Today I respond to a rash of lies
issued by Tracy Terhune and David Bret disguised as a review of our
latest book; Renato's fine translation of Jeanne De Recqueville's
“Rudolph Valentino”. I will always defend the quality and
integrity of our work and do so today.
Cindy Martin filled us in on the
relationship of Tracy Ryan Terhune and David Bret some time ago by
explaining how Terhune controls as the “puppet
master” and how he requires that Bret read his comments to him
before he will allow Bret to post them on their designated blog
which they run under my book's title to
bully us. According to Ms. Martin's information, Tracy Ryan Terhune approved the
following in his so-called “literary review” of our new book. It
should be obvious to any thinking person that this is not a
legitimate review.
As
excerpted from Terhune's blog as a comment he approved for posting by
David Bret where he refers to Renato as the following:
“....Enter 74-year-old Child Bill Hiccup- he of the
oversized hats and ego: multi-lingual child star, lighting
technician, Cordon Bleu chef, puppeteer and Firemen's Muse....”
And with this, the name-calling duo of
mean-spiritedness, Tracy Ryan Terhune and David Bret have issued
their stock trashing of our new book; a “critique” in which Terhune does little else but point out a
misspelling and a few typos. Is this is all he was looking for in the
book?
These two have greeted all of our books
by pointing out typos along with their grossly over played litany of hate by
calling every one of our books “fiction”, “over-priced”, etc.
What Bret and Terhune fail to address
is that this is the book which has been claimed for years to include proof that Valentino was gay and had love affairs with
Andre Daven, Jacques Hebertot, etc. We found that the opposite is true.
Bret initially claimed his source for saying
Valentino was gay was Florey's “Magic Lantern” until we published
a fine translation of that. With this proven to be a lie, he then claimed De Recqueville's book was his source as it was not in English. So with this now proven to be false... Bret claims desperately there was some other, secret source; another Florey manuscript (conveniently
not in English) in which Florey wrote about “the real Valentino”.
I say this is another of Bret's
tremendous lies because Robert Florey wrote Jeanne DeRecqueville in 1978 saying Valentino was not gay. It is far easier for Bret to say it was all in
another invisible secret source somewhere (in a foreign language) which he can not reveal, than
to admit he is straight up lying and has been for years. No one is believing this any more. And btw if his
book's are selling so well as he claims (Amazon ratings say
differently) then he better begin paying his bills; i.e. the defamation
damages we won.
As I mentioned, upon translating the book, we
found De Recqueville completely refutes that Valentino was gay and
does this through personal correspondence with Hebertot, Rene Clair,
etc. How much more definitive can a source be but the people who were there?
Of course we did not rewrite Jeanne De
Recqueville's book and correct everything because we brought the book
out in English as she wrote it.. making it available to a new audience...but the content is the value of this book and as Renato
pointed out, she was more of a witness than a biographer.
One would think that Tracy Terhune
would express gratitude to us for making these foreign publications
available in English and for spending the enormous amount of work
hours putting the books together. One would think the Valentino
family would welcome a new addition to the Valentino literary legacy
and thank us for the contribution. One would think they might voice disapproval of the bullying that has and is going on in the name of their relative by Terhune and
Bret. Their silence is complicity.
And I find it hypocritical for Terhune
to be criticizing our new translation with someone like Bret who
wrote what I believe to be the two most fictionalized and
reprehensibly awful books on Valentino. I am still waiting for
Terhune's manifesto length “critique” of Bret's two books; the
last one dedicated to Tracy Terhune.
Terhune and Bret's angry and hateful
diatribe posted today... reveals much more about them than it ever
could about us or the book.
They have spoken in unison again to
bully under the disguise of it being a review when the graphic
history of Terhune's Affairs Valentino blog is disgusting and
shocking. (see below) He can not pretend to be doing anything
legitimate or worthwhile on that blog after how he has savaged us and
our work their for 8 years and counting...and in light of the very
few books Terhune has turned out I think we have been working hard
and deserve a nod for that. I say to him that if he does not like our
books or our translations then he can do some himself and realize
what hard work it is.
When was the last time Terhune wrote a
book, translated one or contributed anything but divisive energy to
Valentino's memory? And I think we can scarcely turn to David Bret
for any hope of the tiniest shred of truthfulness. This, a man whose
books are page by page laughably laden with typos and errors... who
once labeled a picture of Valentino's brother as his “great lover
Andre Daven”, who produces no proof for his absurd claims regarding
almost anything and no proof he ever knew anyone he claims to have
known such as Daven, Dietrich, Garbo... all of them. Where is his
proof? And his outrage at my saying this is not proof.
Terhune has every right to post what he
wishes. But by posting it on that blog which he has sadistically used to divert
traffic seeking information about us and our work,... this proves it
is just more bullying. This blog is where he has harassed us with images of Jesus, Satan, threats in bold red letters
and where he provides a platform for David Bret, who owes us over 40,000$ in
unpaid damages for the defamation lawsuit which we won against him...
this is where Terhune and Bret mock us, wish our impending deaths
with their tick tocking … this is where Terhune posts his “review”
today. The entire intention is obvious.
In closing in response to Bret's lie
that Jeanne De Recqueville never mentioned Frank Mennillo is her
book; I say this is proof Bret never read either book ...because in
her 1978 edition on page 155 she writes about his presence at
Valentino's death bed with his “eyes full of tears”, etc. We
translate this on page 123 in our edition. So proof in my opinion
Bret and Terhune just scanned for some typos to embellish their bully
attacks. I also add that Yvonne Legeay, who was the sexual love
partner of Andre Daven in 1923, met and knew Jeanne De Recqueville
when they appeared together on a television show in France. Yvonne
Legeay told Ms. DeRecqueville she knew Valentino and I for one am
going to believe her... over believing the tired rantings of a bitter
and known liar.
Here follows just a few of the images
Terhune has used on his hate Affairs Valentino blog where he now
posts his review... and I share a few of David Bret's characteristic
images he has posted about me. In this I have responded.
Some of Tracy Terhune's images used on the hate blog. (above and below)
Below two screenshots which were included as evidence in the defamation lawsuit we won against David Bret. These are public record housed in the Court of Asti in Italy.
David Bret mocks the death of my father.
**** Find our new book @ https://amzn.to/2WIDCyL
