A Theory From a Reader

I received the following message and images from a reader... I thought it could be shared here for insight. I did receive permission to post the message here:

“...I got curious again about that recessed area on the right side of Rudy's nose. It's the area that I mentioned to you that is noticeable in the death photos and also on the artist's drawing on the cover of your book. I wanted to share this interesting stuff I learned about the effects of syphilis on nose cartilage. I wonder if he was already in the third stage of syphilis since the blindness was already present in his eye when he began his acting career. I also wonder if he was made sterile from it. I wonder if he ever did get Natacha pregnant. Maybe he was sterile and those rumored pregnancies were from another man that she was having an affair with? I know that seems kind of far fetched, but is it really? If so, that would be enough to make a spouse want a divorce right away. Maybe he wasn't the one who impregnated her?

On page 213 of Ullman's book he says 'One day he surprised me by asking for a mirror. I was loath to humor him, as his illness had left marks upon his face I did not wish him to see.'

Who knows how long the disease would take to completely ravage his beautiful face. What if he had lived long enough for that to happen to him but not in time for a cure? I don't know if all sufferers of the disease eventually lose their nose or become horrifically scarred over time. Probably not. King Henry VIII had syphilis and he only lived long enough to lose his mind instead of his nose. What an absolutely horrific illness. 

I found some modern photos of someone with syphilis scarring of the nasal cartilage that look very much like the area on Rudy's nose. I didn't know this, but people with advanced syphilis could lose their nose completely. 

'Does syphilis destroy the nose?

Syphilis and leprosy are bacterial infections that can have many health implications, including lesions and ulcers that attack the cartilage in the nose. If left untreated, these infections could cause permanent damage to the nose, resulting in a saddle nose deformity.'....”

Images included:

(Image from medical journal)

The Heavy

“In theatre jargon, the “Heavy” is the character that provides the most conflict in the story. The heavy is the antagonist that creates obstacles for the protagonist to overcome. ... The Heavy is a big role for an actor, sometimes the biggest role in the work, eclipsing even the main character.”

In January of 1921, Rudolph Valentino was classified as a “heavy” by Famous Players Lasky' Corporation's “Engagement Department”. Granted that is exactly what he was at that time with most of his roles being antagonistic. But I also wonder how much anti-Italian racism went into that classification. Were Italians just perceived as “providing conflict” because they were dark-skinned, Catholic, perceived as “agents of the pope”, foreigners arriving to take jobs away from Americans, etc.

Valentino was certainly victimized by anti-Italian sentiment but as I mentioned in Affairs Valentino, I think he redeemed every villainous role with his natural demeanor and elegance. No matter how hard they tried to cast him as the “heavy”, he did eclipse the main characters with something more than conflict. Obviously.

Did he not become the “heavy” by this definition in his own life and legacy by providing unending conflict? Although he did not personally instigate the furor today in his name, that arrow to the word “Heavies” can apply.

I call racism on this one because if he was pale skinned, let's say of English origin, he would be classified as the prototype of chivalry, classic nobility, gentleman etc. Did the dark skin and eyes and the entrenched xenophobia v. Italians at the time restrict him to this stereotype?

Natacha Rambova managed to break that pattern for her husband and anyone who says differently should go back and read the facts. She elevated him above this “heavies” stereotype and paid a very high price for doing so.

Not Buying A Word of It

I mentioned in a previous post, how I do not enjoy fiction about real people. I never thought about such a thing until I wrote Affairs Valentino, but I feel strongly about it now. If ever there was a perfect example of how fictional treatments of a person's life can utterly destroy them imo it would be Rudolph Valentino. The fiction is never perceived by the majority as fiction, because it is delivered with such authority, hence the truth is poisoned by fantasy and lies.

The risk to a legacy's truth is not just the corruption of the content, but because each contribution becomes a sort of “license to kill” as it were. If one person can pass off outrageous claims as fact with no critical fact-checking/backlash at all, then anyone can.

The bullying being done under this guise in the “Valentino upside down world” has deterred so many people from pursuing an interest in Valentino. I know this for a fact. It is, for too many, as if they walked into a restaurant hoping for a delicious meal to smell rotten fish. They leave. Many not only leave their social media groups but the entire subject of Valentino.

I do not enjoy reading fiction about real people and I am sure I never will. And “their” Valentino is a load of fantasy and fiction, being preached as gospel to unsuspecting people interested in Valentino. They are ONLY allowed to carry on in this way because they delete, ruin and banish anyone who questions the veracity of their insane claims. The administrators of those corrupt groups act as tyrannical censors and not as intelligent people overseeing legitimate debate.

