Monthly Archives: Aug 2020
30 Aug 1926- Bowed by Brief Farewell of Lonely Actress
25 Aug 1925 – Rudolph Valentino Separates from wife
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2020 – Annual Valentino Memorial Service
This year’s 93rd annual memorial service is a tasteful tribute to a great silent film star that once again, brings the Valentino Community under one big sky both physically and virtually in a time of challenges in order to comply with county public ordnance. The committee decided to go back to a time when it was held outside in order to accommodate fans.
The whole service from start to finish still shows the world that inspite of a global problems affecting everyone. People will still mourn a great actor that left this world too soon. The speakers, singers and video tributes were again mindful of why there was a virtual and physical presence that we still adore him and feel he left this world all too soon. We greeted one another and cried when Ava Maria was song so beautifully and when the 23rd Psalm was spoken we knew another year has gone too soon. May next year’s service show that we still care and will never forget. I would like to thank the Valentino Committee and Tracy Terhune for putting together such a wondeful service.
23 Aug 2002 – 75th Anniversary of Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service
Seventy-five years later, at least one mystery remains: the identity of the original Lady in Black, who arrived each year on Aug. 23 at 12:10 p.m.–her face obscured by a veil–to silently lay roses at Rudolph Valentino’s crypt. Today, as every year, this question arises as fans, freaks, collectors, an octogenarian silent movie organist–and perhaps a new Lady in Black–gather in the main alcove of the Cathedral Mausoleum at Hollywood Forever Cemetery to mourn the silent screen’s “Great Lover” on the anniversary of his death. The Valentino Memorial Service is part reverence, part cheese. Over the decades, this classic example of Hollywood self-memorialization has evolved a culture of its own, luring cultists, the curious and even the lunatic fringe, eliciting from attendees an almost religious fervor. The spectacle of the memorial service has become outrageous over the years, said Valentino memorabilia collector Tracy Terhune, 44. “It became like a circus,” said Terhune, who works in the accounting department of Universal Studios. People were drinking water out of the wall-mounted vases used for flowers, he said, burning incense and conducting seances. “People were saying they were carrying Valentino’s child, even though he had been dead for 20 years.” The annual ritual–performed at 10 minutes past noon, the exact moment of Valentino’s death from natural causes in 1926 at age 31– is one of Hollywood’s oldest and most famous. The event has continued in one form or another at the cemetery for the last 75 years (only once, when the cemetery was crumbling and close to closing, did the memorial migrate to the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax Avenue.) Today, in the mausoleum, the ceremony is to include talks by Hollywood historian Marc Wanamaker and Carrie Bible, a film buff and voluntary Lady in Black, who will talk about her predecessors. Eighty-nine-year-old Bob Mitchell, who claims to be the only silent-movie organist still alive, will accompany a compilation of romantic clips from Valentino films. Then, the Valentino pilgrims will walk down the echoing marble hallways to lay flowers and plant lipstick kisses on the crypt of the world’s first celluloid heartthrob. At dusk, which falls at about 8 p.m., visitors will spread their blankets on the lawn to watch the Valentino movie “Monsieur Beaucaire,” projected on the side of the mausoleum. Mitchell will play a generator-fueled Hammond organ, with a special speaker that will imitate the sound of the Wurlitzer pipe organ once used at all the silent-movie houses in Southern California. Just a few years ago, when the old cemetery was crumbling and close to bankrupt, it looked like the long-running memorial service was nearly dead. But in 1998, a new, publicity-savvy owner gave the cemetery–and the event–a new lease on life. Tyler Cassidy, a Midwesterner from a family in the “pre-need” funeral business, bought the place for $375,000. He saw the potential of the 62 green acres abutting Paramount Studios, and of a place with more dead movie stars than any other spot on the face of the Earth. Interred in its cool mausoleums and smooth lawns are celluloid greats such as Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Cecil B. DeMille, Tyrone Power–and, of course, Valentino. Cassidy had heard tales of the service and the mysterious ladies in black. Still, he was surprised when an old man turned up at his door one day, saying he ran the memorial service, and would like to do it again for a fee. He gave Cassidy his program, which appeared to have remained constant since the 1950s. The man’s name was Bud Testa. “I was very happy to see him,” Cassidy said. “He was such a character. He was definitely old Hollywood, even in his speech and his dress you could tell he was from the Golden Era. He was still charging 1950s prices.” Cassidy listened to the old PR man and decided to