Gilbert Roland article on Valentino
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Rudolph Valentino
metalman091 — 9 years ago(August 23, 2016 12:00 AM)
1975 article by Gilbert Roland on Rudolph Valentino.
http://allanellenberger.com/gilbert-roland-on-valentino/
One bit from the article describes Roland's only encounter with Valentino:
"Central Casting called for Spanish and Mexican extras to report at Paramount Studio, $3 a day and box lunch. Over a thousand of us were hauled into trucks and driven through the narrow dusty Cahuenga Pass to Lasky ranch. The picture Blood and Sand. The star playing the matador Rudolph Valentino. My father had been a famous matador from Spain. It is an art to be properly dressed for the arena. Often in Mexico I had helped my father. A Spaniard, Jarita, the technical adviser, demanded Valentino to be perfectly dressed as a matador, and knew my background."
"He took me to Valentinos dressing room on the lot. This boy will help you dress, Jarita said politely. Valentino smiled, shook my hand, and I trembled. He stood naked, a towel around his trim bronzed body, the slant eyes, a scar on his cheek like a saber cut. I helped him into the taleguilla, the pink stockings, red sash, zapatillas, chaquetilla All through the ritual he sat motionless, silent, his eyes far away. A tear rolled down his cheek. He brushed it off, lit a cigarette, and walked away."
"During lunch a violent fight erupted between the extras. Someone stuck me with a banderilla, and there was blood. Valentino sat under a shady tree with his lady love, exotic Natacha Rambova, as I went by. He saw the blood, cleaned the wound, wrapped his monogrammed handkerchief around my hand and gave me a glass of wine. The lovely lady smiled the courtesy, gallantry, chivalry of the great; all these things not here any more. I treasured Valentinos handkerchief a long time. Then a lovely blonde girl came along and went off with it."