Rudolph Valentino did have sex with female prostitutes in Taranto as a teen-ager, this affected his vision and caused blindness in his one eye, he fathered a love child, had many beautiful lovers who were women, aggressively managed his own business, hired brilliant people to work for him, such as George Ullman, married Natacha because they were in love and made love, was loved and cared for by his godfather Frank and came to the U.S. In 1913, welcomed and wealthy. One would think any of these topics would generate a lively conversation but these topics (and our names) are not allowed a peep on the two cult Facebook groups, Madness About the Boy and We Never Forget to Stop Bullying.

I think Simon Constable's promise to vanish is just social media drama. If he can not generate enough focus on himself with breaking news about Natacha's father's spelling of his surname... he can always threatened to leave forever. Who would believe that from someone whose word is so corrupt that he posted the Cassio research we did as his own? Not buying a word of it.

False Pretenses

Isnt' it amazing that Simon Constable will come out boasting how he discovered that Rambova's natural father used the name O'Shaugnessy with an “O” while Natacha did not. This was breaking news he had to share in a flurry of Ancestry.com documents. Now not new information at all... but how very odd and “amazing” that this would be tremendously exciting and new material for him to share... as if he cared about new information about Rambova...for god's sake he bans all of the Rambova discoveries I have made.

He once attempted to take credit for my discovery of the Cassio relationship with Rambova. I stopped that nonsense. But he not only has tried to take credit for my discoveries, he forbids any mention of my new discoveries about the woman and this while rolling out the, “O” in the Dad's name as hot stuff.

If he was genuinely interested in sharing new material about Natacha Rambova, he would be wildly eager to share all I found. He is not and bans even the mention of my name.

False pretenses I say. If Simon Constable was really into sharing new information about Rambova he would not be banning it all as hard and fast as he can. What is up with that?

This One

I am aware some people are tired of hearing about Tracy Terhune, David Bret, Simon Constable, Eleanor Gribbin, Donna Hill, Jeanine Villalobos, et al. But this is not a past history situation for us. These people continue every single day to prevent the broad population of people world-wide who go on Facebook and elsewhere to enjoy Rudolph Valentino, from either knowing a thing about our work or much, much worse. In many instances these people go out of their way to broadcast how we are liars, frauds and all else.

I will not apologize for the stand we take here on this blog, for my content. This is what it is. Odd how I hear how tired people are about hearing about it... but why not contact the perpetrators to register the complaint and not the victims?

I try to post new and interesting things here but the main purpose of this blog is to expose those awful people who bully us mercilessly and impede our right to do a fair business. I will not be bullied into silence.

For us to turn and walk away would be to throw all our work over the many years into an enforced oblivion. There are many places to frequent to enjoy Valentino. But this blog stands as the one place where their evil empire is exposed; where we defend ourselves.

I wish there were fifty blogs and Facebook pages devoted to exposing them all... but there is one. This one.

Money for Mr. Balch

Was Rudolph Valentino investing heavily in the first air service planned between Los Angeles and Mexico? Was he part of a syndicate formed to create the new venture? I think he was.

In the accounting ledgers which I recovered/discovered from George Ullman's Appeals Court Records, a "Lee C. Balch" was being paid what then amounted to an enormous amount of money in July and August of 1926. Within a year and a half,  Lee C. Balch's "Latin American Air Transport Company" was in the news when they collaborated with Pickwick Latin American Airways and expanded service to Central America. 

Was this one of the investments Natacha wrote about? She alleged Rudy was taken advantage of by investors and she acted as a front line protecting him in this because she felt he was unable to say no. Maybe this was a solid venture and a profitable investment or would have been had Valentino lived. 

Below I share a few pages from the Falcon Lair ledgers to see the payments made to Mr. Balch and his Latin American Airways Transport. And remember that the exchange rate for those amounts is times 15 today. 

Arizona Daily Star, November 30, 1928

He Did Want That

It is ever so intriguing to read the comments here and realize the many disparate insights into the life of Rudolph Valentino. There is so much information out there about him and plenty to digest. For me the point of greatest importance in the saga of this man, is the blight which has been inflicted on his legacy by liars, thieves and cultists. 

If that is my role, to rid his legacy of these people, then so be it. I do all I can. I was fortunate enough to have had the back story of that seedy world handed to me by Bill Self. I think he wanted to be part of the Valentino story. Maybe not in this way but he did want that. 