take him up on his offer. (Testa lives in a Glendale rest home; he was unable to give an interview.) Cassidy was taken aback the first time he witnessed the event. “It was out there,” he recalled. “I didn’t know what to think. I was new to Hollywood. I didn’t have a sense for that kind of flavor. It seemed like the event had so little to do with Valentino. But it definitely it had its own culture. “Rather than judge it, however, Cassidy decided to respect it. Mitchell has played at the service for two decades, and still plays several times a week at the Silent Movie Theater. In his youth, he played silent films four to five times a week for four years, including for two Valentino films, “The Eagle” and “The Cobra.” That career ended in 1929, the year the last silent were made. Mitchell believes the service, and especially the ladies in black, was always a publicity stunt. “The cemetery wanted to sell graves,” he said. “They hired a woman to be the Lady in Black, to keep the tradition up. Soon there were two women in black. Last year there was a black woman who came dressed all in white.” The genesis of the tradition is almost irrelevant now. The event has taken on a life of its own, with intrigues, legends and rivalries. “There were antics, fainting’s, ripping off of veils,” said Terhune, who is hoping to publish a book on the topic. At the center of the service’s mystique, Terhune explained in a room of his house crammed with Valentino memorabilia, were the various ladies in black. Though it is said the first Lady in Black visited the crypt the year after Valentino died, all through the 1930s the black-clad mourners multiplied–and refused to identify themselves. Mitchell, the organist, says silent-screen star Pola Negri, who claimed to have been engaged to Valentino, was the first. (Cassidy had heard that one owner of the cemetery hired his own daughter to be the Lady in Black.) By the 1950s, when Testa began organizing the event, the bizarreness seemed to reach its zenith. An offended member of the Valentino family even threatened legal action to stop it. (“The morbidly emotional gags and sideshow antics that take place annually at the grave of Rudolph Valentino in the Hollywood Cemetery may be halted by legal action,” one newspaper reported in 1951.) “The family not only weren’t involved, but didn’t support the service,” said Jeanine Villalobos, 32, Valentino’s great-great-niece. Villalobos, a doctoral student at UC Irvine, is working on a dissertation about her great-great-uncle, based on newly discovered personal documents. “They felt it was disrespectful and very theatrical. That people were using it for cheap publicity.” She said the family was especially put off by a publicity stunt for a 1951 movie about Valentino, in which actor Anthony Dexter showed up at the crypt in costume with a publicist at his side. Eventually, numerous ladies in black–from starlets to matrons– were turning up on Aug. 23, vying for fame and newspaper coverage. There were so many that they began giving their names, pretending to faint, ripping each other’s veils off, and throwing flowers at each other, each claiming to be the real Lady in Black. “A lot of it actually became humdrum,” Terhune said. “Except for the drama of ‘Would she appear?’ And if she does, what would she do? Faint? Sing? Cry?’ And there was always the hope that two ladies in black would face off.” The names of many of the ladies in black have faded with time. But two of the most ambitious, hard-core mourners’ names have stuck. One is Ditra Flame, who claimed she met Valentino as a teen in a boarding house in Los Angeles before he became famous. He visited her when she was sick in the hospital, she said, and they both pledged that whoever died first would bring flowers to the other’s grave. Flame’s last visit was in 1954. After that, she turned to missionary work, dedicating herself to Jesus, rather than Valentino. The other legendary Lady in Black was Estrellita Del Regil, a movie extra who appeared in hundreds of films. She died last year. She claimed her mother was the original Lady in Black. Several years ago, Terhune obtained the meticulous records of Flame, who kept copies of every letter she sent and received (including those to rival ladies in black), newspaper clippings with personal commentary scribbled in the margins. “J. Edgar Hoover had nothing on her,” said Terhune. “She was going to write a book. “With the passing of Del Regil things have grown tamer. Cassidy says he has tried to put the spotlight back on Valentino. Today’s service, he said, is no longer a publicity stunt, but an effort to keep a tradition alive. Cassidy has even tried to build bridges with the long-alienated Valentino family. Villalobos said that after years of hearing how tacky the event was, she checked it out two years ago. “There was some goofiness,” she said. “But I was impressed that there was still the active fan base, most of whom really do respect him, and really do respect his work.” Still, Cassidy confessed earlier this week, “I’m afraid it might become too sanitized, that we might be removing the fundamental character by making it too tame. At the same time, we must be somewhat respectful to the man who is interred there.”
