The Valentino Mystique

The circumstances surrounding the death of legendary star Rudolph Valentino have been a constant source of fascination for admirers worldwide. This work examines every aspect of his passing, analyzing the circumstances and gathering information into one convenient source for the Valentino scholar and enthusiast. The first part examines every moment of the last days of Rudolph Valentino, his illness and operation, the reactions of such intimates as Pola Negri, and all controversy such as riots, suicides, and fights over his funeral and estate. Part two gives tours of Valentino-related sites in New York, Hollywood and West Hollywood, downtown and suburban Los Angeles, and Beverly Hills, explaining each site's part in Valentino's history, giving quotes from the star and his associates about the place, and describing its present state. Part three consists of eleven appendices giving such information as the infamous "Pink Powder Puff" editorial and Valentino's responses, the medical diagnosis, operation on and treatment of the idol, tributes and eulogies, the list of mourners attending his funerals, his last will and testament, the summation of his estate, quotes about his death, references from newspapers, and a complete filmography.

Rudolph Valentino was the silver-screen legend who for ever changed America's idea of the leading man; a frightened young fellow who became the cinematic sex-god of his day. In this definitive retelling of Valentino's short and tragic life - the first fully documented biography of the star - Emily W. Leider looks at the Great Lover's life and legacy, and explores the events and issues that made him emblematic of his time. Valentino was reviled in the press for being too 'feminine' a man; yet he also brought to the screen the alluring, savage lover who embodied women's darker, forbidden sexual fantasies. In tandem, Leider explores notions of the outsider in American culture as represented by Valentino's experience as an immigrant who became a celebrity - the silver screen's first dark-skinned romantic hero.

Newly expanded and revised edition. One of the most alluring, enigmatic, and simply irresistible movie icons of all time, Rudolph Valentino continues to inspire generation after generation of moviegoers. In Rudolph Valentino, The Silent Idol: His Life in Photographs, author Donna Hill retells the story of Valentino's life using a treasure trove of rare photographs. Drawn from the author's extensive collection and those of generous fellow collectors and archives, most of the images in this volume have not been seen since the 1920's; many have never been released publicly until now. Rudolph Valentino was more than the "sheik" of one of his most famous films. He was more than the legendary star who died at a tragically young age. For long-time fans as well as curious newcomers, these remarkable images - candid snapshots at home, traveling, on film sets - reveal the glamour and charm of the man who continues to beguile and inspire movie lovers to this day.

In 1926 Silent Film Icon, Rudolph Valentino, died unexpectedly at the age of 31. That same year, he had finalized a bitter divorce from his wife of four years, Natacha Rambova. Valentino had been madly in love with the gorgeous and very talented designer, yet they had been unable to make their marriage work. Since their first marriage in 1922, the public had been critical of Rambova, blaming her for any mistakes in Valentino's career or life. As Valentino laid on his deathbed in New York, Rambova was in Paris. The two exchanged telegrams to the very end, with both sides believing they would soon reunite and a reconciliation had taken place. Upon hearing the news of his death, Rambova was so distraught she locked herself in her room for three days. With many estate issues to fulfill, Valentino's manager George Ullman took the reigns. To help keep Valentino's name in the spotlight, Ullman wrote a book detailing his time with the gifted actor. Ullman and Rambova had never gotten along, fighting for control of Valentino's career. Feeling she had been unfairly portrayed not only by Ullman, but also by the press, Rambova decided to write her own book. First published in the UK in 1927, "Rudy: An Intimate Portrait by His Wife," presented Rambova's side of the story, providing many amusing stories and anecdotes about her time with Valentino. Both Valentino and Rambova had been firm believers in the practice of Spiritualism. Rambova decided to utilize her beliefs for this book, adding a section titled "Revelations," consisting of things supposedly told to her by Valentino's soul, through seances. Rambova felt the need to publish these 'messages', believing these were things his soul wished to communicate with the world. However things soon got out of hand, with boisterous fans and attention seekers bombarding the legacy of Rudolph Valentino with their own claims. Rambova would remain firm in her beliefs, eventually becoming a renowned Egyptologist. After the publication of this book, she never spoke of her time with Valentino again. "Rudolph Valentino: An Intimate Portrait by his wife" is proudly reprinted by The Rudolph Valentino Society for the first time in over 80 years, under a new title, "Rudolph Valentino: A Wife's Memories of an Icon." In addition to the original text there is a new section containing biographies, filmographies, bibliographies, notes, and new forwards. This section also contains groundbreaking biographies on screenwriter and film executive June Mathis; as well as silent film vamp Nita Naldi. 70% of proceeds from this book benefit The Rudolph Valentino Society and Film Festival.

