The New York herald., 1922-05-16
VALENTINO FACING
CHARGE OF BlGAMY
Los Angeles Investigates
His Marriage to Miss Hud-
nut of New York.
THEY WED IN MEXICO
Judge Holds Stars Divorce
From Jean Acker Is Not
Yet in Effect.
COUPLE ON WAY HERE
Actor to Stay i'm New York
Until Technicalities Are
Cleared Up
COUPLE ON WAY HERE

Special Dispatch to TIE NEW YoRK HERALD.
Los ANGELES, May 15.-Rodolph
Valentino, screen actor. went across
the Mexican border to- Mexicali last
Saturday and married Miss Winifred
Hudnut, daughter of Richard Hudnut.
a retired manufacturer of perfumes of
New York.
According to legal authorities here
Valentino was not divorced from Jean
Acker, and under TIE Federal law
may come under the inhibitions of the
Federal moral code and under the
bgamy. The matter was brought to
the attention Of the District of Attor-
ney's Office to-day, but no formal COM
plant was filed against the screen
star.
The complication following his mar
though Valentino and Jean Acker re-
ceived an interlocutory decree of divorce
last January, the divorce does not take
effect until next January.
Divorce Held Up Year.
Judge Summerfield said the entry Of
an interlocutory decree Of divorce was
nothing more than an order of the
court to the effect that II nothing else
trterfered the parties would be en-
titled to divorce year after the
order was entered. If they attempted
other marriages within that year. he
said, that would be bigamy.
Inquiry at the Lasky studio, where
Valentino is employed, brought the in
formation that he was out of town
for three weeks. The management de-
clined to discuss his marriage or what
effect 1t may have. IL any, on his en-
ployment
At the District Attorneys office it
was admitted by Major Thomas Nc
Clelland, deputy in charge Of the is
suance of complaints, that the mar
riage of Valentino was under investi-
sstion by him. together with the mar
rage on October 3 last year of Frank
Mayo, also a cinema star.
Mayo obtained an interlocutory degree
OF divorce from his first wife on Sep
tember 20. 1921, and married Dagmar
Godowsky. an actress and daughter of
Leopold Godowsky. piano virtuoso, at
Tia Juana four days later This cere-
mony Is asserted by the authorities to
be- an infringement of the section of
the penal code covering the crime OF
bigamy.
Inquiry to BE Thorough.
The investigation. which began to-
day, was expected to be continued to
extreme lengths should the prosecutor
determine that either or both marriages
ceremonies were performed in violation
of the law.
CALExrco. Cal, May 15.-The mar
riage of Rodolph Valentino to Winifred
Hudnut took place Saturday afternoon
in Mexicala.> across the border from
here. with Civil Judge Sandoval offici-
ating. Valentino was reported to have
told friends that he and the bride would
leave Immediately for New York, to stay
there until technicalities connected with
the divorce case are cleared up and
then return to California.
Rodolph Valentino made his first hit
on the screen In Rex Ingram's produc-
tion of THE Four Horsemen of the
apocalypse" in which he played Julio
Desnoyers. His first wife is said to have
reported that he was unspoied until he
came East and was feted after his tri-
umph IN this picture.
Coming here from Italy. originally to
be a landscape gardener, he became a
dancer In vaudeville instead. After sew.
eral years of this he went into motion
pictures, but was unknown until In
gram directed him. His rise was rapid
until he became one OF the most promi-
nent leading men on the screen. He
played Armand opposite Nazimova in
Camille" and It was in connection with
this production that he first met Miss
Hudnut. who under the name OF Nata-
sha Rambova has been art director for
Nazimova for several years, designing
her costumes and settings
Then came THE Sheik." with Agnes
Ayres. Next he appeared with Dorothy
Dalton in the screen version of Frank
Norris's story, Moran Of the Lady
Lefty" He has just been flashed on
the silver sheet with Gloria Swanson In
Beyond the Rocks" Recently he COM
pleted another Ibanez story Blood and
Sand" playing the part Of the toreador
depicted on the stage by Otis Skinner.
Miss Hudnut's father, Richard Hud-
nut. has lived in California and France
since he retired from business in 1916.