Exquisite Words

From Michael Morris' posthumous book, Beyond Valentino - A Madam Valentino Addendum:

 💓 From Beyond Valentino, Michael Morris speaks about Natacha's influence...

2015

 https://www.zumayawinslawsuit.com/

2015 is online... Another year, another synopsis. Onward. 

Toupee or Not to Toupee

That is the question. I think it is pretty well accepted Valentino wore a toupee. It was mentioned. Pola Negri, George Ullman, Robert Florey all had their say on the thinning hair issue.

But isn't the issue of Valentino feeling terrified of losing his hair more about male stereotyping? Men were then supposed to have full heads of hair as a sign of virility? When the opposite is true I think.

The subject of that toupee apparently did not die over the years. Just as the slave bracelet, it generated its own lore. From The Honolulu Advertiser, September 18, 1945. 

From Simpson's Leader-Times, Kittanning, Pa., August 22, 1960.

Some Documentation

In my previous post I shared 14 seconds of my evening, to show Renato and I do not live in squalor as the Valentino Fantasy Community is now parroting. It is a new tactic to portray us in dirt, and I guess the dark. Perhaps they think we have no windows or can't afford our electric bill? Is that their reality? 

In regards to their howling for me to "stop hating" and "let these people go"..... I once again state and emphatically that I am responding to their ageist and death-obsessed bad-mouthing, their frightening slurs and implications and venom spit at us. Of course I will fire back with our truth as I have been since 2009.

My rebuttal to the comment sent to me for posting on "FYI to VFC"... and my 14 seconds of our TV set prompted the following which greeted me today. I share and apologize for any offense because this is documentation of the level of mentality in the VFC. 

And as far as my being "obsessed" oh I am. Obsessed with justice. 

Here below I share some of what I found waiting here for me today. They will say I wrote them all and to post them. I did not write them and am not sure if I want this trash on that post.  

Meanwhile, I think we are worth my continued defense and I will never be silenced. Sparing you all of the comments... I share the following to suffice as the daily documentation of the VFC:

Paolo Villaggio Forever

 It was a Fontozzi movie here last night... always hilarious. 

It is a beautiful thing to laugh together with your most loved person.

💓💓

FYI to the "VFC"

Can you imagine... they accuse me of doing the very thing they do best? That is to contort Valentino's truth to fit their own fantasies. I used to say “agenda” but I won't give them that much credit. Would they want someone changing up their life story to fit some fantasy? No, they would not, because no one would. We have our truth, good, bad or ugly. And when it comes to Valentino, their bad reactions to our truthiness would lead one to think we discovered horrible things about him. Well I think the most horrible thing would be to deny him his truth.

What we discovered about Valentino was not horrible and we did not just spin yarns because we had fantasies to fulfill.

But isn't their behavior about the things we did prove... similar to a little gaggle of spoiled rotten children plugging their ears going, nyah nyah nyah.... ?

I think so.

As they call us and our work rubbish, trash, fiction, “trash fiction”, “pure fiction”.... aren't they just being infantile playground bullies?

They also like to call me a “madwoman” and that my posts here are “meltdowns”. I do get mad but I am not insane. I call these posts my defense, my quest for our truth and justice from these wretched gaslighters. That is what is going on with their floundering attempts to portray us as people we sure are not; gaslighting. 

Isn't it interesting that they react most viciously to Renato and my happy life. Apparently they are so deep into their angry projections that they can not imagine us being otherwise. We are not unhappy, miserable people. Sorry, not sorry to disappoint them. 

I reject their narrative for Valentino; the false one he was working to correct when he died. I find his truth compelling and as parts to the fantastic puzzle of his life fall into place, it is all the more amazing story.

Too bad for those stubborn, mean children who stomp their feet and fire off another comment at me. Fyi to the “VFC”, the “Valentino Fantasy Community”.... you are 100% the bad guys here, the bullies, the aggressors. It does not take rocket science to look at a few years of screenshots and see that pretty quickly. I have fought back for a decade to salvage my truth, here there and everywhere...and if you think that makes me a “madwoman” and it makes these posts “meltdowns”... so be it.

Valentino deserves his truth. So do we.

More to Share

More photographs to share of the donation made to the museum in Castellaneta. These images include the inscription on the back of the drawing by Valentino's mother dated 1890. This has been authenticated so the comments claiming it was something else are irrelevant. Any further questions or doubts can be addressed to the museum. Thank you again to Aurelio Miccoli for forwarding these fascinating images to us. 

 

You Need No Longer Worry...

