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| Rudolph Valentino |
He
was one of the first Hollywood stars and he set the
stage for the silent film star look. Rudolph Valentino was known as the Latin Lover and
with his suave good looks he quickly became a 1920s sex symbol.
was born in Castellaneta, Italy on May 6, 1895 and named Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filibert Guglielmi di Valentina d’Antonguolia. Rodolfo did poorly in school and was unable to find a job when he graduated. At the age of 18, he left Italy for the United States and better opportunities.
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| Dancing Valentino |
Once here, Valentino worked in restaurants and as a gardener before becoming a taxi dancer – a dance partner who is paid by the dance – at Maxim in New York. These paid dance partners were sometimes referred to as “a ticket a dance” or “a dime a dance” partner.
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| Valentino with a Shiner |
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| Valentino and Friend |
Valentino
was able to support himself like this until he became involved in a prominent
love triangle. After the wife murdered her husband, Valentino realized that it
was best if he just left town quietly, so he joined a traveling musical troupe
and headed out West.
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| Alexander Hotel |
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| Society Women |
By
1917, Valentino was performing in small musical productions in California. But
he discovered that the money was better as a taxi dancer at the Alexander Hotel
in Los Angles where several older women supported him.
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| A Scene from Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse |
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| Valentino |
In his free time, Rudolph was soon auditioning for parts in the silent films, but because of his dark
looks he was always cast as the gangster or thug. His luck changed when he signed
with the Famous Players and was cast in The
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The movie, released in 1921, became the
first million-dollar box office success.
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| A Scene from The Sheik |
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| The Sheik |
Valentino
soon starred in several other films, but it was The Sheik in 1921 that solidified his reputation as the “Latin
Lover.” With his now sought after dark, smoldering looks he had women swooning
across America.
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| Valentino & Rambova |
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| Natacha Rambova |
Valentino
married Natacha Rambova (Winifred Shaughnessy) in 1922 but the marriage had to
be annulled after a bigamy trial. They married again, this time legally in
1923. Valentino and his wife worked on several films together but by 1925 the
marriage was in trouble and they separated.
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| Son of the Sheik |
It was the summer of 1926, Valentino
was promoting his latest film, The Son of
the Sheik when he became ill and collapsed at the Hotel Ambassador in New
York City. He was taken to Stuyvesant Polyclinic Hospital in New York where he
was diagnosed with appendicitis. Emergency surgery was performed but peritonitis
set in and he developed sever pleuritis in his left lung.
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| Crowds Watch |
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| Valentino’s Funeral |
Rudolph
Valentino died on August 23, 1926 in New York City at the age of 31. It was
reported that mass hysteria broke out across the country when his fans heard
the news, some committing suicide. Thousands lined the train route as his body
traveled from New York to California. He was laid to rest in the Cathedral
Mausoleum at Hollywood Memorial Park, now Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Several
songs were written about his death including “There’s a New Star in Heaven Tonight” and “We Will Meet at the End of the Trail.”
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| The First Lady in Black |
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| Valentino’s Crypt |
In
1927, the first anniversary of his death, a woman dressed in black wearing a
long black veil appeared at Valentino’s crypt, carrying a long stemmed red
rose. At first, it was thought to be a publicity stunt, but each year the woman
returned to pay her respects.
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| Ditra Flame |
Rumors
abounded as to who she could have been. Many claimed at the time that they were
the Lady in Black but in 1947 Ditra
Flame stepped forward and told her story.
Asa young girl Valentino had visited Ditra when she was sick in the hospital and
afraid she would die there. Flame said
that Valentino assured her that she would outlive him by many years and that when
he died, he’d like her to come and talk with him at his grave, to keep him
company, so he wouldn’t be lonely.
Flame
continued to visit his grave each year until 1954 when there had become a parade
of Ladies in Black. In fact, it was said that there were so many Ladies in Black visiting Valentino’s crypt that day, it looked like a sale at Woolsworth. Eventually the crowd thinned out and Flame
began her annual visits again in 1977, this time without the black mourning clothes and
veil. She continued to visit Valentino’s crypt until her death in 1984.
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| Estrellita del Regil |
But another Lady in Black began visiting Valentino in the early 1970s. Spanish
actress Estrellita del Regil paid her respects as a tribute to her late mother
whom she believed to be Valentino’s unrequited love. She visited the grave on August 23rd for
almost 20 years until illness stopped her visits in 1993.
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| Vicki Callahan |
Soon after a third Lady in Black took up the mantel and began annual visits. Vicki Callahan said that she
was a fan of Valentino’s and simply wanted to pay her respects on the anniversary
of his death. Dressed in black she was captured by a TV crew as she placed roses at
his crypt and another tradition began.
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| Valentino and His Ladies |
Valentino
would probably be pleased with all of the visits (and publicity), for he has never been
forgotten. And to this day,there are various adoring females to keep him company…
Joy