Posts Tagged With: Mineralava Beauty Contest

The month of January will be filled with continuing news articles on the Mineralava Beauty Contest. Contest winners were making local and national news in order to gather interest from the general public for potential movie career opportunities.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you and with you a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Advertising a beauty clay, rather than the latest kind of Vaseline Rudolph Valentino “The Perfect Lover” charmed a goodly crowd of his feminine admirers at the Armory Thursday evening.  Charmed is the word for the youthful Sheik of the movies, sleep and well-mannered, radiant with the fire of youth handsome in the extreme, and attired in the costume in which he first came into fame was a real Prince Charming as he danced with the beautiful Winifred Hudnut, now Mrs. Valentino No.2 on the raised platform in the center of the Armory Floor.  Rudy’s following is feminine there is no denying that, for how else would he acquire the title “The Perfect Lover” and is that not sufficient to line up the menfolk as his mortal enemies? It is safe to say that many of the male gender present Thursday night under protest maybe and who went to scoff were won to the ranks of Valentino fans. For Rudy certainly made a good impression though rather stingy in his dancing act.  “It was a long wait for the advent of the Sheik, but the womenfolk thought it worthwhile, and loudly and convincingly did they voice their welcome when Rudolph and his wife made their appearance at 9:30 pm.  Preceded by their own Argentine Orchestra, the noted pair, attired in the costume so well remembered in “The Four Horsemen” danced the Argentine Tango, a replica of the scene from the famous Ingram picture. With Sombrero, sash, velvet and gold boots and spurs, Valentino appeared as he did in his first big picture, and the scene in the darkened Armory with the spotlight playing on the raised platform, was unique and delightful. Valentino began as a tango dancer and Thursday nights exhibition showed he lost none of his nimbleness.  So appealing was the applause that Valentino and his wife consented to an encore, after which the hero of the screen proved his versatility by making a speech.  Perfectly at ease, with an Italian accent Valentino took the occasion to denounce what he termed the “picture trust” which he declared was responsible for the fact he was not now appearing in movies.  “It was not a case salary with me but rather one of self-respect for I was not willing to appear in the sort of pictures, which the trust insisted I should make.  Pictures such as the “Sheik, Young Rajah, and others of this caliber are not the sort in which I care to appear.  Valentino himself, he was voted every bit as handsome off the screen as on, and even the men declared him a ‘regular fellow’. Showing evidence of education and culture minus the egoism attributed to him, the former tango dancer, who rose to the exalted position of “worlds most romantic figure” as the program termed him, the young lothario bids fair to hold his present popularity. For whom else would the women fold wait for two hours. Because of the crowd in front of the Armory Valentinos party entered by a side door only to be met with shrieks of delight as he stepped out into the hall.  He certainly gave em a big thrill.  Running Valentino to a close second for honors was the orchestra which he brought with him and Mrs. Valentino a chilly third.  Billed as an Argentines orchestra and attired in gypsy costume, they made a picturesque appearance. Their music proved a delight, especially when they played for the local dancers and they were roundly applauded.  The hall was decorated in American and Italian flags.  The crowd, no so large as anticipated appeared to have enjoyed its evening.

General Admission $1.00 tickets are on sale at Armory or American Society for Devastated France 4 West 40th Street or Irving Bank Columbia Trust 276 Park  Ave. For the past six weeks Rudolph Valentino with his famous Argentine “Four  Horsemen” orchestra has been touring the United States and Canada in his  luxurious private car “Colonial”. In addition, to giving his special exhibition dances and his famous “Four Horsemen” Tango with Mrs. Valentino he is conducting in each city the Mineralava Beauty Contest seeking to find the  most beautiful girl in America, lie hopes to have as the leading lady in his  next and greatest picture. His appearance on Saturday evening at the Seventy-First Regiment Armory will be a notable affair, conducted, for the benefit of the fund for Devastated France and the Maternity Center Association  of which Miss Anne Morgan is the Chairman. After giving a number of exhibition dances Mr. Valentino will with the committee, Howard Chandler Christy, Harrison Fisher and Walter Russell, select the most beautiful girl in New York. Every young lady should enter this Beauty Contest and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. Send your photograph with your name and address to the Valentino Editor, New York Morning Telegraph, so that it will reach that newspaper no later than Saturday morning of this week. Fifty of the most likely candidates will be selected, a telegram will be immediately sent to them to appear at the Seventy-First Regiment Armory, Saturday evening at eight o’clock. A large part of the evening is to be given over general dancing and there will be continuous music by Valentino’s own Argentine Orchestra and the Seventy First Regiment Band.

Eighty-eight beauties in Madison Square Garden. Rodolfo Valentino (real name, Rodolfo Guglielmo) came along. And there was not a line of free advertising. The Mineralava Co., manufacturers of “beauty clay,” hit upon a great advertising scheme. It despatched Rodolfo Valentino and wife to visit 88 cities and choose the true beauty from all beauties assembled at each place. Then the 88 beauties were transported to Manhattan. They and their chaperones were housed on an entire floor of the Waldorf-Astoria. They were taken in a fleet of taxicabs to see the Acting Mayor. They were paraded, with three bands, up Fifth avenue. Then, in Madison Square Garden, famed scene of great fistic encounters, the 88 beauties assembled for the Mineralava Valentino Beauty Contest, afterwards known as The National Beauty Contest, while Valentino picked, of all the 88, but one. But what profited it to the Mineralava Co.? The Associated Press, the United Press, the International News Service passed by Signer Valentino and the Queen of Beauty without a murmur, without mentioning the inspiring name of Mineralava. In the cities in which the semi-final contests had been held there had been some news mention of Mineralava. In Manhattan with the entire four score and eight present to invite admiring eyes, The New York Times did not allude to their presence and other papers steadfastly refused to mention the amalgamated and all-responsible word of Mineralava* “We are not running an advertising agency,” said the International News Service. “There is a limit to everything, and the limit in press agency . . .has been reached. . . .” said the United Press