 "Mandy Mae commented on "The Source"

16 mins ago

"The Forewarning to that "book" was criminal. All kinds of stuff about shooting people, as I recall. That's why Brownlow slammed the door in your face, the same as Steiger and Self. You could not lie straight in bed. I also saw the end result of your so-called libel suit. You got naff all. According to one source, it cost you $20,000 to get naff all. That's Karma!"

Regarding the comment above...there is only one person who has consistently been unable to resist talking about my “karma”. That would be Tracy Terhune. I have many screenshots to prove that statement. And just as he revealed himself by overusing the shortest verse in the Bible, "Jesus Wept" with his, “Valentino Wept” and “Angels Wept”, he does it again in that comment about my "karma".

So for the record. Everything in that Forewarning published 11 years ago was the gospel truth. 100%. And everything I predicted would happen did and does.

Brownlow did not slam the door on me.

Neither did Brad Steiger because I had one email exchange and heard enough of his BS.

And Self was told to slam the door on me by the Alberto Valentino spokeswoman.

The lawsuit I won over David Bret was worth every single penny. When I came on the scene long ago he was a big gun... rolling in his self righteous outing of so many celebrities. Because of me and that lawsuit he was forced to defend himself and the truth came out. And his behavior was so unthinkably bad he lost his face so the saying goes.

And because David Bret did not pay his bill to me, and because he chose to weasel out by claiming he had no assets... yes the bankruptcy lawyer the court assigned to investigate him actually asked me, “What books? Mr. Bret writes books?”... because he hid all of that he thinks he won big.

As long as that verdict stands I can do what I want with it. Worth every cent.

You need no longer worry about my karma Tracy.... I am pretty happy with how its all turning out.

💓

The Source

 In response to this comment which I did not post and the slur about an "Evelyn Zumaya research job":

"Darn Denim commented on "Thank you!"

p.s. That story Julien's spun about Valentino throwing the coins must have got the suckers bidding in a frenzy. This sounds like an 'Evelyn Zumaya' research job. Find something online and then print it without citation...fib about dates (2013 vs. just recently), etc.."

I did not "find it online" and I did not print it "without citation". You have obviously not read Affairs Valentino or the forty pages of citations I included. The "Valentino Studies Community" needs to actually study and not just traipse along believing everything their ill-informed leader tells them. The citation was from Irving Schulman's bio. 

I share the following again as my citation and say you might want to pick up a copy of Irving Schulman's Valentino bio. I have issues with it but I found it to be accurate. This story was not a promo to get the "suckers bidding" and it came from the chapter Irving Shulman titles, “Act Three: Scene Twelve”, where he writes:

Thank you!

Thank you to Aurelio Miccoli for sharing this image.. more from Mr. Luca Psacaropulo's donation to the Castellaneta Museum. (see previous post) ...commemorative coins from The Eagle premiere at the Mark Strand. 

 

An Interesting Donation

 From Vivi web TV – Castellaneta July 21^st and shared with us by Aurelio Miccoli who was invited to the presentation.

"The Rodolfo Valentino Museum in Castellaneta, has been enriched with new materials. On Saturday July 23^rd, at 8 pm the donation made by Mr. Luca Psacaropulo of Turin will be presented, coming from the inheritance of Gabriella Strada, daughter of Maria Guglielmi, sister in turn of the myth of silent cinema Rodolfo Valentino, born in Castellaneta in 1895.

In particular, the donation consists of four postcards sent from the United States by Rudolph Valentino to his mother Gabrielle, a vinyl record recorded by Valentino, in which he sings "Kashimiri Song" and "El Relicario", some gold medals made on the occasion of the premiere of the film “The Eagle” of November 8, 1925, some documents concerning Gabriella Strada and an interesting painting, made in pastel in 1890 by Marie Gabrielle Barbin-Guglielmi, mother of Rodolfo Valentino."

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5025417787587006&set=gm.5042183709241481

2014

I have posted the next installment on my website dedicated to the lawsuit I won v. David Bret. I have reached 2014, which was an eventful year and find the synopsis here:

https://www.zumayawinslawsuit.com/

I thank you all for your patience as I deal with this situation and for your great and positive support of our most recent podcast. More to come. 

The Rudolph Valentino Slave Bracelet Mystery

Done and Done

For many years I stayed away from social media as far as comments went. I never joined Facebook groups because I feared chit chatting with brainwashed people who irrationally hated me for no reason at all. I had that happen a few times and that was enough for me. So it was ta ta all. I have been accused of trolling about under aliases but that never happened. God, no.

