His first wife,
Eva Puck, appeared as Ellie opposite his Frank
Schultz in both the original 1927 Broadway production of "Show Boat"
and the 1932 Broadway revival. Because of his divorce from Puck in the 1930's, White played Frank opposite
Queenie Smith's Ellie in the 1936 film version of the show, and opposite Clare Alden's Ellie in the 1948 City Center
production.