Movie Classic (Apr-Aug 1932)

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Quickly banishes freckles, blackheads, pimples, blotches — safely. Golden Peacock acts so fast — you use so little — it's more economical than all other bleaches that ivork. Try a jar today. At all drug stores and toilet goods counters. Confessions of a Gigolo {Continued from -page 41) pounds. Later he took up professional dancing and as he was a good-looking young chap, with a touch of Latia romance about him, he soon heard of an opening in the gigolo business. Where He Met Valentino THEY didn't call us gigolos in those days," explains Raft. "The word was later brought in from France. We were known as 'dance entertainers.' "I was a gigolo at various places in New York, but principally Murray's, Churchill's, and Rector's. It was a very popular thing for unescorted women to drop in at some fashionable place in the afternoon for tea, or a few drinks. There was good music, and the house furnished the dancers. "I first met Valentino at Rector's — only lie was known as Guglielmi then. Affairs were conducted quite properly. The hostess was Peggy Howard. She had charge of us. Each of us wore a white button on the right lapel to show that we were house dancers, and weren't outsiders promoting around among the women — which wasn't permitted. "The cafi was divided off into stands, such as waiters have. Each gigolo was supposed to look after the ladies at a certain number of tables — that is, unless there were girls that you knew, and had danced with before, in which case it was all right to go to other tables and ask them to dance. "We were paid two dollars an afternoon by the management, so, of course, we depended for our principal income on tips. The average gigolo earned between seventyfive and one hundred dollars a week, unless In was lucky and had some middle-aged wealthy dame fall for him, in which case he could expect much higher tips while the crush lasted. "Valentino took care of the tables next to mine. He was reserved, probably because he then had a pronounced accent. To tell you the truth, we weren't as popular as some of the other boys in the place. The vogue for Latin types hadn't started yet, and most of the women were going for the light-haired boys. We often used to wish we didn't have such a 'foreign' look! He and Rudy Learned About Women YOU learn a lot about women, being a gigolo. Of course, it was principally a business with us. We were always on the lookout for older women, as they generally had more money and tipped us more liberally for our services, and also, if they liked us, would invite us out on parties for the evening as their dance partners, and, of course, that meant a good-sized piece of change. "We ducked the younger women when we could, as they didn't mean much in a financial way. About all they'd ever do would be to fall in love and that interferes with a gigolo's business. Some of these girls were debutantes, some were fast-stepping show girls, some were high-class street girls — it was pretty hard to tell them apart. "They were the type who wouldn't get in until dawn, and then would get up about noon. Having nothing to do until after dark, they would come to Rector's or one of the other places, eat breakfast about two, and dance or sip their drinks the rest of the afternoon until it was time to go home and dress for the evening. "Such girls usually just had pocket money, about enough to pay their bill at Rector's and give a small tip, and, of course, had other engagements for the evening. The older women were usually the ones who were glad to have a good-looking escort for some gay party. It was very flattering to them, and most of them, too, were good scouts. "The principal worry of a gigolo is preventing women from falling in love with him. You'd be surprised, the number of girls and women of good standing who will get a great crush, really serious, on some professional dancer whom they've only met a few times, and about whom they know absolutely nothing. You have to put a stop to it quickly, but diplomatically, or it gets to be an awful nuisance. Both Had to Dodge Marriage VALENTINO, or any of us, could have been married a dozen times to anybody from debutantes in the Social Register to middle-aged heiresses who were lonely. The women we liked best were those who sought us out strictly because we liked to dance. One of my favorite clients was a woman who weighed all of two hundred and twenty-five pounds. She used to come in twice a week and I'd dance three or four times with her, and she always gave me ten dollars. Both of us knew it was worth it." After some months Raft gave up the gigolo business for a vaudeville offer to dance with Joe Frisco. He developed a famous "broken-leg" eccentric dance, and appeared for years in night-clubs, and in vaudeville. Then he went abroad and danced his eccentric dance in the capitals of Europe. Eventually he located at the Florida Club, one of London's exclusive spots for the night-blooming nobility. The club was a hangout for the Prince of Wales, who likes to dance, and it was here that Raft taught the Prince how to do the Charleston and the Black Bottom. "The Prince is a pretty good scout," he says, "and likes to play around. He also likes to know all of the latest dances, even if he can't dance them in public. "This was in 1927, and the Charleston was going strong. One afternoon the Prince was there with a party, and asked me to show him the steps. He was very intrigued, and came into the club twice a week thereafter to take lessons, and seemed to get a great kick out of it. It seemed funny to see royalty cutting up in the steps of the Charleston! "Of course, I wouldn't take anything for my services — it isn't done in England — so the Prince presented me with a cigarette lighter with his name engraved on it." Was to Be Rudy's "Brother" IT was Valentino, the gigolo, graduated to be the world's greatest lover,, who suggested Hollywood to Raft. "I was frequently mistaken for Rudy in night-clubs. I saw quite a bit of him during his last visit to New York. He went to night-clubs every' night, and was often seen at Tex Guinan's 300 Club, and the Playground, where I worked. One 'Celebrity Night' at the Playground, Valentino was my guest. He made me a proposition. '"Come to Hollywood, George,' he said, 'and I'll start you in the movies. I can use you in my next picture, playing the role of my brother, and I'm sure with that start you'll go over.' "It has been said that I was to be Valentino's stand-in and double, but this is not true. Look at the difference in our height! I agreed to go back to Hollywood with him. However, he was taken to the hospital and died a few days later, so I gave the Hollywood idea no further thought." Raft is a typical product of New York, a {Continued on page 73) 66