So allowing comments on this blog has been eye-opening for me. Because I never realized just how awful the Valentino “VSC” cult is. I never imagined them to be so full of hate for me. Sure I knew they wanted me to fail and hated me to some degree. But I did not fathom this much.

What obedience on their behalf to the cause of silencing Renato and I. They are surely high ranking officials in the organization.

Instead of their rolling out the red carpet for us because of all we managed somehow to do .. and instead of maybe making us a cup of tea... they spend their days sneering, snarling, sniping and swiping at us.

Well the squeakers can squeak on! Because they are making themselves look really unbelievably bad here. Imagine if I posted everything they sent in? Wow.

As far as their new attempt to demean us by saying we living in squalor, filth, in the dark and miserable... Hardly the actual reality. I can say that today Renato made pasta for lunch with his own sauce... a basic but fabulous marinara he always keeps on hand. Dinner? His Tuscan herbal beans (fresh rosemary and sage).

I hope you all enjoy the new podcast. Everything came along and interrupted it... but done and done. Thanks for the inspiration everyone.

"No Mismanagement"

I have always found these two excerpts (see below) from the Appeals verdict in the case of Guglielmi v. Ullman... the bottom line on Ullman. "Appellant", Ullman... is proven to have done an exemplary job as executor, (petitioner being Alberto Valentino). Anyone doubting these excerpts is welcome to go and read them for themselves as they are public record and excerpted verbatim from the court file. 

"And it most emphatically failed to point out..." refers to Alberto's filing claiming mismanagement. The ignorant lies spread about Ullman began with Alberto's bitterness that he could not find a thing wrong with Ullman's performance and tragically his failure to ever point this out is still being played out today. 

The drones/trolls still parrot their party lines despite all of the evidence of Ullman's honesty and professionalism. 

 

George Ullman's Content

It is still being claimed George Ullman's 1926 book, Valentino As I Knew Him and the 1975 memoir were ghost written. That is not true and no longer open to "opinion". His children had no idea that was being said anywhere and knew the truth. Their mother told them many times how their father wrote the first manuscript on the train back to Los Angeles with Valentino's body. Why would a mother invent something like that? Makes no sense. 

It is also clear George wrote both documents, as the style is exactly the same and here below some pages in his own handwriting. He did have the 1926 book edited for publication and thanked Lillian Bell for her work on his manuscript. But it is his content. End of story. I consider the word of his children, his wife and the analysis of both documents 100% definitive. 

I am not sure what "their" point is in claiming he did not write the book. What would be the pro or con of that. I think they just parrot that line because they are incapable of learning something new and they reject something new if it came from us. They just want to diminish Ullman in any possible way when he was the hero of Rudolph Valentino's story. Here some pages from George's handwritten manuscript.  

 

The Brilliant Move

Ninety-nine years and sixteen days ago, Rudolph Valentino and George Ullman met in the office of Attorney Max D. Steuer at 42 Broadway to sign the document below. It was then Valentino officially designated George Ullman his business manager and Max Steuer became his attorney of record. (note at one point Ullman dropped the second "n" from his surname)

What a moment for George Ullman and little did he know his life would never be the same. For me the lawyers representing Valentino became one of the more interesting aspects of the saga. They became a sort of subplot of characters; the scammer Arthur Butler Grahm, the expediter Max Steuer, and the iconic W. I. Gilbert, etc.  

For Valentino, it was a brilliant move to engage Ullman in this capacity at that point in time and Steuer's presence brought order to the financial chaos. (more about this in Affairs Valentino) 

I wonder if those who now occupy the office at forty-two Broadway know the history of their workplace. But on that day, Valentino's career took a major change in course. 

I have shared this contract many times over the years but still feel it is worth documenting again. 

Verbatim

While I was researching Affairs Valentino, I conducted many interviews which in hindsight I feel were important additions to the Valentino legacy. One was my e-mail exchange with Brad Steiger, who co-authored a wretched bio of Valentino. I say wretched because despite what he claims in our exchange, the book is a crass, tacky sexploitation of the worst kind and portrays Valentino in a humiliating and dreadful light. 

I found the book to be extremely homophobic and at one point he actually refers to homosexuals as "degenerates". So all in all shocking it would be embraced by anyone. It is degrading to Valentino, full of errors and stands imo second only to Bret's bio as the worst book on Valentino. 

I have previously posted the transcript of my e-mail exchange and did so when Steiger was alive. He did not protest my publishing it nor did he claim it was anything but accurate. The exchange is preserved on the server. This said I am sure silly Cindy Martin, CSI, will claim I forged it. I did not. 

