Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-19
The Truth About Rudolph Valentino
Actor Married Second Time in Against Lawyers Ad,ice.

During the filming of Blood and
Sand Rudy was granted his 1noerlo-
cutory decree of divorce from Jean
Acker. It was handed down March 4,
1s22-but accompanied by the discour-
aging announcement that the decree
would not be final until March 4, 1928.
Rudy and I did not like this news.
We did not choose to wait year Tor
our marriage, and the more we thought
about it, the more foolish 1t seemed to
do So We knew so many people who
had evaded this disagreeable law by
crossing the line into Mexico for the
civil ceremony there.
Frank Mayo, who had married in
Tijuana Immediately after Mr.. Mayo's
divorce decree was given. And not
only motion picture people, but others
of the so-called saner world-bankers,
politicians, business men-everybooy
was doing it. Why should Rudy and
I wait?
Against the advice of our lawyer, Mr..
Gilbert, we Just decided we wouldn't.
As soon as blood and Sand" was fin
ished we would motor to Mexico and
be married.
That is exactly what we did. 1t was
such q wonderful wedding that we never
regretted. it, in spite Of the rude awak.
>ening it brought and the long year OF
heartaches and agony.
Married in Mexicali.
I want to tell you about our we'd
ding. for no one ever had one like it.
With the last scenes of Rudy's pic
ture filmed, we set forth for a short
vacation at Palm Springs, accompa-.
MED by Rudy's friend, Douglas Gerard
(known as Gerry, an Irish-English ac-
tori. Here We were the guests OF DR..
White, a wonderful woman physician,
woman of middle age, with a heart OF
gold, one of our best friends IN the
world. For her charity practice Dr.
White tended the native Indians and
Mexicans of the Mohave desert.
With her snow-white hair knotted in
a little bun, dressed in a linen riding
habit she was a familiar, much loved
figure riding over the sands. Here In
the midst of a grapefruit grove at
Palm Springs, an oasis in the desert,
DR.. White had two lovely little Spanish
patios, one of which she was loan1ng
to Rudy and me for our honeymoon.
After a brief rest at her home the
four of us, DR.. White, Gerry, Rudy
and I, motored to Mexicali, the little
village which, as the name implies,
sprawls across the border line between
California and Mexico. Arriving IN
the early evening, DR.. White and 1
took rooms at a hotel on the California
side, while Rudy and Gerry crossed
the line to arrange with the Mexican
mayor for our marriage next day.
Toward midnight the boys returned
with the thrilling news that the mayor
insisted we be married at his own
house at noon and would not take no
for an answer. The marriage of such
distinguished guests would be festi-
val, a gala occasion, a holiday for the
whole village. We had not planned a
celebration like this, but DR.. White
said, Let them have their funI" and
with amused resignation we agreed.
Anthem Special Honor.
Next morning the mayor, accompa-
MED by the chief of police, called at
our hotel to escort us to his home. We
made a strange wedding party. We had
driven miles over the desert IN the
grilling heat, planning to go through
a brief ceremony and return to Palm
Springs at once. I wore yellow sports
frock, a felt hat crushed over one
eye; Rudy was in riding brooches and
a soiled khaki shirt; DR.. White In the
riding habit in which she looked so
much like a man, and Gerry In the
EngliSh-cut clothes which ne wore
with an Irish swagger.
The mayor lived in a small frame
house set in a withered garden, upon
which the sun poured down that day
with the heat of molten lava. AS we
approached it down the hot, dusty
road, mighty volume of music burst
forth. When we looked at the mayor
in bewilderment he explained with Wis
ible pride that 1t was the Mexican ma
tional anthem played by the military
brass band In his garden. He had
wired the governor for permission to
play that sacred anthem in our honor.
The tiny room where the ceremony
took place was filled to capacity with
guests, relatives and friends OF the
mayor, Respondent in their Sunday
best. All the rest of the village hung
over the fence, held back by the VII
lage constable Every one was chat
tering Mexican, of which I understood
very little, until the place was babel
of sound and a hades of heat.
At high noon the ceremony began,