The Washington times., 1926-09-02

C0auc0 TO Q1F6Ct Hill Ii duUbu
The dashing young Italian
greatest success came with The
Sheik.' The novel Of hot love on
Arabian sands had sent women and
girls stampeding to the book stalls.
The motion picture colony quick
| " saw the possibility of this tale
of fighting and love by force un-
der purple African night skies.
This time there was no question
OF the actor for the title role. 1t
was Valentines, almost by acclama-
The public locked to the picture,
particularly the feminine fans. Al
| though "sheik" is the designation
OF q Mohammedan ecclesiastic, It
was straightway made the descrip-
tive title for any well-groomed
young man reputed to have q way
with the women.
ssSEseiIx" Fashions Reign
.'shellk'' modes in hats and frocks,
sshsiax'' cosmetics, "sleika hand
bags ana ''sheik's coiffures appear
| ed overnight. Valentines name
already famous through his sue.
cess II t..Tke -Four Horsemen, was
on many tongues and his lace IN
countless feminine hearts.
School girls formed Valentino
cults.
Older women secretly worshipped
the great lover OF the screen. Many
an unhappy wife, her emotions
cIoaked by the darkness of a small
town picture theater, sighed out
her thrills by proxy az she watched
the sheik's two.fisted love-ma king
and imagined herself In his arms.
Valentino thought little OF the
picture. TITS my idea OF g poor
piece Of acting, he c0nfided 20
friends.
But try to tell that to thousands
OF his admirers.
Valentino wisely kept this eonfi-.
dence for closest friends. Neither
did he relish the sheik role which
was given him by the public AFTER
his appearance In that picture.
He scorned fl yet realized its
commercial value and re1rained
from disowning It IN public. 4.
Valentines greatest triumph
came in the year Of his first dis
iIlusionment in personal romance.
ssThe Sheik" was released IN 1Szzt
lust after Jean Acler had divorced
him and ut the start OF his un-
fortunate marital experience with
Natacha RambOva.
Valentino appeared with Gloria.
Swanson IN Beyond the Rocks.
then successfully in THE Young
Rajah," ssBIood and Sand, another
triumph; Monsieur Beaucaire,
and NThe Sainted Devil"
His longing for home ana chill
.dren has been told.
Liked HOrses and Dogs
Denied his greatest desire In his
two. ventures into rnatrimOny, Val.
entino transferred the affection he
might have Iavighed on his children.
onto his dogs and horses
He frequently was pictured with
his does. and he kept q fine stable
OF riding mounts at his Hollywood
This home, to which his mind
turned even as he lay mortally
stricken, was one Of his obeessions.
III was named Falcon Lair, q title
the screen hero picked out him
self.
From the bronze weather vane
atop the home q hooded falcon
faced the wind, and the name APP
peared in bronze letters on the
four sides Of the gate posts at the
He would be content for hours
In some little job Of carpentry
about the place. Valentino had
considerable knack with tools, and
enjoyed exercising 1t.
A bent Of his character, closely
NRa 49, A&%~HA a1SA+
his every intimate friend recognized
In him, was his love of music.
One of the last interviews he
ever gave, printed In the Septem-
bes issue of Musical Observer,
showed this love. He held that to
finely organized persons music had
q sustaining power.
He regretted that It was not
more used than it was in the max
Ing Of pictures.
"More people would enjoy mu.
SIC" he said, "if they first would
discover the music most adapted
to their needs and use 1t as a
stimulant, an ankidote, or as
needed.
A person inclined to nervousness
may find repose in Beethoven,
while one of phlegmatic tempera-
nlent might find uplift In Gershwin.
It is an individual matter. Each
person must seek and find the
music adapted to his requirements.
Music always has had strange
fascination for me, particularly he
music Of stringed instruments. I
used to play the guitar-never had
any formal instfuction-just picked
1t up by ear. wanted to take les
sons, but my parents didn't think
it worth while"
James r. Quirk, editor of Photo.
play Magazine and an intimate
friend of. Valentino, pointed out a
fact little known to the great low