The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-08-28

of Irene Castle a war hero!
That appealed to my very
young sense of humor and I
wrote a very flip, very unkind
and very sarcastic interview,
ridiculing, in my subtle, smart
alec way, the idea of Vernon
Castle dancing into war! But
Vernon did enlist-and Vernon
danced to his death in the war!
And I felt damned ashamed OF
myself. I wrote his obituary,
with an apology that I must
have really felt. The managing
editor put my name over the
apology-which I still remem-
Der as my first newspaper by
line.
VALENTINO EXPERIENCE
Had almost the opposite ex-
perience with Rudolph Valen-
tino, whose one worry was that
men thought him a sissy, and
would yell sighting remarks at
him when he appeared on the
streets. Valentino was anything
but a sissy and framed a stunt
that aimed to correct that i'm
preston. 1t broke only a month
or so before he died. There
was an editorial writer on the
Chicago Tribune who diSliked
Valentino and never lost a
chance to write singing little
editorials about "the sheik."
Just prior to the opening Of
Valentines last picture in Chi
cago Il was press agent for the
Roosevelt Theater, Chicago,
them, the star was scheduled
to pass through Chicago on his
way to New York. The Sunday
morning of his arrival in Chi
cago, the Tribune carried an
editorial headed Powder Puff
Hero" 1t made slightly yelled
insinuations against the screen
idols manhood. 1t everstepped
a bit in describing him as the
"son of a spaghetti juggling
gardner named Gugliemo."
That gave me an idea II used
to get 'em those days. I
showed the editorial to Valen-
tino and pointed out that it was
not merely an attack on him,
but it ridiculed his fathers name
and his nationality. The husky
Italian bristled with righteous
anger. He was all for taking a
cab to the Tribune building and
punching hell out of the editor.
His attorney wanted to file a
libel suit. But, when Valen-
tino was at the top of his rage,
I handed him a paper on which
I had already written a chal-
lenge to the editor, choose your
own weapons.
Valentino went for the idea,
signed the challenge, released
it to the various press services
and Chicago newspapers.
GOT PUBLICITY
AS I expected, it got great
newspaper breaks nationally,
except in the Chicago Tribune,
which haughtily ignored the
thing entirely. OF course, moth
ing came of it-except publicity
for Valentines last picture. He
later vold me it was the best
stunt of his career, because now
they yell at me, Hit him for me,
Rudy instead of Show us how
you kiss. Rudy"
Maybe, if I can dig up that
original challenge signed by
Valentino, it might make a
column for you?
Which reminds me, that near.
ly all the important matinee
idols of the screen have gone
through that same period, hated
by the men, who considered
them Sissies. Clark Gable had
the experience until they gave
him some dirty-faced, he-man
roles, and you don't hear that
stuff any more about him.
Robert Taylor right now is being
called pretty boy by those who
don't know him. I'd like to be
around when somebody says it
to his face
Spencer Tracy almost turned
down the role in Captains
Courageous" because he had to
curl his hair, and he was afraid
you critics would kid him about
it. Even little Freddie Bartholo-
NEW has his troubles, and the
studio is trying to let it be known
he is a regular he-man kid.
Which he is.
MOVIES GROW UP
I could dash off a column on
how the movies are growing up,
tackling situations and subjects
they dared not touch previously.
And now they do it in an adult
way, without that bad-boy Smirk-
ing. Apparently, the public is
ready for the new meat diet, In