If Jeanine Villalobos had not forced him to send me packing, he would have told me everything. But I learned enough. 

Rudolph Valentino's legacy is held hostage by greed and ego. I saw the situation and wrote about it and for this I paid and continue paying. 

Renato and I are not weaklings and Terhune, Bret, Constable, Gribbin, Hill... they should not underestimate our stamina in this.

We may be old, but we are wise. Contrary to the pathetic machinations of Terhune in claiming I was never even in Self's home, I say I sure was and he knows it. The story just came tumbling out and will continue to do so.

So much more to come. 

Thanks for the comments and insight. Brilliant!

"Ring of Death" or Just a Good Story?

I am not so convinced of this famous legend of the "Curse of the Ring" but wonder about that "Museum of Valentino relics"? What happened to that? Maybe they were referring to Bill Self's home. From The Pittsburgh Press on March 24, 1962. 

The Valentino & Marilyn Monroe Connection

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_M._Schenck

Although the consensus in the comments on a previous post seems to be that Rudolph Valentino would have had nothing to do romantically with Marilyn Monroe, a connection does exist between the two. In Affairs Valentino I wrote about Joseph Schenck's stint in prison and his presidential pardon. But it was Schenck who, after his pardon, promoted Marilyn and gave her the first breaks in film. It is still rumored they were lovers.

Schenck and his United Artists, produced Valentino's finest films, The Eagle, The Son of the Sheik. Schenck certainly did not discover Valentino but he elevated his films, imo to a higher degree and also made him a very wealthy man. The story of George Ullman v. Joe Schenck after Valentino's death is a gripping one which I also covered and analyzed in Affairs Valentino.

Schenck was said to have also discovered Marlon Brando and there is no doubt his long history in Hollywood connected some of the greatest stars; including Valentino.

And in the “what if” musing/discussion, I think Valentino might have been interested in Marilyn because she was such a huge star. If only for a fling. But the powerful Mr. Schenck played a major role in both Valentino and Monroe's life. Monroe and Schenck as a couple... oh dear I think not. (see below)

Valentino, The Noble Victor

It looks like Valentino began production on a movie in Spain titled, The Great Captain, based on the life of the Spanish General, Gonzolo Hernandez De Cordova, known in Spanish history as “El Grand Capitan”. Cordova fought in the Conquest of Granada and the Italian Wars and was the first military leader to use hand guns in battle. As excerpted from Variety, October 1925.

Of course in 1925, Rudolph Valentino felt very alive and was not thinking about his death or even old age. He was then vital and rich with prospective projects.

His interest in filming in Europe is well-known but this production does not appear to have been pursued much further than his gaining permission of King Alfonso. I can not imagine the King saying no to Rudolph Valentino in 1925.

How poignant though imo that Valentino dreamed of playing a heroic soldier, the noble victor, swashbuckling and colorful historical characters. In light of the conversation in the comments on my last post, I find it all the more tragic this man of heroic intent should be so demeaned and debased by lunatics with mental disorders. There is nothing so honorable in that for the young man who was cut down in the prime of his incredible youth and just while beginning production on a film about The Great Captain.

His movie Cellini was barely underway when he died and I wrote in Affairs Valentino how the logistics of that film were resolved by Ullman after Valentino's death. The 15^th and 16^th century held its allure for Valentino and maybe he should not be slung hither and thither between the sick and selfish fantasies of the cultists.

The Spanish General, Gonzolo Hernandez De Cordova's memoirs were published in 1851, and more can be found about this character Valentino hoped to play here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzalo_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_C%C3%B3rdoba

https://www.martoswordstoledo.com/medieval-swords/603-sword-of-the-great-captain.html

Artist's interpretation of Spanish General Cordova

Under the Hollywood Sign

For the past few days we have been without internet. It was an interesting situation and one which inspired some thoughts on the subject of one Rudolph Valentino. The true advent of the ruin of Valentino's truth began with the internet. I watched it happen.

Those early chat rooms where people began to jockey for power over the subject of Valentino's life, the drama between those who rejected the hoax that Valentino was a closeted homosexual and those who had a heavy agenda to push saying he was. I have some transcripts of early Valentino chat rooms where this is the one hot topic. Amazing how it still is.

There were silent film groups then which I never joined. It was all too antagonistic for me. Just as the internet took off on social media, I began writing Affairs Valentino. I had many secrets to keep and as hard as it is to believe, Tracy Terhune was already at my throat with statements about Ullman et al.

