Evening star., 1926-08-25
RUDOLPH VALENTINO, PENNHESS, SLEPT ON PARK
BENCH IN NEW YORK LESS THAN 13 YEARS AGO
Was Expelled From School
for ignoring ARREST"
to See King.

"'S'SN ASSSS'
With Plans to Follow
Farming Life.
BY GEORGE BUCHANAN FIFE.
CHAPTER I.
Rudolph Valentino. penniless, hun
CRY. unknown, slept upon a bench in
Central Park, New York City. His
own word is voucher for this, There
| was nowhere else for him to go unless
he begged a lodging for the night.
He died Monday. Every newspaper
of any importance in the United
States carried this news on its first
page. Some announced it in letters
nearly 4 inches high. Subjoined were
column upon column about him, his
swiftly running illness, his last day,
his incredible career. 1t was such
tribute as the world usually reserves
for it's greatest figures.
Between the park bench and the
deathbed lay less than 13 years.
1t is an amazing chronicle, this tale
OF Rudolph Valentines achievements.
<AiIu liOthiifS SCCiltO HlOlS ICIIldI hOOke>
than the evidently. genuine distress
his death has caused in the breasts of
those who probably never saw him
In the flesh, and knew him only as a
moving figure on a screen.
A friend of the writer, a young wo-
man. was at luncheon In a fashion
able. restaurant Uhe word fashion.
able' Is used for an obvious reason)
the day Rudolph Valentino died. At
an adjoining table sat another young
woman, alone. Once she turned to
the writer's friend, her eyes palpably
wet, and said, as II she must speak
with some one
Did you know that Valentino
died today.
One of Millions of Fans"
The affirmative answer was fol-
lowed with the inquiry. prompted by
the others frank emotion:
You knew him."
NO, nor never saw him except on
the screen. but feel utterly wretch ed
about It,"
Valentino did catch the public i'm
agination. There can be no doubt OF
that. 1t was apparent in many ways
during his last illness when the Poly
clinic Hospital, where he had under
gone two Operations in the attempt
to surviva an almost hopeless condi-
tion was Ibesieged with inquiries as
to his welfare. Visitors were there
every hour of the day. Flowers, gifts
many of them pathetic in their use
lessness. rained upon him. Every
word that came from the sickroonI
was flashed throughout the United
States.
Four skilled surgeons were in at
tendance upon him. detail OF
nurses. Every agency known te
| science was employed in the strug-
gle. Once 1t was believed that
Valentino had passed the thin lire
vitality. He even spoke to those
about him of the shadows through
which he believed he had passed. But
his condition was hopeless even then
Relapse came, then unconsciousness
and, thus, Monday just after noon
he died.
Was 81 Years Old. -
He was only 81 years of age and
at the height of his distinction as a
star of the screen.
In attempting to narrate the life
of Rudolph Valentino, or such OF II
as known during the 13 years he
lived in this country, one must rely
upon reported interviews with him
the memorabilia afforded by news
papers, the recollections Of friend:
and associates and common hearsay
Undoubtedly. much that has beer
published about him from time te
time Is apocryphal. His was a per
sonality and an outward appearance
that readily prompted the romancer
He was a Latin. he was of the sleek
type, he played the roles of tempestu
GUS lovers. of sheiks. Of the amatorily
laWless Furthermore, he was given
to a studied care in dress, and this
only enlarged the target.
Casting directors sought him be
cause they detected the requisite fire
| in his love making. This was the
Latin in him. So most Of his ap
pearances on the screen displayed
him enchanting some woman. maideI
| or wife, and eventually folding hel
to his breast
This sort Of thing gained for hin
| vast amount of popularity among
emotional women. but it scarcel!
served to attract men. Not that Val
entino lacked a legion Of stanch anC
| devoted friends among men. 1t wa
merely that the so-called "screel
idol" Is always a lover, and womel
at least never wish to see him other
wise cast.
So what is to follow in this chroni
! Gle must be obtained from the sources
already enumerated. as the writer ha.
no personal knowledge Of him, though
| he has seen him many times In pro
| pria persona. One of the character
| istics he was able to observe was
| complete lack OF what is known a.
high hat"
Carried Own Laundry.
AS matter of fact, I have seel
| Rudolph Valentino on a Sunday aft
ernoon, when he was rugged out ii
morning coat. silk hat and all tha
goes with such an exacting costume
get into an elevator in an apartment
house in which he lived and in which
| I was visiting. with a ponderous bun
die Of badly wrapped laundry. An,
| there were three extremely prett,
women in the car. each one of whom
! knew their fellow passenger to b.
Valentino.
| He smiled an apology for the bundl
and then for moment had a terrifi
time managing IL so he might doff hi
hat during the upward journey.
| At the time this occurred Valen
tino's name was blazing In electri
| lights over the entrance to a Broad
way theater which was crowded a
! every performance. He had NOR
| than arrived"
Though the annals of the screel
| will always have him Rudolph Valen
tino, this actor was at baptism f1tte
! with a name of staggering proper
tions. He was, in short. Rodolfo A
Lfonzo Raffaelo Pierre Filibert Guglie
! mi di Valentino d'Antonguolla. H
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- n IN Nj