I have never forged or altered a document because I have integrity and because I have no reason to ever do so. Here follows my contact with Mr. Brad Steiger, verbatim. 

 

Cue's "Laudable Project"

The following (see below) is another letter included in the fine book on Valentino, The True Rudolph Valentino by renown Spanish journalist, Baltasar Cue. This is the translation of Alberto Guglielmi Valentino's "Letter of Endorsement' which opens the book. 

Again it bears mentioning how valuable the book is because of the exceptional first hand documentation and the testimony of those who were alive then and in contact with Senor Cue. Alberto assisted Cue in the completion of the project Rudolph began shortly before his death. Here follows:

"GAYLORD APARTMENTS, Los Angeles, California

February 19, 1927

Mr. Baltasar Fernández Cué

P. O. Box 403

Los Angeles, California

My dear friend,

I am pleased to confirm in writing, the sincere approval which I expressed to you verbally regarding your project to write a series of articles about the life of my dear and ill-fated brother Rodolfo. I reiterate my authorization for you to make use of not only the numerous materials which  I had the pleasure to give you during our several conversations but also of other materials you deem necessary which I will provide as soon as you wish.

In addition, you may count on my moral cooperation to carry out your laudable project. I appreciate your honest intentions not only for the satisfaction it will bring me but as it will represent, in an honest way, the personality of my late brother. I consider it necessary to spread the truth about him even if it is only to correct the false versions of his life and, more especially, about his loves, real or supposed circulating around the world.

No one is more suited than you to refute these falsehoods, since along with your skill and honesty you have the advantage of having been a good friend of my brother, of being still today fortunately one of mine, and of also enjoying the friendship of many of those who were Rodolfo 's friends who can now help you in your work.

Finally, I would also like express my pleasure over the enthusiasm of the Spanish-speaking peoples towards Rodolfo: a true admiration you have witnessed in the response you receive regarding the positive reception in those countries where they report a true version of Rodolfo's life. This corresponds to the sympathy with which, as you know, my brother always felt towards those same people. He held affection for them and had a preference for screen roles which represented those nationalities.

To these same countries belonged some of his best friends; who are mine too. From a Spanish book came the movie which brought him world fame. From another, of the same author, a film was made which many say was my brother's masterpiece and in which he took pride in representing a very popular character in Spanish culture. And, as you also know when death surprised him, he was hoping to bring one more novel of the same language to the screen, again portraying the same character so popular in those nations.

Regardless of all those respectable considerations, I, of course, can not help but hope to keep the memory of my brother alive in the hearts of his many admirers. I thank you again and I wish you the best of the success.

I remain your friend,

q. e. s. m.  (que estrecha su mano - "shaking your hand"- a formal courtesy.)

Alberto Guglielmi Valentino"

Regarding "Continual Setbacks"

One more exceptional letter from Baltasar Cue's, The True Rudolph Valentino, p. 81. Natacha writes to Doug Gerrard in the summer of 1922 during her exile to Foxlair. Gerrard is obviously acting in the role of friend and manager. "One woman or a hundred".... Natacha writes and I think this reveals a great deal about their marriage and some of the issues they faced. 

"Dear Gerry,

You say in your telegram that you can not understand my point of view, this proves that you do not understand me in any way, because otherwise, you would not have send me such a message. He was not the only one who suffered hysterical attacks because of that phone call. It seems that you two believe that I have nothing to do but distrust him and believe that he is out there with other women, while the truth is that I do not even think about that anymore.

One woman or a hundred it does not matter anymore. I do not care. If you could try to understand instead of jumping to conclusions. All I want or care about is having him with me again and I can not stand the continual setbacks. Every time I make a plan or shelter any hope, everything comes down once more. When a letter arrives from you, I will return it unopened, since I don't know, by your telegram, what it contains and I can not take any more.

If you do not understand this, it is just too bad. I'm too tired to try to explain myself better. If you were not such a good friend, I would not care what you think. But I will still love you, anyway, for what you have done for Rudie, even though you have made me suffer more than you imagine.

N. "

Art Break

Barbara Kruger's art is so worth enjoying. The installation of the show had such impact. 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Kruger

"Dear Gerry..."

A second letter which Rudolph Valentino gave to Spanish journalist Baltasar Cue which he included in The True Rudolph Valentino. Here Natacha writes to Doug Gerrard from Foxlair in the summer of 1922. From p. 82, in Renato's fine translation. 

