British Pathe

"It's one thing changing in a dressing room - but quite another when you have to make a lightening transformation in the wings" said Lilian Low the "White Birds" star."

L/S of Miss Low, assisted by a maid, prepares to go on stage. She leaves the dressing room then suddenly returns and begins...

"It's one thing changing in a dressing room - but quite another when you have to make a lightening transformation in the wings" said Lilian Low the "White Birds" star."

L/S of Miss Low, assisted by a maid, prepares to go on stage. She leaves the dressing room then suddenly returns and begins her "quick change" Miss Low stands centre frame and pulls her dress over her head. She coyly pulls a shawl around her shoulders as if she has just realised that she is being overlooked. A stage hand moves a piece of stage set in front of her to hide her from our eyes. But, luckily for the audience, a Pathe cameraman is situated high above Miss Low and we see a top shot of her getting undressed behind the screen. When the screen is moved away Miss Low has almost finished changing, her maid helps her to fasten the back of her costume. She puts on a head dress - it is a Red Indian influenced outfit with big feathers on the head dress and skirt. She runs out of the dressing room. She runs back in and performs another quick change, this time with her back to the audience - we see a lot of flesh. "Eve wants but little here below, but she wants that little quickly!: said Miss Low." reads an intertitle. She turns to show her new outfit - a skimpy number with lots of white feathers attached. C/U of Miss Low as she primps her hair. She then puts on a feathered hat, tying a diamante strap under her chin. She runs out of the dressing room and we see her on stage (well, framed by a mock proscenium arch) doing a high-kick routine in her bird outfit. We see the maid in the dressing room arranging Miss Low's dressing table. Miss Low does a birdy Charleston. "Long-suffering hubbies kept waiting by wifie may tactfully suggest this little exercise in quick changing, when they get home. (But not here, please!)" Short section of Miss Low doing a very quick change - speeded up footage of her taking her glamorous dress and shoes off and putting on another more dowdy character costume.

Note: unfortunately this fabulous film is quite badly decomposed. "White Birds" was a huge flop even though it featured lots of the big stars of the day. This item originally in Eve's Film Review issue number 341.

Safety print only - original decomposed and destroyed.