Friday, May 28, 2010

Rare Glass Slide, Post Valentino's Death

This is a rare glass slide with an image of Valentino from the film, A Sainted Devil. This had to be a very offensive message to his family, fellow actors, and his fans. The slide reads:

My Friends and Admirers

I want you to know I am dead only in body. It now lies in a places belonging to a person not yet dead.

When death takes that friend my body again will be moved and in another generation it will find a final resting place in the potters field. So I wish to take this opportunity to beg my friends in Hollywood to buy for me a final resting place and attend to it as soon as possible, then I will be happy.

I wish to have it known I was murdered by a jealous woman because I would not consent to her divorcing her husband and marrying me. I wish my friend Ulman to be in charge of the money for my final resting place, because he is honest; not my Brother or Sister as they only love me for my money as do some women of the silent pictures, who try to make people think I was in love with them, when they know I did not care for their company.

I am

Rudolph Valentino


After Valentino's death there were many rumors about his death, one of the many rumors was that he was poisoned by a jealous husband, this slide suggests a jealous wife. Regarding his brother and sister, I know of no ill feeling he had toward them. During this time there was talk about where to bury Valentino, originally it was to be in Italy; however he ended up in one of June Mathis's crypts. The slide also makes mention of his business manager George Ullman; however, Ulman, with one l, is misspelled.

The part that bothers me the most is that the slide attempts to speak for Valentino after his death, it seems a disrespectful act so soon after his death. I am unsure about the source of this slide. It could have been something created by the movie studios, George Ullman, or possibly a local theatre owner, I am unsure. I have never come across another one of these slides, this is a great example of a random Valentino item.


2 comments:

  1. There's reason to hope that "The Sainted Devil", "Uncharted Seas", and maybe other "lost" Valentino films might show up. Last October, the Library of Congress entered into an agreement with the Russian government, which has been archiving silent films, to turn over 200+ films. All were considered "lost". Four of the first 10 titles are Famous Players films from the 1920's, so let's hope.

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  2. Wow! That would be fantastic, thank you for the update, keep me updated if you hear anything further!

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