Valentino statues

         

   



Seeing Stars: Where the Stars are Immortalized


in De Longpre Park
at the corner of De Longpre & Cherokee Avenues



Rudolph Valentino was Hollywood's first sex symbol, so it's not surprising that the town has honored him, but it's somewhat unusual to find two separate memorials to the same star in the same small park.

But there they are, just a few feet away from each other in De Longpre Park, a tiny patch of green in a rather rundown part of Hollywood, two blocks south of Crossroads of the World.

The first monument is a dark, modernist statue of a nude man, his face lifted skyward. It's called "Inspiration" and is more an abstract statement than an attempt to personify Valentino. A plaque below the statue states that it is dedicated to the actor who gave us "The Sheik."

The inscription reads:

"Erected in the Memory of
Rudolph Valentino
1895-1926

"Presented by his friends and admirers from every walk of life - in all parts of the world, in appreciation of the happiness brought to them by his cinema portrayals."

The second memorial is located just a few feet to the left of the first. This one is a life-size bust of Rudolph Valentino, which indeed is a good likeness of the silent screen star. (Alas, the bust is not kept particularly clean, as the accompanying photo shows.)

These memorials are nothing spectacular, but if you're a Valentino devotee, you might want to stop by and take a look.

(Warning: the park is located in a somewhat seedy part of town - exercise reasonable caution.)

Getting there: De Longpre Park is located two blocks south of Sunset Blvd., and three blocks east of Highland. It's bounded by De Longpre Avenue on the north, by Cherokee Avenue on the west, and by June Street on the east. (Don't blink, or you might miss it.)






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