STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
This weekend marked the 99th anniversary of the death of the silent film star Rudolph Valentino. He was known as the Great Lover, and he died at age 31. And why bother waiting for the hundredth anniversary? Because people are paying their respects. Year after year, there's an annual memorial service for Valentino in Hollywood, and Steve Futterman was there.
STEVE FUTTERMAN, BYLINE: They do it every August 23.
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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: It is so wonderful to see everyone here today. And, of course, I know that many of you have been here year after year.
FUTTERMAN: Many of those attending were indeed regulars.
MIKE MCKELVY: My tradition has just been - I can't miss one.
FUTTERMAN: Mike McKelvy (ph) first attended in the 1980s. He says Valentino's magnetism and allure still work a century later.
MCKELVY: Forty-fifth year, I originally came with Mary MacLaren, who had her dressing room next to Valentino. She always thought she'd be the first Mrs. Valentino. But her mother wouldn't let her.
FUTTERMAN: Also there this weekend was Joanna Ramos (ph). Adoration for Rudolph Valentino is a family tradition.
JOANNA RAMOS: My grandmother actually waited in line for his wake twice. She was 13 years old.
FUTTERMAN: Ramos was one of several women who came attired as the mysterious lady in black. From the 1920s to '50s, a lady dressed and veiled in black would come to the annual gathering with a single red rose.
RAMOS: He's like a muse to me. It's just a creative spark that he gives me that really no other film star or man in general has done.
FUTTERMAN: One person with a direct connection to Valentino was Diane Mathis Madsen, the great niece of June Mathis, the woman credited with discovering Valentino.
DIANE MATHIS MADSEN: She saw what he had that nobody else seemed to see. And she knew that he was - had such potential.
FUTTERMAN: Her great aunt wrote the screenplay for Valentino's breakout role in the silent film classic "The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse."
MATHIS MADSEN: She said, this is who I want to play my romantic lead, and she wouldn't back down or take no for an answer.
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UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing) Oh, Mr. Rudolph Valentino...
FUTTERMAN: Towards the end, there was a performance of the 1922 song, "Rudolph Valentino Blues." The people who showed up this weekend say they will be back next year for the centennial commemoration.
For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Hollywood.
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UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing) You've got a way of making... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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