Being a bred in the bone feminist, I am sure glad to finally stumble across a story based on an interview with the former Mrs. Rudolph Valentino that gives her a fair break. Somehow the picture of Winifred Hudnut Valentino as the old stereo-typed Pekinese-fondling female did not ring true. And her lord and master’s outbreak anent his noble craving for home and fireside and children sounded quite posey and stagey and as though fresh from the fertile brain of that unoriginal lot, press agents, rather than warm and quivering from his own sorrowful heart. But most of the remarks accredited to Mrs. Valentino sound true. Her dissertation on the folly of an American girl marrying a European husband sounds mighty sensible to me. “Foreign men have such different ideas of marriage from Americans. Boys in Europe are taught to consider themselves much more important than girls. “These boys, brought up to consider themselves lords of creation, expect wives to be subordinate. A wife is someone to make him comfortable minister to his wants, provide sympathy when he needs it, and when he needs nothing, keep herself well into the background.” And we regard this especially worthy of thought, as it comes from the former Mrs. Valentino’s ruby lips. “Now I don’t mind doing all this, it’s a pleasure to make one’s husband happy and comfortable when one loves him. “But what wore me out was my foreign husband’s acceptance of all these things as though they were merely my duty, my day’s work instead of a consideration for him and a matter of love”. And apropos of Rudy’s paternal manifestations readers may recall his heralded yearning for offspring with which wifie wouldn’t oblige the ex-wife fires this one “Rudy might like noiseless, dressed-up children, but…” And that unfinished sentence is only What Every Woman Knows. Then about the matter of Mrs. Valentino working” “I worked because I was energetic”. “A man’s love doesn’t compensate for the boredom and depression of being a loafer”. “For a woman to give up all work just to devote herself to loving a man is a great mistake. Because only an egocentric wants a woman to devote her life to admiring him”. Well and ably spoken, Winifred Hudnut Valentino, or Natacha Rambova. “We’re for you! You have a good head, and said head has doped out a much better analysis of why your marriage failed than has either your erstwhile Rudy on his press agent.
Monthly Archives: Jan 2017
26 Jan 1926 -Give the Woman A Break
26 Nov 1922 – Best Seller
Gloria Swanson rivals Rudolph Valentino as a “Best Seller” when it comes to film popularity.
Mar 1916 – Famous Russian Dancer Theodore Kosloff Sues Mrs. de Wolfe
Mrs. Winifred de Wolfe was sued for approximately $2,000 which he said is due him in payment for dance lessons and gowns furnished her daughter. Mr. George Battle, the de Wolfe attorney said that Miss de Wolfe told her mother that is she would pay the claim she would not see Kosloff anymore, but Mrs. de Wolfe remained adamant because she contended the claim was unjust.
1 Nov 1925 Rudolph and Pola to Wed
Pola Negri and Rudolph Valentino. Yes, really darlings. Last time, it was Pola and Rod La Rocque, following the denied story of the alluring Pola’s engagement to William Haines. To be sure, Pola and Rudolph are not engaged; that is unconditionally. Perhaps not at all. But if glances tell any story in which Cupid has a hand, if preferences, if public appearances together mean anything, then truly Cupid is working on this line if it takes all winter.
22 May 1928 – In Memory of Valentino
Three hundred women and girls. In deep mourning, attended a special mass at St. Jervais Church in Paris yesterday in memory of Rudolph Valentino. Scores of girls waited outside the church. The Mass was arranged by a mysterious woman. reputed to be immensely wealthy, who is frequently seen at the church. She does not reveal her name, but often goes to the church to request a Mass for the repose of the soul of Valentino.
14 Jan 1922
20 May 1930 – Executor of Valentino Raises Veil on “Tricks”
How the popularity of Rudolph Valentino motion-picture actor, was capitalized for the benefit of his estate, was disclosed yesterday by George Ullman, Business Manager of the late actor and appointed executor of Valentino’s Will by provision of the testator. Ullman appeared in Superior Judge Stephen’s court to answer the charges of Alberto Guglielmi and Maria Strada, brother and sister of Valentino. It was asserted in a complaint filed by the Guglielmi’s that Ullman had mismanaged the estate, causing a loss of $80,000. When the complaint was filed, Superior Judge Crail suspended Ullman as executor, and yesterday Judge Stephens appointed R.F. Stewart, assistant trust officer of the Bank of Italy to service until the 29th when a hearing on the question of removing Ullman permanently will be conducted. Value of the estate now is $250,000 in real estate and 125,000 in personal property, according to the complainants in the suit to dismiss Ullman, but the defendants declare the property is worth more, and that he built it up from practically nothing. Under the guidance of his attorney, Ullman made a statement which he said will be substantiated by evidence at the hearing. “Instead of losing money for this
estate I converted liabilities into assets so, I have immortalized the name of Valentino, so successfully that I will wager today that all over the world there are thousands of motion-picture fans who do not know that Valentino is dead. “The estate was 160,000 in debt when Valentino died. We had organized the Valentino Production Corporation shortly before, and when I took charge as executor the assets were two films Son of Sheik and The Eagle. It was my job to exploit these films and pay off the indebtedness.” “Pictures by dead actors previously had not proved very successful, but in the case of Valentino I managed things differently. The world knows how the dean man’s friends co-operated with me in gaining thousands of columns of publicity at the time of the funeral. We organized Valentino Clubs all over the world, and they went over big too. “Then I had the task of disposing of my friend’s personal effects. He had about 16,000 worth of hardware, which he had collected as
souvenirs; swords, armor and the like. It cost me 35,000 to fix up legend’s and publicize this stuff, but I sold it for 97,000. And they criticized me for spending this 35,000 too”. Of course, I resorted to some tricks. For
instance, Rudy had lots of books but he had only autographed a few of them, and he didn’t have a book mar. I had a mark designed, stuck it inside the covers of this books which made money for the estate.