"Dear Gerry,

Thank you very much for your more than appreciated letter, which came to me last night. Of course, you had a lot of reasons to be angry when you received my letter. As for me, Gerry, please do me the favor of believing that I fully trust you and that I know that you have been my best friend, as well as Rudolph's, and that you are helping us in everything so that we can see each other again.

I am currently terribly worried about what I think I should do and want to do most of all in the world. Rudolph will probably have received my letter by this date and he will have told you how things are, as you will understand, I am dying to return home, but I can not ignore the advice of all or run the risk of ruining the future and the career of Rudie. I would never forgive myself; and it would remain between him and me for a lifetime, even if the fault was not mine.

After the stupid advice that G.(W.I. Gilbert) gave us before, it is natural that your opinion does not inspire much confidence now that everyone advises me otherwise. G. is a good lawyer, but he does not realize how much the public opinion and the press opinion matter to Rudie. Perhaps the best thing I could do is go abroad with my mother and convince Rudie to make his next film in Europe.

But I hope everything is fixed in no more than a week. The idea of having to leave makes me feel weak. I know that you will continue to help us and that you will advise him what suits him the best. But his career must be considered first of all since that will mean his happiness. Nothing else for now. Do not stop giving me news of you when you have time. 

With all my love for my dear and loyal friend Gerry.

N. "

Life, Love and Definitions

I have been in receipt of some comments today regarding my calling the trolls/VSC... “demons". I have been accused of not being “professional” because they just have a "difference of opinion". How ludicrous for them to think their behavior is justified because it is an "opinion". 

It is not a "difference of opinion" to mock my father's death, to load the internet with false claims I had a cocaine history. It is not an opinion to post my obituary and articles about my death, to extort me into silence with photos of rotting corpses for years on end. It is not an opinion to spread the lie I had a criminal past and write headlines that there were warrants on me and have my family and friends attacked for daring to show support. 

It is not an opinion to say we exploit the elderly and that our books are fiction, that we are homophobic, that we stalk, lie and forge documents. It is not an opinion to mock our ages, write obsessively about our deaths and stalk us... even today they were trying to find our location from a photo I posted last week.

The "people" who behave in that manner are not expressing a difference of opinion at all. It has nothing to do with Valentino or the content of our work. They are just exhibiting demonic behavior with a definition of demon:  "a source or agent of evil, harm, distress, or ruin." I think that sums them up perfectly.

And an "opinion" by definition is, “a view or judgment formed about something”. Tormenting, defaming and bullying Renato and I by trying to extort us into silence and ruin our book sales... is not a “view” or a “judgment formed”, it is cruelty and barbaric/demonic behavior.

I realize emotions run high on this blog but imo it is a good thing. I believe this is a rescue mission; a heroic campaign to take back the truth about Rudolph Valentino, Natacha Rambova, S. George Ullman, Frank Mennillo, Renato A. Floris, Evelyn Zumaya Floris, etc. and everyone else they smear and lie about. 

For here is the truth in a big fat nutshell. I welcome differences of opinion, they intrigue and challenge me always.. if presented in a respectful, thoughtful and intelligent way. How many differences of opinion Michael Morris and I used to have... but we respected each other and it was inspiring to have our debates. It is also a great part of the process of research.

I have changed my own opinion on so many things in the Valentino saga... so how could I be opinionated?  

I did not use the adjective "demon" lightly and I do not apologize. I would call them all demons to their faces. So onward.

And to those of you who write in with your passionate and intelligent insights, I thank you sincerely. You all reinforce my faith in humankind and your respect and support of Renato and I means the world.

Demon Speak

Below, a selection of the past weeks comments from the demonic cult, currently calling themselves the "VSC", the "Greater Valentino Community" or the "Valentino Studies Community". This is but a sampling of what was spit my way and in a week where I was not able to post for a few days. 

So they don't feel left out in the comments, I share these few gems. I think they say everything anyone needs to know about them; their absolutely fake "community" and we can rest assured they are thankfully not the "greater Valentino community." 

 

Regarding Subjugating Perfume...

I found the following letter (see below) ground-breaking in regards to the history of Rudolph Valentino's Daydreams poetry. It is so often reported they were ghost-written or written by Natacha, but here we see her in receipt of some of the poems from him and she shares a story for his reference in writing more. She also reveals Adela St. John was helping with the Daydreams project.  

I think this one letter which Rudolph gave to journalist Baltasar Cue,  puts the subject to rest as to the authorship of the poems. It is also interesting in that it reveals when they were working on the book. This was written while Natacha was in New York at Foxlair in the summer of 1922. 

I will admit I used to think Natacha wrote the poems but have changed my mind in light of this letter. How romantic to think of Natacha, alone in the woods of upstate New York, writing the following to her love Rudolph. 