Way back when; when social media was in diapers, I began to get the picture of how Valentino was playing out online and it was not so pretty. Nasty people were pretending to be in charge and throwing their weight around on their various groups. Not much has changed.

Michael Morris once declared that with Affairs Valentino, “their hegemony was over”. I actually think it is over. Not so many informed people respect what is going on with those throwing their weight around.

A few days without social media? To contemplate Rudolph Valentino and think about the hijacking of his legacy? The story was told in Affairs Valentino, Hollywood's tale of the Great Lover, the Sheik who, for a little while, enjoyed the lights of Los Angeles below his Falcon Lair.

Could he have ever imagined the travesty? The contorted usurping of his mighty story?

I would hope such an awful thing never crossed his mind.

Glad to be back online though. Very much so.

Thoughts on the Guglielmis by Renato Floris

It appears that a well-known Valentino fiction writer is claiming he has uncovered a new relative of Rudolph Valentino. He presents no other proof than the surname, Guglielmi. I would say this about that.

The "Guglielmi" he refers to is a gentleman whose father was a bass player in the orchestra of the very famous Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini.

I'm talking about Louis Guglielmi better known by his stage name of Louiguy, a nice combination of Louis and Guglielmi, even if, in some cases, he used the pseudonym Roger Luiguy.

He was born in Barcelona but since he was seven years old, he lived in Paris were he became a talented musician. He became the accompanying pianist of Édith Piaf and composed the music of songs which soon became popular hits, including Le Vagabond (words by Édith Piaf, 1941), Ça Sent si Bon la France (1942), Marjolaine (1944), La Danseuse est Créole (1946), Mademoiselle Hortensia (1946), La Vie en Rose (on a musical theme by Marguerite Monnot and words by Édith Piaf, 1947), Le destin s'amuse (1947), Cerisier Rose et Pommier Blanc (1950), before turning to film music, in particular with Sacha Guitry.

But again there is no proof presented Louiguy has any remote relationship to Valentino.

In Italy there are about 2,836 family units with the family name of Guglielmi, distributed as follows: the Guglielmis are widespread in northern Italy (49%), then in the south and islands (27.4%) and in central Italy (23.6%).

Of the Guglielmis of northern Italy, I know Chicca Guglielmi who is certainly a relative of Valentino, albeit distant. This is proven by Valentino's sister Maria Guglielmi Strada who declared, on the occasion of her trip from Genoa to New York, between 12 and 22 January 1927, that her contact in Italy was none other than Chicca's grandfather, Guglielmo Guglielmi, at the time residing in Turin in Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

Maria names Guglielmo Guglielmi as her uncle. Yet Guglielmo Guglielmi was not a brother of Giovanni, Maria's father. But at the time it was customary, especially in southern Italy, to give the appellation “uncle” to older second or even third degree cousins. Therefore, Maria calling Chicca's grandfather, “uncle” is not out of place.

Another detail relating to the Turin Guglielmis, can be found in a letter Valentino sent to his friend Bruno Pozzan in February 1911. He tells of having spent the Christmas holidays of 1910 in Turin, he does not say who he spent them with, although it is almost certain that he was a guest of the Turin Guglielmis.

Christmas is a sacred feast for young Italians and, above all, a feast to be spent with the family. In Italy it is customary to say: Christmas with your parents and Easter with whoever you want.

Rodolfo, at the time, was attending agriculture school in Sant'Ilario Ligure, a suburb of Genoa and it was certainly much easier for him to get on a train from Genoa to Turin for a journey of about two hours than to spend a dozen hours in uncomfortable train cars to reach Taranto.

I have other friends with the surname Guglielmi, such as Augusto Guglielmi, a.k.a. Marco Guglielmi, a good actor who was my mentor during the years I lived in Rome to attend the Academy of Dramatic Art; no relation to Valentino. 

Having the name Guglielmi does not automatically make someone a relative of Rudolph Guglielmi Valentino. And the name seemed to be one the family, Alberto, could not not get rid of soon enough. I suggest to the fiction writer that he present some proof before making his claims. 

Really Surprised

Every once in a while in this twenty-year Valentino saga, I have been thrilled to feel a little smart ass. Sorry for a moment of gloating, but once upon a time Bill Self brought out the picture below to ask me if I knew who the man was with Natacha Rambova and Teresa Werner.

I was surprised he did not know. Really surprised. "Bill... that is Manuel Reachi," I told him. He asked, "Who?" The man who owned it all, knew them all and made it his point to think he knew all... did not know who Manuel Reachi was. 

