BEFORE SILENCE WAS GOLDEN AND VALENTINO WAS A STAR.

Byline: Valerie Kuklenski Staff Writer

A silent film that hasn't been seen in nearly 80 years, one that could have undone Rudolph Valentino's romantic hero image, will be screened tonight and Thursday in Hollywood.

``The Married Virgin,'' made in 1918, features the matinee idol, then billed as Rodolfo di Valentina, as a greedy lothario - a ``new-style heavy,'' according to one trade publication at the time.

The movie was restored by the Royal Film Archive in Belgium in 1995, in time for Valentino's centenary, and it will get its first public showings at the Silent Movie Theatre.

``The Married Virgin'' is about Mary McMillan (Vera Sisson), the daughter of wealthy contractor Fiske McMillan (Edward Jobson), who is in love with Douglas McKee (Frank Newburg), an up-and-coming lawyer. Her stepmother (Kathleen Kirkham) is carrying on an affair with a young adventurer, Count Roberto di San Fraccini (Valentino).

Anxious to keep her young lover happy, Mrs. McMillan tells the count of her husband's involvement in a murder so they can blackmail Mr. McMillan. That plot fails, but the count convinces Mary to marry him in name only, in order to get her dowry money, which he says will keep her father out of prison.

Mrs. McMillan grows suspicious and jealous of that arrangement, and as she and the count are driving in a car, she tries to disfigure him with acid. During the struggle, the car crashes.

Jeffrey Vance, a film-history author and restorer of ``The Married Virgin,'' said the movie has an unusual past.

He said it was made by a New Yorker named Joe Maxwell, who hoped to make his fortune in motion pictures. He moved to Hollywood, courted wealthy older women and persuaded them to invest in his picture. Still, Maxwell barely had enough money to make the film, let alone bring it to the attention of studio executives, so it never got wide distribution.

The last time the film was shown was about 1921, when it was put out as one reel short under the title ``Frivolous Wives.'' The distributor was trying to capitalize on Valentino's new stardom after the release of ``The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,'' but still the movie attracted little attention.

``Of the 20 or so films Valentino made prior to stardom, this is one of the best, if not the best, because of a surviving 35mm print, night scenes tinted blue and other elements,'' Vance said. ``And it's a good story.''

The film, set for release on video and DVD later this year, plays at 8 p.m. both nights. Legendary 94-year-old organist Bob Mitchell accompanies tonight, and pianist Michael Mortilla provides the score on Thursday.

The Silent Movie Theatre is located at 611 N. Fairfax Ave., in Hollywood. Tickets are $8 for general admission, $6 for seniors, students and children. For more information, call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo: 'Of the 20 or so films Valentino made prior to stardom, this is one of the best, if not the best ... .'

Jeffrey Vance

film-history author and restorer of ``The Married Virgin'' starring Rudolph Valentino, left