From Baltasar Cue's The True Rudolph Valentino, pp. 82-84

"( A letter addressed to “Rudie” regarding his Daydreams poetry)

'Beloved,

I received your poems last night. According to what I telegraphed you today, I think they are good. Actually, very good and to be commended even if they lack in that something in which you shine.

With them, we should go far; so it seems better to wait, another eight or ten days, for a few others with better themes in order to present them as advantageously as possible. "The Fickle Boat" is really splendid, but the others, although good, are not extraordinary enough to serve as samples. 

We need some with more fantastical imagination, some passionate, some whose value lies more in the plot and others which are more oriental. Do not forget the idea which the public has formed of you and which should guide us; this being the unusual and something useful for a few out of the ordinary illustrations.

This volume must be very rare and exceptional as well as appealing to the general public. Do you remember the story which I once told you; the one about women-orchids? I think it would serve to make a fascinating poem with a wonderful opportunity for an unconventional illustration.

The story, in a few words, refers to a gardener whose hobby and passion consisted of collecting orchids. He learns that a mysterious orchid is found in the undergrowth of an African region. He moves to Africa and, at last, runs into a tribe telling him of a gigantic flower which grows in the bush, not far from there. They tell him it is a cursed plant and that in the night it emits a strong odor and whoever smells it loses his mind. The gardener laughs at this, considering it only as a superstition of an uncivilized tribe.

Then he tries to induce them to guide him to that place; but they are afraid and refuse, limiting themselves to orienting him so he can go there alone. After wandering through the undergrowth for a day or two, one night he is attracted by a wonderful and subjugating perfume as well as by an iridescent light shining through the dense vegetation.

Guided by the light, the gardener comes to find the magnificent orchid which appears as a flickering flame. It is about three feet in diameter and consists of all the colors of fire; scarlet, orange, yellow, etc. In addition to this, from the center of the flower radiate tentacles, like fingers of various lengths which are endowed with life and extend outward. 

It also has luminous virtues, which emits the faint light which at first attracted the gardener's attention. He is full of joy at his wonderful and beautiful find and takes the plant with him. He then places his trophy in a special corner of his garden. As the days pass, the flower fascinates him more and more and he believes he sees in it the soul of a woman. 

At last, he only lives to wait for the sunset and go to spend the night uner the spell of the fragrance, light and beauty of his flower. It seems to him that a woman breathes and lives in the flower. In the heart of that flower you could see the soul and the face of the woman-orchid. The long, flame-colored tentacles, always in motion, seem to caress him and hold him in a passionate embrace. One morning he is found dead in his garden with the tentacles of the flower tightly wound around him. I think the story is fascinating.

And I could suggest or bring to mind the vision of a beautiful woman carrying an orchid or the view of the Florida undergrowth. You can do something wonderful with this and I'm sure Adela St. Johns will agree with me. This could become the top poem and I have an idea for a truly amazing illustration. It depends on how it interests you.

You must put extraordinary things in the poems and the topics must be fascinating as well. Last night I received your letter written after receiving that terrible telegram from me. My beloved child, I know you are having a lot of patience and that you do what you can to understand me when my exasperation overwhelms me. I also do everything I can to control myself and not to worry you, little boy.

You do not know how the strain exhausts me; it's so hard! And it seems that I'm going from bad to worse. Instead of correcting myself, despite what I do. Nor does it ever leave me, the fear that this will separate us in the end. If you could hurry up and come before it's too late!

Try to have a little patience and I will also try to master myself as best I can. My imagination seems to be always active and exaggerating and I can not stop it. I anxiously await your letter telling me of your plans. I hope that this time we can make them. Things are getting so discouraging! That's all for now, my life. I must close, because A ... is waiting to take the correspondence.

All my love is for you, little boy. If I did not love you, I would not be so excited, nor would it excite you either; but I can not manage life without you.

A million kisses of love and tenderness.

Your naughty – LITTLE DOLL.'

(The volume of verses referred to in this letter is the one with the title DayDreams, published by Rudolph Valentino in 1923. In this, however, the poems, "The Fickle Boat" and "The Orchid Women" to which the letter particularly refers are not included. In any case, the strange mention of the writer Adela St. Johns in relation to Valentino's poems is not without interest.)"

A postscript: I am sure those who fancy themselves "studying" Valentino will waste no time firing off their tired, tired, tired old comments how Baltasar Cue was a "hack, hack, hack" and blah, blah, blah, fan magazine insults. Do not waste your time, I will not publish them. 