Well one moment for me I guess, but I found Mr. Reachi an interesting character and wrote about him and his bid to unseat Ullman as Valentino's manager in Affairs Valentino. Not a nice guy really as far as Agnes Ayres was concerned. But he assumed some fictional role when Bret launched his, "every man in Valentino's life was a secret gay lover" hoax. 

Reachi was a playboy, a womanizer and an extravagant hanger-on I allege. Maybe you all know more you can share on this. 

A Notice

A notice regarding David Bret as I know he is reading this blog: No matter how many comments he fires at me, I will not open them. I remind him that he is not to contact me in a manner where I am forced to receive and read it. (see below) I have several other legal orders forbidding his constant harassment; including the verdict which was handed down in my favor in the Court of Asti. See www.zumayawinslawsuit.com

Milder Climate?

This really makes one wonder if Rudy and Blanca ever saw each other again.  This article appeared in The Syracuse Herald on January 13, 1918. I think it is readable but was buried in the back pages of the newspaper, so not headlines news. 

 

Doing Some Gardening

I confess. For the past six years I had a copy of David Bret's book, Dream of Desire buried in my garden. I knew it was there and it felt comforting to know it was no doubt decaying by the day, all sorts of dirt life creatures enjoying the awful content. Maybe a mouse found it and made a nest.

Today I dug it up and was amazed Dream of Desire had not turned to dirt. Some of it had and the edges of the book were definitely gone thank God.

The cover fared the worst, bubbled and moldy and the pages had to be peeled to turn.

I took pictures of the relic and Renato suggested we burn it page by page.

I opted for an immediate resolution and unceremoniously heaved the mess into the kitchen trash .

It is not in my nature to show disrespect to books. But the author of that book pushed me to do something I have never and would never do to any other book. 

That feral book needed to be done away with. 

I thought about posting the picture of the damage of six years in the garden but thought it might be bullying. But compared to the epic amount of unquestionable bullying he has done to us and still does, those pictures would be a silly thing all in all.

Besides he might be interested in knowing his publisher used some quality paper. What was that? Some kind of plastic? It barely degraded.

To post those pictures or not to post?

The Case of the Missing Icon

I wrote the following piece a long time ago, maybe about 2005. I share it because I think the question I posed is still valid sixteen years later. Maybe it explains some people's resistance to "more truth" about Valentino. Who knows? Here follows a small piece I wrote which I titled, "The Case of the Missing Icon". Excuse some dated references.  

"I was vaguely aware of the Howdy Doody Show. As children my little sister and I did watch a few episodes on a neighbor’s television set. This was our only access to the show because our parents were nervous that television might have a negative influence upon their young offspring. Their refusal to allow a TV in the house ensured that the only media streaming into our developing brains emanated from our trusty radio. On Sunday nights we were permitted to sit before the oversized radio cabinet and listen to The Jack Benny Show. To listen was to imagine and in the process we forever bonded with Jack Benny and every member of his show’s cast of characters. Our minds happily filled in any blanks resulting from the solely auditory experience and we created our own individualized interpretation of each hilarious scene.

For the past few years, silent film icon Rudolph Valentino has been the subject of my intensive research. At some point during this research, I came to the conclusion that Valentino’s current mythical status is due in great measure to precisely the same mental process that I experienced as a child listening to the Jack Benny Show. For when Valentino became box-office gold in the 1920’s, there were few media venues available to his fans. The media then consisted of a relatively primitive radio technology, a few nationally distributed newspapers and movie fan magazines. Fan magazines were the primary source of information about Hollywood celebrities but these publication’s articles were highly-fictionalized and censored by movie studios and savvy business managers. Valentino’s business manager, George Ullman worked diligently in this regard to prevent the details of the movie star’s most personal affairs from ever going public. Consequently the many blank areas in Valentino’s life story were wide open to wild interpretation and speculation and his legacy was formed by his fan’s active imaginations.

I am continually amazed to be contacted through my website by people from around the world who share a deep admiration for Valentino while knowing very little about him. And often those who are knowledgeable express a highly individualized version of his life as a result of their own personal temperament and agenda. Since Valentino’s death eighty one years ago this August 23, he has been reinvented countless times by a remarkably diverse demographic of fans. I am able to say with certain authority that this phenomenon is not past history. Today there are Valentino chat rooms that have been founded solely upon the disparate versions of his life.

