Stars shine in 'Legend of Rudolph Valentino'

He was the most magnetic personality and the most talked about star of the silent movies. Men around the world sought to emulate him. Women simply swooned. His career lasted only six years and when he died he was $500,000 in debt. He was Rudolph Valenti-

no.

The myth that was Valentino is explored in "The Legend of Valentino," a romantic drama airing Sunday night at 9 on Channels 5 and 23. However, the film's writer-director, Melville Shavelson, believes that we will never really know the man.

"There is just no way to separate the myth from the reality," Shavelson said. "In my research I

found four or five different men, all called Rudolph Valentino. Some records showed him to be a loner, others said he was a great lover of night life. He was called a homosexual by some and by others he was thought to be Hollywood's most sought-after and successful lover. I found that the easiest way to write the script was to work from his image and not from reality. There is no reality to be found." Franco Nero, a major star · in Europe, will play the title role.

"I was not so concerned with finding an actor who looked like Valentino," Shavelson indicated, “but I insisted that he be Italian. Valentino never lost his Italian heritage and spoke with a thick accent up to the day he died. I felt

that only an Italian could really do justice to the part.

Since Valentino was only 31 when he died, much has been written as to what really killed him. The official report stated that he

died of peritonitis resulting from perforated ulcers. Shavelson believes that it was the image that killed Valentino.

"There was no way that he could live up to his image, and he suffered because of it. People wanted him to be things that he couldn't be and he never found a woman with whom he could have a lasting relationship. We will probably never see anyone like him in our lifetime. He will continue to be a myth forever."