And fyi to the question I received today asking if I had died. No. I have not. Unfortunately, a family crisis took place and Renato has gone to expedite. The podcast we were about to finish will be delayed for a bit more pending his return. 

Her Criminal Nature

I'm opening the comments because the podcast is done and ready to be edited. 🙌 💥

Meanwhile I found this (see below). Jean Acker claiming she gave the slave bracelet to Valentino. Am I reading this correctly? She said she "didn't see his arm?" That woman had some nerve imo. It was almost as if she had a criminal nature.

Post #1025 and Counting

 

I Hope You All Will Like It

Renato and I are finishing up a new podcast episode, 😉 so I will be suspending comments for a bit. Thank you for your understanding! 

Meanderings

Renato and I spent the afternoon at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. I have to share some images from the shows. Lamentably, "City of Cinema" is about to be taken down. I caught it just in time. The show is a mesmerizing and exhaustive study/exhibition of the birth of cinema in Paris the end of the 19th century, its influence on French culture and the technology which gave birth to cinema. 

A beautiful day... Renato in his Panama hat!

Little Chuckie

If Rambova's gift of the bracelet is an iconic symbol of her love for Rudolph, I think his giving her the puppy Chuckie for Christmas the previous year, was the symbol of his love for her. That little dog was always with her, along with many others. In her psychic George Wehner's autobiography, A Curious Life, he described in detail his arrival to a séance in Natacha's Manhattan apartment. He was rushed by a pack of tiny, yapping dogs of varying breeds.

Left to right: Egyptologists Bernard V. Bothmer, Alexandre Piankoff, Helene Piankoff and Natacha Rambova with pup. This was taken in front of the Temple of Edfu in 1950 and the photo is courtesy of L. Fred Husson. 

The "Italian Passer-by"

I found it interesting Robert Florey commented how director Emmett Flynn told him Valentino wore a bracelet in 1918. Was this a mistake on Flynn and Florey's part or was the bracelet something Valentino wore years before Natacha gave him the infamous slave bracelet? An excerpt from pp. 107-108 in our The Rudolph Valentino Case Files and Renato's translation of Robert Florey's, Unforgettable, Unforgotten, Rudolph Valentino Survives His Legend published in Cinémonde # 1161 – 11/18/1956:

***

"Fox's #1 director Emmett Flynn invited me to watch the boxing matches taking place one night in Vernon, outside the Los Angeles area. Flynn honored me with his friendship and his loyal appreciation. This after I pointed out to him when he was filming a scene representing the Emperor at Elba, how it was wrong to show him reading the Comoedia newspaper and smoking a cigar.

At first he was suspicious, because he had unlimited confidence in his props people, and then after hearing my information, he realized I was right. He took the opportunity to call me "professor". Emmett Flynn, a former driver, turned to the cinema like so many others in those heroic times and his film A Connecticut Yankee placed him in the first rank of directors. A little earlier he entrusted Valentino with his first important role in The Married Virgin.

At that time, even if I understood English well, I spoke it with difficulty. I had only been in California for a few weeks, but I was able to ask Emmett what were the reasons which led him to choose Valentino.

"I saw this handsome boy outside the studio door almost every morning," Flynn told me, "and sometimes even on set, playing small roles or in the cafeteria. He had a good demeanor, good looks, and greeted me with a warm smile whenever he saw me. He was just the right type for the character of an Italian aristocrat. I couldn't think of using the Vitagraph star Antonio Moreno, because the role wasn't big enough for him.

I summoned Valentino, who was still called Guglielmi, for the next day. He arrived in my office with a carnation in his buttonhole, his pearl gray felt hat on his head and cane in hand, a bracelet circled his wrist. His elegance surprised me and so much so I immediately hired him, without even asking him if he felt capable of playing the part. He looked so sure of himself I had no doubts about his talent.

He didn't act any worse than anyone else. He confused me a little by asking me to let him speak French or Italian in order to improve the character, During filming, I had no idea what he was talking about, but his expressions matched exactly what he was supposed to say. He was sure the studio would hire him on a year-round contract, but it didn't. When the film was finished, he was let go."

And so spoke Emmett Flynn. For him, Valentino was an Italian passer-by, very noble and very handsome, who had enough conscience to interpret only characters whose lines he wanted to understand."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmett_J._Flynn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Married_Virgin

Listen to Affairs Valentino - The Chapter Titled, "About Face"

Happy Fourth of July!! I thought I would share my favorite chapter in Affairs Valentino and also share that the next installment of the year by year account, "2013" is online here: https://www.zumayawinslawsuit.com/

Chin! Chin!