In recalling the scant media exposure of my childhood, I began to wonder if this penchant for personalizing Valentino might be due to the initial dearth of credible information about his life. Over the years, his fan’s excessive romanticizing and imagining has culminated in his being revered as nothing short of mythical. The logical assumption follows that if we have too much access to information about a celebrity, we risk losing interest in them entirely. Indeed, the live coverage today streams endlessly into our breaking news brains leaving us little to imagine, few mysteries to ponder and nary a single blank to fill in. We are duly informed, we are shown, we hear the contrived analysis and then we see and hear it again one thousand times. How could we possibly romanticize or mythologize Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton or Britney Spears when we know every last thing about them?

Before Valentino’s manager George Ullman died in 1975, he wrote a memoir in which he divulged details of Valentino’s behind-the-scenes life story. I discovered Ullman’s memoir during my research and this revelatory document became the focal point of my work. I sincerely hope that the publication of this new information will not serve to demystify Valentino and diminish his appeal as a true icon. For in knowing too much about our celebrities we jeopardize the very process that makes them icons. Familiarity breeds contempt and the more we know, the less we seem to care. Conversely, the less we know, the sweeter the fantasy.

"Sporting New Face"

I share one more article on the subject of Alberto Guglielmi Valentino's intent to follow his brother into films. I think anyone can do as they wish with plastic surgery and do not post this in a judgment of any procedure. I share this because it is currently being alleged Alberto was some sort of victim in his quest. 

Parading in public with reporters does not demonstrate a victim stance for me. I guess there is nothing wrong with his wanting to succeed his brother in films but later on Alberto claimed he never had such intentions. And today it is falsely claimed Ullman was responsible. This article is also interesting in that it mentions Ada's show business history. From the LATimes, October 19, 1927: 

In Alberto's Own Words

Some time ago I heard that those "Ullman detractors" were trying to blame him for encouraging Alberto Guglielmi to have his nose surgically altered. This absurd theory is just that and I share an account of the inspiration for the nose jobs in Alberto's own words. For the record, (see below). I have transcribed the article, or page of the article I have, because my copy is poor. I included the copy below the transcription. 

From The Literary Digest, September 21, 1929

The Tragedy of Valentino's Brother's Nose

"Cyrano De Bergerac's poesy and wit would be needed to celebrate worthily the tribulations endured by Alberto Guglielmi, in pursuit of nasal betterment. Guglielmi calls himself Valentino, because that was the screen name under which his brother Rudolph became famous.

The tale of his martyrdom on the altar of pulchritude comes out of Hollywood apropos of the news that his little son, Jean Valentino, has arrived at that metropolis of beauty culture, having traveled from Italy in the company of Tito Schipa, the operatic tenor, who is to sing in the talkies.

Small Jean, age thirteen, is to be groomed, we are told, for a screen career. He is said to resemble his famous uncle whom Mr. Mencken once credited with having been 'catnip to women'.

In the family group shown on this page little Jean stands beside Rudolph and our readers may judge for themselves to what extent he promises to recapture some of the magic that once went with the name Valentino.

Meanwhile, relates Florabell Muir of the New York Daily News, under a Hollywood date: There is rejoicing in the home of Alberto Guglielmi, who also calls himself Valentino, because he sees in the young son the embryo of the fascinating sex-appeal that was the magic of Valentino. The proud father has concluded that a film career for himself is impossible, but with his eyes on his son, he is able to look back on the four years he devoted to whipping his nose into shape, with a less tragic air.

And this tale of a modern Cyrano, which he relates himself with much humor, as we shall see serves to enlighten us on the problems that may beset a family blessed with a prize beauty, male or female.

For emulation enters into the picture and one or more members of the beauty's family are sure to be seized with a noble ambition to live up to the aura of the enchantment that has descended upon the tribe.

Moreover, when ambition is fortified by dreams of a dazzling reward of fame and fortune, even torture may lose its terrors. As Miss Muir tells us:

When Rudolph Valentino died, his family were loath to lose the spell of fame the handsome young screen idol had cast over them. Eagerly they reached out to catch some of the glory, in the hope of keeping it alive. The most determined in this endeavor was Alberto Guglielmi, Rudolph's eldest brother.

The torture he underwent to have his nose fashioned into the beauteous one displayed by his brother was recalled with the arrival of his thirteen-year-old son Jean. He discussed it with me almost merrily. This is how it came about that he tried to fit himself to play the Shiek:

He was talking with Sylvano Balboni, husband of the late June Mathis, scenarist who created the role in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that made Valentino famous.

'The public idolizes your brother. It would receive you with open arms in pictures. You look like him, all but your nose', Balboni paused.

