I share a further response to Tracy Ryan Terhune's statement about me made on his blog he continues to run under my book's title, Affairs Valentino, which I excerpt under Fair Use guidelines. Tracy Terhune wrote (and then deleted and then posted again and then deleted again):
I wonder how he can feign being even mildly interested in Valentino if he states so adamantly that I... and along with all my discoveries about Valentino... reside in the "trash can of Valentino history." If he seriously believes that, then I guess he would have you all toss the following discovery I made in the trash can?
This being, one of the most fascinating things I discovered in those court records I recovered... the business of Cosmic Arts, Inc. This was something George Ullman set up after he became Valentino's manager to reduce Valentino's liability and provide him with a corporate alter ego. Valentino's business contracts were all transferred to ownership of Cosmic Arts, Inc.
The company was a laboratory and I write about this in detail in Affairs Valentino. I found one of the most interesting aspects of this revelation of Valentino's laboratory was that after it was purchased by Rudolph Valentino and established as his corporate alter ego, his then wife Natacha Rambova was assigned all ten shares of the company stock.
Before she left Hollywood for New York and before that touching and infamous scene at the railroad station as they said their last good-bye, Rudolph had forced her to sign all of her stock over to him and he essentially divorced her that day. I discovered the truth about that scenario at the station.
The many other details of Cosmic Arts., the complexities of that aspect of Valentino's story was intriguing to me and something new I brought to the Valentino history... something I know to be significant. And they are not "assumptions" but facts as presented in several courts of law.
Here, for Mr. Terhune's benefit I share just one beautiful page from those 1000 beautiful pages of court records I discovered. And I do not believe they should "reside" in the trash bin but I sure know who should reside there... and in my opinion who already has one foot in the bin for posterity at this point.
Here Rudolph Valentino's United Artists contract is assigned to Cosmic Arts, Inc., essentially making Natacha Rambova it's sole owner.