So just to disprove that "conspiracy theory" that Renato and I are hateful, dottering old losers...living some "futile" life, cowering in perhaps a dank basement, forging Rudolph Valentino documents...I took a few pictures of Renato's artistry yesterday. Pasta Norma was on the menu; an exquisite eggplant dish with all the Italiano trimmings. We had friends over, two artists... and it was a great evening with lots of laughter and chilled white wine. (The grapes were dessert)

 

An Admission

Line one: The admission is made "that the greater Valentino community"... has "shut all our efforts out." Good grief... that is a total and stunning admission that this self-appointed, small group of Terhune loyalists censor, defame and gaslight; losing all opportunity to learn something new while ignoring important content and discoveries about the actual life of Rudolph Valentino.   I believe their actions in trying to "shut out" new things reveals a sort of Luddite thinking. 

I chose to publish this comment here because this insufferable pompous ass has given me the opportunity to say there is nothing "futile" about our lives and work. We are happy and rewarded to enjoy such a broad and fascinating audience. Our podcasts are listened to, some in the thousands of times. We hear from intelligent Valentino scholars from all over the world and the discussions are always intriguing. So I am not sure what this "person" is referring to as a space where Renato and I and our work have been so globally, "shut out". 

Isn't this a lot like having the living daylights beaten out of you and then having the perpetrator say, "Oh why bother to even get up... it's "kind of futile." So FYI to the commentator above, there are plenty of folks who are genuinely interested in new things and insight on Valentino. You, are not the "mainstream" or the "greater Valentino world". How very delusional to even think that, so dream on. 

The Chicca Guglielmi Morone Interview podcast has been listened to 923 times. 

Rudolph Valentino, Homophobia & More – 2300 listens.

Rudolph Valentino's Last Picture & More – 5000 listens.

Rudolph Valentino, That Second Divorce and More – 6000.

Renato and I are not people to be "out to impress". We are motivated by the content, the research and the discovery. And why would we ever care what cruel, small-minded people think of us? The only reason we care at all is that we are forced to defend ourselves against these cruel, small-minded people's vicious lies and defamation. 

So thanks for the opportunity to say we are so grateful for every single person who takes the time to read our books and listens to a podcast. And I would say that the "futile" effort would be camping out on a blog just to troll and send in nasty comments intended only to provoke. 

Murky Waters

 I have posted the next chronology, for 2012, which can be reviewed on www.zumayawinslawsuit.com.

 I am using excerpts to illustrate the narrative which are cropped from the full screenshots I have on file. I want to thank those of you who support us in this, and to those of you who seem to feel I am "unhinged" I would say quite the contrary is the case. Despite all, Renato and I kept moving forward and doing worthy projects with pride. 

I feel it is important to record what happened and is happening for posterity. I am not sure how anyone can still question our motives in doing this or our honesty. Those who do might want to save some time and just know we have no reason at all to lie. So accept it as truth and perhaps a solution can be found to clean up that "Valentino mainstream" which imo is really polluted water at the moment. 

Making My Day

Someone asked me if I would have written Affairs Valentino if I knew what was waiting for me as a result. That's a tough question, because it was through Affairs Valentino that I met, fell in love with and married Renato. It was through Affairs Valentino that I met Michael Morris, Bob and Bunny Ullman, and many other remarkable people.

And I would not be sitting here in this beautiful setting, with the glorious sun making my day.

But our dreams carry us through don't you think? And when I began researching and writing Affairs Valentino I was riveted by the stories which unfolded. I felt a sense of purpose in bringing it all together. I did not foresee any of this but forged on digging deeper to solve a million little mysteries about Rudolph Valentino.

So to clarify a comment I received yesterday and did not post, our work is not lost in “conspiracy theories” making it nothing to take “seriously”. Here is what you need to know. There is a difference between serious research, discovery and investigation which we do... and sitting about dreaming up conspiracy theories which have no basis in fact.

Lawyers build circumstantial cases on data gathered and this is what some of our work is; a presentation of our research to date and the circumstantial case it presents. Our work is based on data we uncover. We do not dream up scenarios like the endless ones filling David Bret's books.

I am finishing up 2012 for the chronological posts on the www.zumayawinslawsuit.com site. And have to report that yesterday, Tracy Terhune removed every single post he had on that blog he has run for the past ten years and counting under the title of my book. As Renato calls it, “Throw the stone and hide the hand.” I would ask if Mr. Terhune has something to hide?

I stand proudly behind every word I write on this blog and do not need to play some shell game of shame deleting.