Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100TheValentinos in gaucho garb for the tango,as they appeared at the Portland Expo.Note that even with built-up boots, Valentino is barely as tall as the temperamental Miss Hudnut. w i n t e r g u i d e 2 0 1 7 5 1 Icons chicago tribune by Herb Adams udolph Valentino (1895- 1926) was likely the most fa- mous man in America when he rolled into Portland in April of 1923. Sex symbol of the young century, Valentino burst into fame as the first mega-star of the silent screen, when the movies were still an infant art. Launched by luck and exotic good looks in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (re- leased in 1921, the first silent film to make a million dollars) and Blood And Sand (1922), Valentino’s iconic The Sheik (1921) ce- mented his legend as the ultimate Latin Lover–a stereotype he hated and yet could not escape. Nor could Valentino escape a stormy marriage to Winifred water at home. During a studio dispute in 1922-1923, the Valentinos toured as pro- moters of Mineralava Beauty Clay, an awk- wardly named cosmetic both Valentinos claimed to use. The tour was a tremen- dous success, with performances in 88 cit- ies across the U.S. and Canada. In each, the couple judged tango competitions before Valentino himself chose the “Most Beauti- ful Example of American Womanhood,” dangling before each a place in the nation- al Mineralava Beauty Pageant in New York City and a role in his next movie opposite the Latin Lover himself. Who could resist? The Portland Evening Express beat the drums loudly as Valenti- no approached, opening a photo competi- tion that drew hundreds of entrants, from which six Maine lovelies would be chosen for Valentino’s expert eyes. “Screen’s Great Lover To Name The State’s Most Beautiful Girl Tomorrow!” headlined the Express. “Little wonder that the hearts of Maine girls thrill at the prospect, and that they are tumbling over each other with eagerness to be the fortunate one.” Among the eager hordes, amid Shaughnessy Hudnut, an Irish-American perfume heiress famous for short-tempered tantrums about her husband’s female fans. An unhappy Hollywood husband, Val- entino was adored by millions and in hot Dreamboat Can it be so? Rudolph Valentino, legendary Latin lover and superstar of The Shiek, right here at the Maine Expo–home to high school hoop and pro-wrestling rumbles? Now here’s the stuff of romance–and a very public spat.