23 Aug 2020 – What does the Death of Rudolph Valentino Mean in the 21st Century?
On 23 Aug 1926, 93 years ago, Rudolph Valentino, silent film star died, and it seemed the world was less brighter without his presence. His funeral was on a grand scale, the likes of which Hollywood had not seen. There were mourners of all ages, men and women who came together to say farewell to someone they had seen on the movie screen and felt an affinity to. For women, it meant an end of their dreams of faraway places to be swept away by a handsome sheik on a white horse that would rescue them from their drab and dreary lives. For men, they emulated him by changing their grooming standards and appearance trying to act like their idol. Movie studios trying to find a successor and their reality is there is only one Rudolph Valentino and no amount of trying will come up with a replacement.
As the years pass, new generations of fans have come forward and discovered what previous fans have. These fans have a thirst for knowledge of any kind to satisfy a hunger or a need of a information on who was Rudolph Valentino? He was more than just a mere presence on the movie screen. The fans knew he was tall, slim, handsome, athletic build, and mesmerizing. But what was he like in person or what did he sound like? There are no known voice recordings except a lone music record and the lasting impression he left with friends, wives, colleagues, family, autograph seekers, or those who had a personal encounter. was one of what a gentleman he was, how kind he was, shy, a good dancer, serious actor, loyal and loving. Who would not want to be around such a man? We all would even then or now. What would it have been like to see his movie on the big screen for the first time or take a trip to “Old Hollywood” to see what true movie stars were like or excitement of knowing how near we would be to his his location. A chance to see him just for a glimpse or a word. What about hearing him on the wireless and knowing how he truly sound back then. Ah we can only dream.
The 21st Century allows Rudolph Valentino fans to watch a movie of his anytime. Online shopping for a book, a souvenir, or read blogs, social media groups dedicated to him. Generations of new fans appreciate his acting skills and for the man he truly was. Discussions centered around his personal life, the pain he felt when his love was not returned, dreams of a having his own children left unfulfilled and reality of a movie career slowly fading away. Questions and more questions.
Every year, a global community of Valentino fans come together on 23rd of August, to mourn him all over again. Because the only people that appreciate Rudolph Valentino is his descendants and his true legion of fans. May we always remember a man who wanted to give his very best and live a life full of love. May we never forget.
Sincerely,
Chris
22 Aug 1932 – Ann Harding
21 Aug 1925 – June Mathis & Silvano Balboni
19 Aug 1917 – Gossip
The clever little psuedo-russian dancer, Natacha Rambova is of course, a guarantee of her interest will dance at the benefit, so, taking it all in all, the affair is expected to be a great success and bring in a large sum that will go towards the wonderful work being done by the Society for French Wounded.
