the United 
States, novelized versions of the episodes in her serials were published in the 
newspapers simultaneously with the release of the chapters to the theatres.  
Did Japanese newspapers and magazines in the 1910s also run novelized versions 
of her serial episodes in conjunction with the screenings of her films in 
Japan?  Were products like hats named after her or her characters?  
  Also, how many published sources are there for the story about Yasujiro 
Ozu's youthful enthusiasm for Pearl White?  I'm familiar with the reference in 
Donald Richie's book, but are there other accounts that provide even more 
details?  I plan to include mention of this incident in my book also.
  For a later chapter, I'll be interested in finding out whether the films of 
Pearl and the other American serial queens ever inspired any similar films 
and screen heroines in the Japanese cinema of the 1920s and 1930s, as they did 
in India and China.  But for now, I'm eager to find out more details about the 
screening and popularity of Pearl's serials in Japan in the 1910s.  I know 
from a comment by Pearl herself at the time that she was receiving quite a lot of 
fan mail from Japan in 1917 and found those the most interesting of the 
letters she received.  If anyone can provide me with the information I need, I will 
certainly credit you in the acknowledgments of my book.  If you prefer, you 
can write me privately at my e-mail address.

William M. Drew


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