Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-30
VALENTINO RITES
HELD IN NEW YORK
PoIa Negri. Jean Acker and
Celebrities Follow Body.
Crowds Are Orderly.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, August 3O.-Broad-
way. where Rudolph Valentino once
worked as dishwasher. today paid
farewell tribute to the man who died
at the height of his career as matinee
| idol.
|. The famous thoroughfare was lined
with many thousands as the funeral
cortege moved from the funeral
church at Broadway and SiXty-siXth
street to st. Malachy's Church, on
West Forty-ninth street. two miles
away.
Members of the police bomb squad
and 263 regular policemen, including
q mounted squad, patrolled the fu-
neral route and stood guard outside
the funeral parlors and the church.
Women Follow Casket. -
Pola Negri. the Polish actress. who
announced before Valentines death
that she was engaged to marry him.
and Jean Acker, the dead actor's first
wife. who had said that she was
reconciled to him just before his
death. followed the body into the
church.
Miss Negr. dressed in severest
mourning and sobbing audibly, was
Immediately behind the silver-bronZe
casket. Behind her came Miss Acker
and bringing up the rear of the little
cortege of women were the representa-
tive of Miss Winifred Hudnut, his
second wife, and Mary Pickford.
The ushers in the church, which
was filled with motion picture stars
and persons prominent in motion pic
.ture production, were Richard Dix,
Johnny Hines, Ben Lyon, Capt. Ali
stair Mcintosh. husband of Constance
Talmadge; Clifton Webb, Kenneth Nc
Kenna, Richard A. Gallagher and the
Marquis de la Falaise de la COudray,
husband of Gloria Swanson.
I. Long before the body was carried
into the little church the pews were
filled with celebrities. many of them
women. Many prominent actors,
actresses. impressarios and producers
sat in the front pews.
Crowds Gather Outside.
Outside the church the great crowds,
kept back by cordons of patrolmen,
pushed and craned their necks to
see nothing more than closed door.
Admission to the services was by in
vitation and only those bearing the
lowed to approach within a block of
the edifice.s
In the windows and on the balconies
of nearby buildings hundreds of per-
sons watched the casket as it was
tenderly raised by the pallbearers.
Nal st. Clair. Richard Rowland,
Adolph Zukor, Marcus Loew, Hiram
Abrams, Nichols Schenck. James r.
Quirk. Sidney Kent, Douglas Fair
banks and George Schenck, all promi-
nent stars or motion, picture pro
ducers. and Michael Romano and
Frank Manillo. friends and country
men of Valentino, were the bearers.
Only eight men, however, carried the
body into the church.
Douglas Fairbanks was among
those who walked behind the casket.
AS the casket. decked with flowers
from the automobile load that followed
the procession. was carried up the
nave on the shoulders of eight pail
bearers. a solemn hush fell upon the
audience.
The prelude of the professional
"Miserere" Of Spoth rose from the
pipes of the organ. Those in the
church stood with bowed heads.
Sobs Heard Above Sextet.
Rev. Edward Leonard. OfnclatlnE
at the mass. marched slowly forward
surrounded by his assistants and altar
boys, lace covering their black sur
plices. The voices of an unseen sex
tet rose from the apse as Father
Leonard sprinkled the casket with
holy water.
The sobs of Miss Negri could be
heard above the voices of the seXtet.
The body was borne to the central
altar, above which a fresco of the ma
tivity was revealed by the mystic H.
Elimination of censers. The coffin was
placed on the altar steps and the
solemn high requiem mass was begun
The Gounod offertory Ave Maria
was sung softly by Dimitri Onofrei,
tenor of the San Carlo Opera Co. and
Massenet's post communion 'Elegy"
was sung by Guido Ciccolini with
cello obbligato.
Father Leonard then blessed the
casket and the recessional ''Tribula
tions," by SchweitZer, was sung by
the seXtet.
Father Congedo. a boyhood chum of
Valentino in Italy, then said his fare
we'll To the actor. Chopin's "Marche
Continued on Rse . Column ~