16 Aug 1926 – Natacha and Poiret a Fashionable Find
New fashion trends on the rise thanks to a certain charming Natacha Rambova and fashion designer Paul Poiret. Deauville is envious because the novel cosmetic turns fair night bathers into mermaids. Now there are two sides as to who discovered this latest delight Le Touquet or Juan Les Pines. Miss Rambova and her mother Mrs. Hudnut are at their chateau for the summer. The formula was obtained by Paul Poiret from an Indian Fakir, presented a small quantity of the enchanting ointment to a few of his clients spending the summer at various resorts thus started the ball rolling. According to Poiret, Natacha Rambova is the ideal woman to dress, is reported to have gone even further, and by using a more diluted mixture, succeeded in applying it to her hair with a startling effect. While Cannes and Monte Carlo are having this year their first really fashionable summer season, they have already become serious opposition to the northern resorts. The Riviera, in fact, is the only place outside of Italy where night bathing is possible, and where, therefore, the phosphorescent makeup has taken at once an immense vogue. Deauville tried it in the Pompeiian baths, but even the tepid water in the tank felt old. Le Touquet, where the more sporting element predominates, is still attempting it, but none of these places can compare with the inviting warmth of the lazy Mediterranean. Paul Poiret will launch the new luminous fingernails and hair trend at Palm Beach.
16 Aug 1979 – Natacha Rambova Collection
1924 – Horgan Using Rudolph Valentino Photo
1924 – Stephen Henry Horgan & Rudolph Valentino
On 2 Feb 1854, Stephen Henry Horgan, was born in Norfolk, Virginia went on to live a long life and distinguished career. In 1880, Horgan a photographer invented a process of reproducing the tones of a photograph by means of dotted or checkered spots. During the 1920’s, Stephen Henry Horgan, worked as a recording secretary, American Institute of Graphic Arts and during this time AIGA had great success in sending pictures over the wire. Horgan an inventor had an idea of transforming black and white pictures into color over the wire. In July 1924, Horgan made history, he took a portrait of Rudolph Valentino in costume as Monsieur Beaucaire used a process with three plate developed and inked in three separate colors blue, yellow, red and printed one on top of the other. The result was a color version sent by American Telephone & Telegraph Company wire from Chicago to New York. For his remarkable achievement in the field of photography, Horgan received the AIGA medal which is presented to individuals in recognition of their exceptional achievement. Horgan was a pioneer in the field of photomechanical reproduction and was connected in various capacities with many printing, publishing, and engraving concerns. In 1934, Horgan a widower of 14 years, married his long-time secretary, Della Van Houten, 74 years old at St Anne’s Catholic Church, Nyack, New York. On 30 Aug 1941, Horgan died at age 87 and is buried in Nyack, New York.
1922 – Rudolph Valentino Wins Recognition Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I’ve been an avid reader of your magazine for some years and have found everything it has contained of great interest as well as a help to movie fans. I know how very nice it is to read about your favorite and in my case it is Mr. Rudolph Valentino and the paragraphs below will tell you why:
I first had the opportunity of seeing Mr. Valentino in “Passions Playground” and in this movie he had a small role that he played very well. Also, seen two other motion pictures and he left me as being a very capable actor and when I heard he was going to play the screen version of “The Four Horsemen” I was very happy indeed and he would make this role and picture and success. I now understand he is playing Armond in Camille and I know he will take his place among the leading men of the silver screen. Valentino is a very diplomatic Italian youth and I hope very soon that he will become more popular, Everyone I know seems to like him, and I hope he will gain a good many more admires in the future.
Sincerely yours,
Lillia N. New York City, NY
“I regret not having played in stock. I would have received a fine training there. I am sure”….Rudolph Valentino
02 Aug 1925 – Only in NY Darlings
At the Biltmore Hotel, Mr. & Mrs. Rudolph Valentino entertained a table of guests in honor of the Spanish painter Federico Beltran-Masses. The table guests included Mr. & Mrs. Charles Chaplain, Marion Davies, Elinor Glyn and others. Charlie Chaplain seemed to do a great deal of dancing and seemed to favor Marion Davies as a partner versus his wife Lita Grey. Mrs. Valentino wore the ever present turban which has given rise to speculation amongst the Hollywood wags as to whether she sleeps in one. This time it was of white satin. A peach satin gown with straps covered in pearls girdled at the hips with large pearl hearts, below which the skirt flared to a wide pearl encircled hem. Her heavy long brown hair was word in braided bosses over her ears. Ah only in NYC Darlings.
Studios have tried and failed to find a successor to Rudolph Valentino.
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