On Saturday, July 23 at the his­toric Woman’s Club of Hollywood, actress and author Kathryn Leigh Scott, best known for her work in the original soap opera “Dark Shadows,” will host a fundraiser for Retroformat Silent Films and the Woman’s Club of Hollywood. The evening will include a screen­ing of Rudolph Valentino’s final film, “The Son of the Sheik” (1926), plus a rare, privately made Valentino short, “The Sheik’s Physique” (1925), with live piano accompaniment by Retroformat musical director Cliff Retallick. Scott and Michael Hawks will also sign copies of their books “Lobby Cards: The Classic Films” and “Lobby Cards: The Classic Comedies,” featuring lobby cards from the Michael Hawks Collection. The book signing will start at 7:00 p.m. The show will begin at 8:00 p.m., and will include a live, 1920s cabaret-style opening directed by Retallick.

“The Son of the Sheik,” directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Valentino and Vilma Bánky, was released nearly two weeks after Valentino’s death from peritonitis at the age of 31. In 2003, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, his­torically, or aesthetically signifi­cant.” The print of “The Son of the Sheik” will be provided courtesy of the USC HMH Moving Image Archive.

Retroformat Silent Films is an educational 501c3 nonprofit, locat­ed in Los Angeles, with the mission of promoting education and enthu­siasm about the art of silent film. In addition to screenings at venues like The Hollywood Legion Theater and the Woman’s Club of Hollywood, Retroformat maintains an exclusive online archive of rare silent films for members at bit.ly/retroformat-thevault. It also screens silent films with live music and discussion for 6th, 7th and 8th graders at the Laurel Cinematic Arts and Creative Technologies Magnet School in L.A. For infor­mation, visit retroformat.org.