7 Jan 1927 – Color is the First Consideration by Henri Bendel
Designing clothes for different types of women is the spice in the life of a couturier, what the petite blonde can wear the exotic brunette of Junoesque should never consider. The titian blonde can scintillate in colors and cuts the chestnut haired girl must forego. The white-haired woman’s beauty can be enhanced a hundred fold if she only knows how. Today, I will talk about the costuming the brunette, the type of woman who is apt to have an exotic alluring something about her which every article of apparel should emphasize. Color is the brunettes first consideration – greens, gay yellows, oranges, fame, magenta, vivid purples and reds. Colors maybe vivid, penetrating, startling even, but they must be clear, decided ones for the brunette never the muddy ones. The color of her eyes should be the unswerving guide to hue. Secondly the brunette does well to stick to plain colors. Figures, flowers too much intricate trimming will call attention to the clothes rather than the woman whose beauty they enhance. To illustrate my points today for three costumes I designed this fall for Natacha Rambova, a brunette of unusually true type, one who wears her raven locks coiled over her ears and her head even swathed in a gay turban of her own design. Miss Rambova, former wife of the late Rudolph Valentino recently as returned to the New York stage. For the afternoon, I show a frock of transparent velvet and metallic cloth. The brown velvet skirt is circular in cut. The blouse has a block figure in gold, brown, and orange all shades which tune in with the gold flecks in her eyes. The neck is collarless, which throws into prominence her head and features as an elaborate collar never could. The girdle arrangement of the frock forms a spiral swathing the hips in an oriental manner, buttoning twice with elaborate gold buttons. Matching buttons run up the flaring cuffs of the tapering sleeves, For dinner or dance, a bouffant frock of stunning jade green panne velvet, has a perfectly plain décolleté bodice of severe cut, for the same purpose of emphasizing its wearer’s beauty. The skirt has elaborate cut work and embroidery in golds, blacks and three shades of green around the bottom and up the center front but so fine is the work that it merely adds an indefinable luxury to the gown. With this she wears gold slippers, and matching hosiery and a gold turban. She needs no jewels as is the case with most brunettes. Their own vivid coloring is often not complimented by jewels. Of velvet, also is a stunning tea gown it is cut with long graceful butterfly sleeves and triple shirring across the front to get the up-in-the-front effect to offset the train behind. Shown today is an evening coat to be worn over the green gown. In furs, as in other clothes the brunette should choose richness but simplicity. No type of beauty can shine so lustrously and brilliantly from rich simplicity than a gorgeous brunette such as Miss Rambova. The evening wrap is of ermine, gorgeous white Russian ermine. It has bloused fullness in the waist portion, tapering down to a wrap-around lower part. Luxurious red fox edges the collar and runs the length of the diagonal opening. It is lined with white velvet in a rich figured pattern.
5 Jan 1938 – Valentino Photo Album
Chaw Mank said that in his estimation the late silent screen star Rudolph Valentino was the greatest personality he saw on the screen. After Valentino’s death, Mank wrote to the late star’s business manager George Ullman and asked for some token from the Valentino home. “I received an album containing photographs of Valentino, pasted by Valentino himself, and captioned in his own handwriting” he said. He has been offered $500 for the album, he said.
1 Jan 1950 – Valentino Is Picked As Lover of Century
The greatest lover of the 20th Century was Rudolph Valentino. Valentino’s dark uncertain charm wasn’t based on the choice of women alone but on the vote of men themselves. He brought something alive out of the deep forest of sex they didn’t understand. Even today, years after his death, the black haired Valentino is the wolf that most American men would most hate to have to compete with if he were still alive. Remember him, in “The Sheik” to thousands of women Rudy was more than Boulder Dam to make the desert blossom – the desert of emotion in their heart. And after Valentino who was the most devastating male between 1906 and 1950? Francis X. Bushman. But Rudolph Valentino is still the landmark of romance in our Century, for all the fact that if he were alive today he and Ezio Pinza would look like two sophomores. Why is this is true is hard for hard headed and bald heading men to figure out. But there he is, after all these years, the glamorous apostle of cupid even in his grave Rudolph Valentino. You say his name now and most men laugh. And some women weep. He stood for something they yearned for romance unattainable. And in death they miss him for something they want and haven’t found.
All About Rudolph Valentino 
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