Make them laugh, make them cry, and hack to laughter. What do people go to the theatre for? An emotional exercise. I am a servant of the people. I have never forgotten that.

In 1932 Pickford spearheaded the "Payroll Pledge Program" a payroll-deduction plan for studio workers who gave one half of one percent of their earnings to the MPRF. In a single speech in Chicago Mary Pickford sold an estimated five million dollars' worth of bonds. They went to Europe for their honeymoon; fans in London and in Paris caused riots trying to get to the famous couple.

Because her international fame was triggered by moving images Mary Pickford is a waterMary Pickfordd figure in the history of modern celebrity and as one of silent film's most important performers and producers her contract demands were central to shaping the Hollywood industry. In consideration of her contributions to American cinema the American Film Institute named Pickford 24th among the greatest female stars of all time.