Rudolph Valentino: A Wife's Memories of an Icon

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1921 PVG Publishing, 2009 - Biography & Autobiography - 352 pages
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.
 

Contents

The Fair Shake by Hala Pickford
15
How to use this book
21
Original Foreword
25
Meeting Rudy
27
Automobiles
36
Animals Collecting
45
Stardom Marriage and Bigamy
55
Reunion at Foxlair
67
Spiritual Abilities
163
Passing
168
Life in the Afterlife
171
Magic of Music
177
Communicating
182
Nature and Vibrations
188
Souls
194
Darkness of Sudden Death
199

Psychic Rumblings
71
Day Dreams
78
England and France
82
Return to Italy
89
Rudy vs Machine
98
Adventures in Seville
108
The old Palaces of France
117
Natachas rebuttal
125
Death of an Icon
143
REVELATIONS Natacha Rudy and the Occult by Hala Pickford
147
Acceptance
159
Writers and Actors
206
Animal Souls
210
REDISCOVERING
215
The Legacy of Rudolph Valentino
217
Natacha Rambova Biography and Filmography
223
Rudolph Valentino biography and Filmography
241
NitaNaldi Biography and Filmography
257
June Mathis Biography
275
Further reading
310
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