Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-28
Dance Part Recalled.

entino was ideally cast for the part OF
the sentimental. temperamental young
Argentina. Furthermore, he had
dance to do In the story, and the re-
membrance of that tango still per
sists in the minds of those who saw it,
There were no announced stars In
this picture. The cast was flashed
on the screen at the outset OF the pres.
antation. and that was all. But 1t in
'.uded number of noted players.
Among them was the beautiful Alice
Terry. as heroine of the story.
What Valentino achieved in this
picture, aside from making a name
for himself as screen find" was q
place quite close to the hearts of a
vast number of women throughout
the country. His grace, his dash. his
undeniably good looks, the Latin
fervor he displayed. endeared him to
them.
He was now by way of becoming a
parsonage of the screen, and other pic
lures which presented him were pro-
duced as quickly as possible. THE
Conquering Power" was one of them,
as was Camille" in which he played
opposite no less a star than Nazimova.
In these he displayed again his fire
and skill. and the steps Of the throne
ne WAS ldleT W NCAC iOW AoAN.
Marries Jean Acker.
It was Just about this time, in No
vember, 1919, that Valentino married
a pretty young actress he had met on
the West Coast, Jean Acker. She had
been both on the speaking stage and
in the films, and despite her attrac-
tiveness the marriage was something
of a blow to his feminine public. many
of the members Of which doubtless
cherished utterly futile hope for them
selves.
If Rudolph Valentino caught the
Imagination Of million women In
1.-The Four Horsemen." he more than
doubled the catch when he appeared
in 1.-THE Sheik." This film was the
screen version Of a novel by an Eng
lishwoman portraying the love AFFAIR
Of an Arab chieftain with n reluctant
English captive, the sheik turning out
to be not an Arab after all but fell
low countryman of hers.
Valentino did it in his characteristic
way and added a word to the argot of
the times. Scarcely a day goes by
now that the word "sheik" is not
used, generally as an epithet. If the
Valentino fan mali had been large
before then, it now grew to the pro-
portions OF an actual burden. 1t cost
him, on his own statement, $3.50 a
week to employ secretaries to attend
to 1t. to mail photographs and answer
the thousands of letters.
In THE Sheik" Valentino played
with Agnes Ayres, one of the capti
waiting beauties of the screen, SO this
young man was soaring high on his
scarcely f1edged pinions. And now
his salary had risen to $3.50 a week
More than an "agriculturist' could
make, even with diploma, and some
| thing in excess of the stipend Of those
not too certain IS extra" days.
Picture followed picture with Val
entino we'll in the foreground. "Morar
of the Lady Lefty" Beyond the
| Rocks" with Gloria Swanson; 1.-THE
Young Rajah." and then the one hi
considered his best, the Blood anf
Sand" Of Ibanez. His was the role
Of Juan Gallardo. a Spanish bull
| fighter, and of all his parts he sale
of 1t:
II think this my greatest
Nita Naldi and Lila Lee scored will
him in it. The film was made II
| 1922.
Breaks SI,25O Contract.
The success of this picture and the
great receipts it brought its producers
though Valentino was receiving. &C
cording to contract, only 81 $50 weekly
| led him to break his contract IL
abrupt and angry fashion.
He felt that he should have received
more return for such q success. This
producers realized this, and It hal
been all arranged to double his sal
ary A new contract even had beer
drawn up to insure this. But the head
| strong young man, on visit to the
organizations offices, was SO vehemen,
| in speaking Of the unfair treatment he
believed he was suffering that THU
new contract was never even taker
from the drawer in which it had beer
placed to await his signature. HI
swept out of the office in high dudgeOn
The contract fiuttered to pieces in TIL
waste basket before the echoes of tn
slammed door had subsidized.
But this was only one of Valentino
troubles at this time. His marfiaG
to Jean Acker had gone on the rocks
She divorced him in 1922. He wa.
heavily in debt. He was n spendthrif
of money. 1t trickled away like water
One day in this perpleXed perto'
| Valentino met Karl Kitchen. am
when the latter asked him about thu
broken contract, the film star declares
| he could prove that II was impossible
| for him TO live and maintain hinlSel
properly on the $3.50 n week.
II have to give $3.50 a week to JeaI