Affairs Valentino
The True Rudolph Valentino - by Baltasar Cue
In the months before silent film icon Rudolph Valentino's death, he began a collaboration with Spanish journalist, Baltasar Fernández Cué. That collaboration was this book. Valentino lamented the glut of fictionalization about his life story and asked Cué to assist him in writing his true autobiography.
During the spring of 1926, Baltasar Cué became a familiar member of Valentino's entourage as he was granted extraordinary access to the star's private life and professional activities. Before Valentino left on his fateful trip to New York City, he gave Cué various personal letters and documents for reference and assured him he would return within three weeks to write his autobiography. Valentino would die soon after in New York City.
Cué published his work in the Spanish language fan magazine Cine-Mundial as a ten installment series, from May 1927 to February of 1928. Renato Floris' translation presents this historically valuable book for the first time to an English-speaking audience.
Astral Affairs Rambova
In August of 1925, silent film icon Rudolph Valentino and his second wife Natacha Rambova separated in advance of their bitter divorce a few months later. In the weeks following their highly-publicized separation, Natacha Rambova sought refuge in spiritualism and the occult. She attended séances, studied theosophy and made the acquaintance of a deep-trance medium and psychic, George Wehner. Although George Wehner would become Rambova's constant companion until 1930, he has been, to date, a mere footnote in Rambova's life story. Astral Affairs Rambova broadens the context of this time in Rambova's life and delves into her relationship with Wehner.
George Wehner would infamously prophesize Rudolph Valentino's death in a séance held with Rambova and her family in their chateau on the French Riviera. This prophesy would take place only a few days before Valentino died and the psychic would write an account of this séance in detail some years later. Astral Affairs Rambova is based upon his account and on Wehner's own autobiography, A Curious Life, published in 1929, in which he reveals his relationship with Rambova and her family.
Affairs Valentino - Companion Guide
While researching her Valentino biography, Affairs Valentino, author Evelyn Zumaya discovered a case file of never-before-accessed court documents relating to Rudolph Valentino's personal and professional business and the extended settlement of his estate. While analyzing these documents, Ms. Zumaya uncovered a mystery, evidence of a crime committed as well as a vast amount of new information about this silent film icon.
In the interest of supporting the documentation of Affairs Valentino, Ms. Zumaya now presents the documents most relevant to her work in this Companion Guide. These documents include Rudolph Valentino's will, the previously missing second page of his will, transcripts of lengthy court testimony, excerpts from his home, Falcon Lair's household ledgers and his final contract signed with United Artists. This fascinating guide also includes the first history of these controversial documents and the story of their remarkable recovery by Ms. Zumaya.
The S. George Ullman Memoir
In the days following the sudden death of Rudolph Valentino in 1926, his business manager and closest friend, George Ullman published a book titled, Valentino As I Knew Him. Before his own death in 1975, Ullman wrote a personal memoir about his life “behind-the-scenes” with Rudy.
Over the decades between the publication of Valentino As I Knew Him and Ullman's writing of his memoir, a few detractors aggressively misrepresented his true story. It was only after the recent discovery of his remarkable memoir, that an investigation was conducted into these allegations and documents uncovered which at last told the truth about this iconic pioneer in celebrity management.
This first publication of the S. George Ullman Memoir and the accompanying transcript of Valentino As I Knew Him have been authorized by the Ullman Estate.
In Italian...."L'Affare Valentino"
Le Stelle e i Divi di Hollywood sono ben conosciuti anche per gli scandali che riescono a generare e la Stella del cinema muto Rodolfo Valentino non si discosta da questa tradizione. La Zumaya ha investito ben 15 anni in accurate ricerche sia sulla vita di Valentino sia allʹinterno della ristretta cerchia di chi gli era vicino, in modo particolare sul ruolo avuto dal suo caro amico ed amministatore‐agente, George Ullman. Lʹinnovativo lavoro svolto dalla Zumaya ridisegna drasticamente la storia di Valentino e rivela segreti esplosivi.
Il lavoro della Zumaya è al 100% basato su fatti reali ed è supportato dalla scoperta di circa 400 pagine di documenti mai visti prima, relativi sia alla vita finanziaria sia alla vita personale di Valentino. Il fulcro di questo nuovo archivio è lʹancora non pubblicato diario di George Ullman, in cui egli racconta dei suoi rapporti con Valentino. Lʹarchivio è completato da altri interessanti documenti, mai visti prima. Grazie a tutte queste nuove informazioni la Zumaya ha, finalmente, ricostruito il vero ritratto di Rodolfo Valentino ovvero dellʹUomo oltre al Mito.
Daydreams
When silent film icon Rudolph Valentino penned this book of poetry in 1923, he was waging a 'one man strike' against his studio demanding higher quality production standards for his films. While he struggled to find a solution to this employment impasse, he delved into the occult and spiritualism and wrote his Daydreams poems.
The mystery of the true authorship of Valentino's fascinating “psychic” poems remains unsolved and continues to be the subject of discussion for Valentino's many ardent admirers.
Beyond Valentino-The Madam Valentino Addendum
In 1991, Michael Morris published his iconic biography of Natacha Rambova, Madam Valentino. He subsequently continued his research, gaining worldwide recognition as the leading Rambova scholar. As his Rambova collection grew, he made the decision to open his archive and share ancillary material he did not include in Madam Valentino.
In this, his “final tribute to Rambova”, Michael Morris showcases Rambova's written works, her Egyptological scholarship and her study of myth, symbolism and comparative religion. Rambova's contemporaries, as well as her intimate circle of associates are profiled, creating an informed and visual glimpse into her later life as well as her esoteric pursuits.
Rudolph Valentino - In English
Until this publication, Jeanne De Recqueville's 1978, Rudolph Valentino has only been available in French and copies of her book are scarce. Ms. De Recqueville was a Valentino activist in France for some twenty years; appearing as a Valentino authority on television and in documentaries in her role as the President and founder of “The Association of the Friends of Rudolfo Valentino.”
Ms. De Recqueville interviewed many of the people who knew Valentino in France including Jacques Herbertot, Rene Clair, Yvonne Legeay and Robert Florey. She also corresponded with Dr. Howard Meeker, the surgeon who operated on Rudolph Valentino and attended to him throughout his final illness. The book is in full color with additional essays on Andre Daven, Robert Florey's, The Magic Lantern, “The Letter to Bruno” and Aurelio Miccoli's definitive work on Valentino's nobility.