On the subject of collectors, I share a bit of history and analysis as excerpted from a manuscript written by yours truly. I have titled the book, Die, Evelyn Zumaya Die (from another e-mail from David Bret written shortly before he published my Obituary online). This manuscript is the story of... as Tony Bonn wrote... "the barbaric opposition" to my book Affairs Valentino. Some names and citations have been redacted for various reasons. Has to be that way at the moment.
I also add regarding letters Natacha Rambova wrote to Rudolph Valentino.. the following. This is what I know. When I first met with Bob Ullman, he knew I was also interviewing collector Bill Self. He asked me if Self ever showed me any of Natacha's letters. I told him he had not done so. Bob Ullman told me his father, George Ullman, particularly lamented the loss of those letters. He said his father kept them in a bundle in his desk drawer in his office and Bob remembers seeing them and having them shown to him.
So as the account goes, at some point George Ullman rented out half of his office to another agent. And not long after this, Natacha's letters were stolen from his desk. He was furious and accused the other agent and that was that. Other agent was booted out of the space and George was convinced he took the letters.
Bunny Ullman also asked about the letters and wondered if they ever showed up. Who knows... but so it goes with the provenance of the belongings of Rudolph Valentino. I believe Ullman did have a great deal of papers... which he was entitled to have as Valentino's manager. He also had access and possession of the items kept in the facility referred to in the court records as the "Prop House". This is where, for a while... belongings of Valentino which did not sell or were not liquidated were stored.
I think it obvious that my interest in the Valentino story was one of content and history and not a tracking of everything the man ever owned.
And I add today that no matter how many times David Bret and Tracy Terhune repeat their lies about me... those lies do not become true with their endless (ten years of!) repetition. I never accused anyone of rape, never have been homophobic and I have addressed these lies... as well as the other pile of defamation they continue to repeat about me too many times to count. For today's consideration....