In 1922, Rudolph Valentino was one of the most famous men alive. But few knew that the star had a dirty secret that he desperately wanted to bury. The lurid tale began a decade earlier when former Yale football star and notorious playboy Jack de Saulles made headlines across three continents by pursuing the beautiful young Chilean heiress Blanca Errázuriz, known as the Star of Santiago. After the birth of their son, though, the marriage soured. Jack was going after every chorus girl on Broadway, claiming that Blanca had banished him from their bed. By 1916, Blanca wanted a divorce, rare then and even more so in a wealthy, powerful Catholic family. Enter Valentino, then still known as Rodolfo Guglielmi, a professional dancer in New York City, famous for the Argentinean tango. Blanca discovered that her husband had been sleeping with Joan Sawyer, Rodolfo’s dance partner, so she set about cultivating the hungry young performer. Whether Blanca and Guglielmi became lovers remains unclear, but the ambitious Italian gave evidence on her behalf in divorce court. Furious, de Saulles had Guglielmi arrested on trumped-up vice charges, tarnishing the dancer’s reputation. But Blanca was fighting bigger battles. De Saulles’s family had been pulling strings, persuading the courts to grant him partial custody of their child. When it appeared that he wasn’t going to return the boy to his mother’s care, Blanca exploded. On a sweltering August night in 1917, she drove to Jack’s mansion and shot him dead. Several people witnessed the act, but Blanca’s family hired the best defense lawyer around, who salvaged de Saulles’s reputation and made Blanca out to be a saint. During the “most sensational trial of the decade,” millions devoured the juicy details of how a high-society marriage violently unraveled. Guglielmi, desperate to avoid further poisonous publicity, fled to California, changed his name to Rudolph Valentino, and the rest is Hollywood history.

Sex symbols, whether from the past or present, allure like little else. Though many sex symbols have emerged over the years, three have triumphed as American icons: Rudolph Valentino of the 1920s, the Beatles band of the 1960s, and Justin Bieber of today. Through poetry, this work praises beloved American icons, while attempting to harness and integrate their charismatic powers. Hopefully, these prominent icons will inspire other sex symbol icons to emerge in the very near future.

"Twilight of the Idols is an outstanding study of Hollywood celebrity culture in the wake of the star scandals that rocked the industry in 1921 and 1922. Through case studies of key male figures of the era, including Wallace Reid, Leopold and Loeb, and Rudolph Valentino, Mark Lynn Anderson argues that deviance became a central trope through which both famous personalities and their adoring fans were conceived in the evolving discourses of psychoanalysis, sociology, and anthropology. Anderson offers a compelling reading of the origins of the star system in the best discussion yet of the interrelationships between male deviance, queerness, and modern stardom. Clearly and engagingly written, and impeccably researched, Twilight of the Idols is poised to make a major contribution to film studies, queer studies, and American studies." —Shelley Stamp, author of Movie-Struck Girls: Women and Motion Picture Culture after the Nickelodeon "Mark Lynn Anderson has written a remarkable book. With its focus on male deviance and the human sciences in twenties American culture, Twilight of the Idols: Hollywood and the Human Sciences in 1920s America represents new directions for scholarship on film stardom and film history in this period. Through careful analysis of changes in the star system and detailed exploration of the careers of exemplary individual stars, such as Wallace Reid, Rudolph Valentino, and Mabel Normand, this book helps us to better understand the contours of the modern personality promoted by the cinema and the widespread interest in deviant behavior in the 1920s—both of which remain very much with us today." —Patrice Petro, author of Joyless Streets: Women and Melodramatic Representation in Weimar Germany

In 1926 Silent Film Idol Rudolph Valentino, known as The Great Lover, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 31. In the years that have since passed, his death has come to overshadow his life and his work. But what would have been had he not died so young? This is the inspiration behind the whimsical novel, "Conversations with Rodolfo" written by Hala Pickford, The Founding Sheba of The Rudolph Valentino Society. A lover of silent film, Pickford uses her knowledge of film history to paint a picture of what might have occurred had Valentino not died in 1926, but in 2005. Would he have made it in the new medium of 'talkies' (sound film)? Would he be remembered like Charlie Chaplin? Or forgotten like Mae Murray? Would he have reconciled with the love of his life, Natacha Rambova? Or would he have been able to find a new love? "Conversations with Rodolfo" opens in 2004, following down on his luck wannabe music journalist, Michael Johnston. Johnston is madly in love with a new girl he has met named Gloria. Trying to impress her he agrees to a Saturday spent with her beloved grandparents. There he finds her grandfather is a man who calls himself Rodolfo, though many others have known him by the name 'Rudolph Valentino'. Despite his age, Rodolfo is as lively as a 20 year old, and on Michael's request he agrees to a series of interviews about his long life, with the stipulation that they not be published until his death. Through these interviews we get to hear the story of Rudolph Valentino, from his boyhood in Italy to the birth of his granddaughter. From his role in The Sheik, to his work with Charlie Chaplin in the 1950s.