Radio mirror (Nov 1936-Apr 1937)

cAfa? CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT NOT so many years ago, a young Italian, Rudolph Valentino, held the fluttering pulses of millions of feminine Americans in the palm of his hand. A long, intent, hypnotic look from Rudy, up there on the silver screen, would cause any stately matron to feel weak around the knees and light in the head. It started the Latin-lover legend. Or maybe it isn't a legend — I'm not going to get mixed up in any international argument. Maybe Latin men, take them as a class, are dashing, amorous, imperious, demanding, passionate, cruelly tender, ruthlessly adorable, and all the rest of it. I just know one who isn't. I know one who is shy and bashful and given to blushing and entirely too amiable for his own good. His name is Nino Martini. Nino's life is one beeg peck of girl trouble. They bother him, they chase him, they write him lies, and they make his life miserable. It's all the Latin-lover legend's fault. Nino is dark haired and dark eyed; he has a glorious tenor voice; and he's a Latin. What else is needed to prove that he's the perfect Latin-lover type? Nothing, unfortunately for Nino. On the other hand, let's be perfectly fair. Nino doesn't realize it, but he, not the legend, is responsible for a lot of the hot water he gets into. He's just so darn gullible and kind hearted that he really needs a bodyguard. He's had plenty of chances to learn his lesson, but maybe experience isn't the swell teacher it's reputed to be. Anyway, Nino hasn't learned it. I'll bet you right now that he'll fall for the next hard-luck story some love-stricken girl pours into his receptive ears. I'll never forget the night I watched Nino broadcast in one of Columbia's Manhattan playhouses. He'd returned, not long before, from making pictures in Hollywood, and this, plus the fact that he was being starred on the Chesterfield program, packed the theater to the rafters. Seventy per cent of the guests — I'm not exaggerating — were girls and women. They got there early. The first three rows looked like a cross section, or a convention, from a dozen girls' schools. After Nino's first song six of these delicious young women, in the first row, rose and waved what appeared to be a dozen handkerchiefs at him. They yelled at the top of their voices, and carried on until an usher came down to quiet them! At the close of the program they took up the heaviest barrage of handkerchief waving, and yelling, and whistling, that I have ever seen or heard ! 42 GIRLS WHO CRY AND Nino took it all as casually as he could, but he blushed, looked embarrassed, and more than slightly worried. Just why he looked worried, I found out from Nino two days later in his suite at the Essex House. It took three hours of Nino's floor pacing, gesturing, and pleading, to show me all the problems that have arisen out of Nino's girl trouble! Most of the trouble is started — but not finished — by girls who have the all consuming desire to become opera singers. Or say they have, anyway. Nino showed me hundreds of letters from girls who wanted advice, introductions to opera producers, and even personal instruction from Nino. These letters worry Nino, but he writes back to each cor GIRLS WHO LIE ARE THE NAUGHTY VILLAINS OF THE SAD STORY NINO TELLS respondent giving whatever advice he thinks best. But personal interviews, or instruction— never ! There was Ruth (we cannot reveal her right name). Nino's not going to forget Ruth in a hurry. He's not ever going to forget her, if she can help it! She came back-stage one day when Nino was singing at an opera house in Canada, and begged for a chance to sing for him. She said that some day she was going to be a famous prima donna; and that Nino just had to tell her what he thought of her voice. Nino liked the girl's apparent enthusiasm and sincerity, and consented to hear her sing. She sang, and not very well, but Nino didn't want to discourage her, and told her to keep on trying. Immediately, she considered herself his protegee! And was Nino flabbergasted ! Well, to put it mildly, yes. Ruth's idea was for Nino to take her on the continuation of his concert tour. She insisted she would be anything. His valet — his secretary — anything — but she just had to go along! Nino, naturally, put his foot down hard. He explained why such a thing would be impossible. Ruth couldn't, or wouldn't understand, and for a solid week Nino had to slip out of strange exit doors to avoid her. Nino continued on his tour.. Every single day he would receive letters from Ruth telling how hard she was studying, and how some day she would be great enough to sing with Martini. Nino, out of the goodness of his heart, was foolish enough to answer a few of these letters. It was certainly an unwise move, because two months after leaving Canada, while he was singing in Detroit, Ruth suddenly put in an appearance back-stage! Ruth claimed that she had spent (Continued on page 88)