My thoughts on the Previous Post, "Elvis & Rudy":
I think the issue of Elvis and Rudy is not so much about the personality traits and personal tastes, etc. which is interesting...as it is about the epic followings they garnered and so quickly. And just as Valentino's legacy is tarnished by the lies of his detractors today...I think Elvis suffers some of that disdain also but in a more sociological way.
I think there was, and is, a class division and attitude regarding Elvis; I remember that well when he was first popular because I am that old! You either loved him or he was the devil. And perhaps we have forgotten that historically this was also true to a great extent about Valentino when he was at the height of his fame.
I know my grandmother considered herself so far above it all, she would not deign to go to a Valentino movie and people then associated Valentino with screaming flappers and out of control “sheiking” teenagers. I think now Valentino has been elevated to a great degree by his veneration. But it was not always so.
The one point I will add to this discussion is Rambova. Unlike Elvis, Rudy had a lover/talented designer and classy lady... by his side for several critical years who groomed him, outwardly and inwardly into the slick, esoteric gentleman he would become. Without Rambova's influence, artistry, vision and guidance, I think Valentino would have had a different outcome professionally.
One thing that can not be denied about both icons is their genius. I never had a feeling either way about Elvis until I watched his live concert, I believe it was in Hawaii...in 1973...and I was blown away.
Thanks for all the great comments!
