Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-13
The Truth About Rudolph Valentino
WIFE
Public Interest Famous Movie Star Has Never Diminished

V rev are true. Generally tney
scarcely him. Perhaps they
knew the screen hero, but not the real
man as he was; for this they drew on
imagination and hearsay, usually to
absurd results. That is why have been
asked to write this story-to tell the
truth for once!
Strange as it may seem to the undis-
corning, interest in Mr.. Valentino still
lives. Even now, four years after his
death, revival of one Of his pictures
brings crowds stampeding the box ONCE
for one more glimpse Of that romantic
actor whose successor has never vet
been found, to the great lament of the
producers.
Since appreciation of his work has
survived the man himself, It Is only
fair that those who recognized his art
should have a true picture of him, not
lot of trash and boSh.
Unfortunately, the more famous he
grew, the more the stories circulated
about him were colored by malicious in
One of the great penalties the screen
star pays for fame is that of having
false innuendoes coupled with his name.
The public clamors for the intimate life
history of its popular idol; rumor and
shrewd imagination combine to supply
this demand.
Victim Of Distorted Image.
The result is a lot of unscrupulous
publicity cleverly designed by manager
or producer, or whoever profits by his
pictures, to build up for the public that
image Of him that will stimulate cheap
interest and increase box Office receipts.
Often 1t is distorted image, no more
like the man himself than a wooden
Indian is like flesh and blood chief.
No one ever suffered more from this
than Rudolph Valentino.
In most Of the tales told about him
his character, motives and ideals were
drawn at such twisted angles that the
image which finally emerged to be held
up before his adoring public was a mere
cartoon Of the man, in which all his
worst features were exaggerated. We
who knew him intimately and were
aware of his finer sides could scarcely
recognize it.
AS for Rudy himself-it revolted him !
Not Lounge Lizard.
The legendary Rudy, who fed on
mash notes, the lounge lizard, the pink
powder-puff man, the Sheik with only
The gross rssi S Vasmr appeal zeal was no
and married. than East is West or black
is white. But it was as the great
lover Of the screen he had drawn
greatest box-ofice profits. Therefore,
the great lover he must remain at the
sacrifice OF everything else.
This forced him into a role he hated
to play, role in which he was wretch
eddy unhappy. But Hollywood gossip &C
complished its aim.
In reality, Rudolph Valentino was a
great artist If 6a fovr he
has produced. If he had not been, his
fame would have died with him; he
would be forgotten now. But he sup
piled to his public a particular need
which no one else ever filled-a spirit
OF chiValry and romance associated
with a bygone age, but the desire for
which is eternal It is something
glamorous and fanciful, suggestive Of
the adventurous romance which every
woman secretly Graves, whether she adj
nlitS 1t or not.
Too Young for His Fame.
But he wasn't given credit for the
real art he had. His unusual abilities
were neglected to emphasize the groSser
side-sex appeal, women, niyht life, fir
tations- that would create a
wider shopgirl public and few thou
sand more fans.
Rudy was too young to realize how
stupid public criticism is. He was too
young for the fame that came to him.
In his forties or fifties, perhaps, he
might have stood up against that tidal
wave Of adulation and flattery, but in
his twenties-it wasn't human not to be
broken by it.
The emulation of It all warped his
entire personality until eventually it
made him ashamed of that finer side
of his nature, not seen or understood.
This Is the essence Of his tragedy, as
shall try to make clear.
People who knew him on the screen
were invariably surprised when they met
him in private life to discover what the
to find the sheik, they were disap-
pointed. Recently met in London a
well born EngliShwoman whose hero he
had been for years. She said she had
dreamed Of him; she was crazy over
him. This woman said to me:
The Two Valentines.
"When I met Valentino himself, I
was amazed to find not my romantic
hero, but Just a boy, quite frank and
sincere. Why, he is only a child! AT
first I was disillusioned, but in another
way I liked him the more"
There were two distinct Valentines
Rudy the artist and Rudy the man.
The one was the swashbuckling cavalier
who flashed across the screen into the
hearts Of millions. The other was a
simple boy with a childish sensitiveness
often mistaken for weakness by the un-
discerning and the prejudiced. Ameri-
can men, particularly, had no use for
him. They looked down on him and
criticized him, which hurt him terribly,
for he was pitifully anxious to be liked;
he wanted their friendship and respect.
Had they taken pains to know him,
4hn,, ,un,IId lnaua riven him both: but