'So what must be done?' demanded Guglielmi. 'I have my nose. I have no other. Perhaps you could tell me how to change it.'

'There are ways,' said Balboni, 'Jack Dempsey had a nose the camera did not like. It was remodeled.'

'But how', urged Guglielmi.

'Plastic surgery,' whispered Balboni, he gave the whisper the importance of sesame for Guglielmi's entrance into the motion pictures.

'Plastic surgery?' echoed Guglielmi, 'You mean cut the nose to fit?'

'Exactly,' exactly said Balboni.

The modern Cyrano did not hesitate but followed his nose into an establishment for the reparation, mitigation and renovation of human features. What followed is best conveyed in his own words:

'We agreed it could be done. I am ready. It begins. Painful. Well not pleasant, but I do not care. The nose it is not pleasant either. I am expectant. You can think what you like. A new nose to look upon. The days of the bandages are long. Then what happened? Horrible. My nose sticks up. It is too short. I return to the doctor. Something must be done. I said, the nose, it is more unpleasant than before. I ask that you give me a nose that will photograph. I do not demand a pure Grecian nose, just one that the camera will like. It is not as good as before. The superior part is always good.....

The Iconic Booth

A reader of and commentator on this blog sent a photo from their recent vacation; seated in Valentino's booth in the Hollywood restaurant Musso and Frank's. Thank you to "Anonymous" for sharing this iconic locale.

More about the history of Musso and Frank's here:

https://mussoandfrank.com/

The Currency for Favors

This little mention (see below) appeared in The Los Angeles Times on August 28, 1927. So a Max Autrey bought it from the person who bought it at the auction. I wonder what happened to the images he found in Rudy's camera. It seems every time I mention some article sold at auction which once belonged to Rudolph Valentino, I hear some ridiculous diatribe from the "Magus of the Cult of Terhune" how Ullman stole it, tossed it in his trunk when Alberto was not looking and then sold it 30 years later for a twenty dollar bill.

Perhaps he can offer something interesting and less vicious about this camera. Perhaps he can share something that is not posted with every intent to inflict harm...on someone. 

I do know that the Alberto Valentino family and the collectors who affiliate with them, use photographs of Valentino which are yet to be public as currency for favors. 

The enticement of a rare photo of the man is enough to keep a spy loyal. And no greater reward for a favor than a heart stopping picture of Valentino no one else has yet to see. I think there are many, many images we have yet to see which are being hoarded and parsed out. A bit more on Max Munn Autrey, who bought the camera... can be found here:

https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65922873

The Morals Clause

Today I found the following (see below) from Rudolph Valentino's United Artists' contract and thought it relevant to the discussion on why Natacha and Rudy divorced. I commented that perhaps the "no children" issue was a smoke screen for something more grievous. 

Below, the morals clause which made me think Valentino had no choice in the matter or he risked losing the contract. Because nearly everything going on at the time was in violation of this clause. 

One Key Word

A follow-up note on the previous discussion about the reasons for Rudolph Valentino and Natacha Rambova's separation. This excerpt is taken from a longer article appearing in The New York Times on November 11, 1925, titled, "Valentino Seeks Citizenship Here". Natacha includes one key word, "yet". She refers to the subject of having children as something she would not do "yet". This implies she might have.

I doubt it for some reasons. In the 1940's, her second husband, Alvaro de Ursaiz was granted an annulment from Natacha on the grounds she married him without intentions to bear his children. Here, in 1925, it appears she was still open to the idea because she was not ready, "yet". 

The quote reads: " It is all very well to have and rear children but no woman should embark upon this phase of life until she is prepared to give up everything for the children. That I will not do yet."

 

Taking Care of Business

I have some serious business to take care of today. David Bret seems unhappy with the names he is being referred to here. This is the height of hypocrisy coming from him.

I am not one to call people names but I feel at this point the comments on this blog concerning Bret are more than justified. Has he forgotten the decade of name-calling of me, Renato, my friends and family? He began calling me names in 2009, bore down when my Dad died and within days was calling me a “daddy-f-er”. He has called me a “coke head”, alleging I did cocaine when none of that is true, claimed I had warrants out for my arrest, posted my personal information with enticements to do me harm, etc. He now whines piteously about the name-calling here. I can not think of another person on earth who karmically deserves every brilliant and truthful moniker shared here as comments.

He has not just name-called but done so at times on up to five blogs devoted to defaming us. In 2014, I made a video response to his bullying in which I read some of the names he called me up to that time. Bear in mind some seven years have passed since this was recorded and he has not stopped for a day.

