Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-20
The Truth About Rudolp Valentino


That terrible Journey from HOLLYWOOD
TO New York that interrupted our
honeymoon In May, 1922, is one Of the
most unhappy memories of my life.
Here I was, separated from Rudy the
very day after our marriage; involved
in the hideous notoriety of a trumped-
up bigamy charge; hurtled upon a
journey that was speeding me 5000
miles away from him; bound by orders
that our marriage was not legal and We
must live apart for year
1t was a gruelling experience. To
make 1t even worse was the paralyzing
fear of the effect of all this notoriety
on Rudy's career Would 1t cause his
pictures to be barred?
This might very probably happen
Let one breath of scandal besmirch his
name and the career of a screen star Is
Eliped. 1t falls like house of cards
This has been proved countless times.
At that particular moment echoes of
Fatty Arbuckle's crash were still rum
bling in the cinema world; there were
others whose names had gone equally
dead on a less serious charge.
Row, as though to confirm my fears.
came the blaze of newspaper publicity
which attended my entire journey,
making 1t still more of a nightmare. I
was bounded, pestered by reporters.
Besieged by Papers.
At every station between Los Angeles
and New York they boarded the train
in throngs and swarmed about me like
singing gnats, besieging me with ques-
tions I could not possibly escape them
! had no such thing as privacy. had
taken the train at an hours notice and
couldn't get q stateroom or compart-
ment-not even section to myself
only a lower berth, in which secluded
myself as best / could, drawing the
curtains about me, refusing to see or
talk with them. But they stood out
side, 10 strong at times, and gleefully
thrust in at me their journals shriekine
with lurid headlines-lies about Rudy
and me!
Still worse, they intercepted the tele-
grams we sent each other along the
way. I would get off at a station to
wire Rudy and then I would read my
own messages and his answer to me in
the papers before it was delivered me
on the train.
1t was cruel, unfair procedure. Be-
cause Of it have never used that COM
pany's lines since then.
In New York the newspapers still
pursued me. Reporters followed me on
the streets. To avoid them I had to
use the servants entrance of hotels or
apartment houses, sneak around like a
thief in the night with cautious.
stealthy movements. Even then there
was no escape. They leveled their
cameras at me whenever I budged from
my room, even to leap from the back
door OF the hotel into my mothers
motor.
If had had gun believe would
have shot them on the spot, resigned to
hn pNy1
used to pray that an earthquake might
swallow them up. For years the very
word reporter made me see red.
Parents to Rescue.
In New York stayed with my par
ents, Mr.. and Mrs. Richard Hudnut
They were planning to sail for Europe
within few days, but when they per-
cedved the extent of my predicament
ana now utterly wretched was, they
Cancelled their passage and decided to
open Foxlair, their country home In
the Adirondacks
Foxlar was a magnificent estate.
some six hours motor drive from New
York. very secluded, with a hunting
lodge and some 1000 acres of mountain
land In all its pristine wildness, on a
beautiful little mountain lake
But it required more than secrecy
et1o scCluSlon 10 make me happy. NV
grief was inconsolable. OF course. Rudy
and wrote and telegraphed each other
daily, and several times week I drove
10 or II miles to the nearest village to
make long distance calls to HOLLYWOOD
The only time I could be sure of
reaching Rudy was around midnight
OF Eastern time, for all day he was at
the studio and could not talk freely
TO him there. So at dead of night or
In the wee small hours, over thousands
OF miles OF buzzing wires we Shrieked
at each other messages of love and as
surance. and the hope that we might
soon be together. It sounds humorous
now, but 1t was tragic then.
Happily, as soon as the bigamy charge
mad been proved false and dismissed.
and Famous Players were assured that
his picture would not be barred. he had
begun work on 1.-The Young Raiah"
there IN Hollywood. He sent me stills"
OF his picture. which he declared was
going splendidly and would be finished
within few weeks. Soon every letter
and telegram brought forth the glad
news that as soon as it was completed
ne could join us at Foxlair for a vaca-
ton.
Rudy in Comic Disguise.
Both of us were living for that day.
Rudys arrival at Foxlair brought the
drst laugh / had had for weeks-the
f1rst real laugh since that dreadful
day had left HOLLYWOOD. I thought