Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-29

when Pola Negri learned of Valen-
tino's mortal illness she announced
her intention to hasten to his side as
soon as work on a picture could be
completed. The train bringing her
from the Coast is due here today.
Angered by Editorial.
When Valentino arrived in New
York last July. after the filming of
1.-The Son of the Sheik," his last pic
ture, he was an aroused and angry
man. And the public, which reserves
the right to laugh at it's heroes II 1t
pleases, had many a grin at his ex-
pense. An editorial in a Chicago
newspaper linked his name with the
use of pink powder puffs by men. and
he deemed an dispersion had been cast
upon his masculinity.
He replied with a letter to the
anonymous writer of the editorial.
challenging him to a duel, American
fashion, fists to replace rapiers or pls-
tolls and coffee for two. AS the lden-
tity of the writer was not disclosed,
Valentines belligerancy failed TO bring
about an encounter on the field or
honor, and in little while the incl
dent was forgotten. Many critics
were fond of attacking Valentino as
popiniay, as effeminite, as using cos
metics, as a wearer of "slave brace
let's" as not what they called he
man." | have no idea what opinion
of him was held originally by the
boxing expert of the Evening World,
but he went to see the screen star
the day after the pink powder puff"
editorial, and spared with him. And
this is, in part, what he wrote
about it:
II am prepared to go pretty strong
in my opinion that Valentino swings
a right more wicked than any eruditic
jolt the editorial writer can unleash,
and said F.. w. can come in at any
weight, even though Rudy strips at
around the middleweight limit. The
screen star is decidedly fit party
a far more perfectly trained athlete
than /, for one, had ever imagined.
He may be the acme of male charms
on the screen to the ladies and a pain
in the neck to most men, but there is
nothing so glaringly dainty and dandi-
fled about Valentino"
Spared With Dempsey.
Valentino had spared with Jack
Dempsey and been taught a jolt blow.
He tried this on the boxing writer,
and the latter's comment in print
was: This writer is inclined to pride
himself on his $50 pounds of physical
fitness. but when I blocked what Rudy
described as the Dempsey jolt, /
thought my arm was being Jared off.
Valentino can show a pretty snappy
left and right that packs a real wal
lop."
incidentally, Valentino had a cauli->
flower ear, but it did not come of the
ring Instead, it was memento of
teacher he had as boy who, in pun
ishment, was given to twisting the
ears of his pupils.
But all this is ended now. We have
come to the end of the chronicle. Ill
ness, a day or two of hope and then
the slipping away into death. 1t was
Valentines wish that he should lie
for a time where those who wished
might see him for a last time, and this
was done. He lay in room in which
had lain the bodies of Olive Thomas,
Anna Held, Vernon Castle, Oscar
Hammerstein, Nat Goodwin, Lillian
Russell and others beloved Of a great
public. A hundred thousand persons
streamed past his casket in that
candle-lit resting place.
And across the street at window
of the Hotel Marie Antoinette sat
man watching those thousands as, in
a long queue, they passed into the
"Chapelle Ardente." 1t was Jacques
Bustanoby, one time proprietor of a
restaurant in West Thirty ninth
street. He looked from that crowd
back through the years to the day
when Valentino. "Signor Rodolfo"
danced in "Bustanobys" for the price
of a meal.