He claims we write the comments here but we do not. I would add that the names he is being called here imo are accurate. Because he mocked the death of my beloved father and ruined his online search with pornography, Davis Bret IS a bastard and those names all make perfect sense.

Bret claims Renato penned most of the things said about him in this blog's comments. Here follows Renato's response to this.

"One of David Bret's specialties is to invent quotes in an effort to fool people into believing his lies, his vile lies!

Recently, he commented on the blog Tracy Terhune runs under the title of Affairs Valentino, as a guest of his buddy. He cited my alleged insults both against him and Tracy Ryan Terhune and many other dubious characters.

Here is the example of David Bret's lies he posted as a comment on Tracy Terhune's blog on October 28, 2021. I excerpt under Fair Use guidelines to illustrate my point:

Apart from porn-fiction writer, which is not an insult but a pure and simple observation, the other epithets do not belong to my language and I never said those things at all. This is a lie by David Bret. I confess, I am not a great expert on English insults.

The worst, however, is what follows:

That my dressing in Morocco in Moroccan clothes is somehow deviant.  

I did not refer to them as "Gals" and "tarts" and I did not denounce Tracy as "Mistress of Ceremonies". None of that has ever even crossed my mind. I can well say that, subtly, in my opinion, here Bret tries to put words into my mouth which he would love to say to Tracy Ryan Terhune. If there is a champion of homophobia here, he is David Bret; homophobic and cowardly because he wants to offend his host by making others bear responsibility.

I confess, I have no interest in Tracy Ryan Terhune's sexuality as I have no interest in anyone's sexuality, "each in his own way" and I respect everyone. But I can not respect liars like David Bret who does issue decidedly defamatory statements.

Perhaps the sentence of the Asti court did not teach him anything, as it did not make him understand that future judgments could also land on his back.

I urge readers to consider all of Bret's claims about us, without valid documentation, absolute lies.

For Tracy I just say: Be careful not to hold a viper so close to your heart."

David Bret lost the defamation case we brought against him (see www.zumayawinslawsuit.com)  and in the verdict the judge addressed his rhetoric towards me:

So his violent name-calling and defamation was of such a sick and high extreme there is no way it can be compared to the monikers and tag-lines about him left here.

I refer to him as the “Valentino Porn Fiction Writer” because Michael Morris coined that phrase and made me promise him I would always refer to Bret that way. It is a factual moniker.

To Bret I say shut up for god's sake. After all you have done and still do, the depths of depravity to which you resort...you have this coming and more. Own it.

Rudy Comments on Ullman's Investment

I think it was something not so widely known until I brought it forth, that George Ullman fronted most of the money for Natacha's movie, "What Price Beauty". The history of that movie is a subject for another post some day but I wanted to point out what Rudolph Valentino himself said about Ullman's investment. 

I believe the amount invested was about $40,000 which by today's exchange rate would be x 15 or $600,000. So I emphasize how absurd it is for Tracy Terhune to be claiming Ullman "stole a cane" worth less than a hundred dollars, presenting this in a mocking way dearly hoping this will impugn Ullman in everyone's eyes. Such a measly and peevish point by Terhune speaks volumes about him and in fact says nothing about Ullman in light of Ullman's mighty personal investment in Natacha's movie.

An interesting quote from Rudy himself (see below). And I venture to say he would not be pleased today at all with Mr. Terhune's attempts to portray Ullman as a thief and bandit when S. George was the hero of the story hands down. 

"Another Black Mark" on Tracy Terhune's Legacy

“On another site”... another blaring “black mark” on Tracy Ryan Terhune.

He claims no, (as in zero)... canes were sold at Valentino's auction... when in fact (see below)

Item #672 of the auction inventory lists 13 canes for sale. Count 'em Tracy... 13!!

So he can remove his completely wrong statement claiming there were no canes for sale and his pathetic smear about Ullman. If selling something that once belonged to Valentino is a "black mark" then I think Mr. Terhune should look in a mirror. Does he own said cane in question? And he can stop using the terms "black mark" and "black market" to deceive his followers. 

How can anyone believe anything Tracy Terhune says about anything Valentino when he is so consistently, yet proudly wrong? But kudos on his cute bubble graphic there even though it represents his complete ignorance about the sale of Rudy's many, many canes at auction.

Yes. Fact.

Item #672

Complete shite from Tracy Terhune. There were 13 for sale. We await a retraction.