Thursday, July 3, 2014

At the Pool With Pola and Friends

This is a great candid set of photos from 1926 of Rudy, Pola Negri and some friends having what looks to be a pool party.  The photos are a bit blurry; however, it may be appropriate as they appear in some to be a bit "blurry" themselves.  It's great to see these candid photos of Rudy having a good time, post Natasha.





Rare Early Cast Photo

I literally have thousands of Valentino photos (digital files) I have saved from various sites over the years.  Photos, collectibles, you name it, I have saved it.  I was looking for an early rare photo to post, when I came across this one!  I unfortunately am unaware of what film it is from, I assume it is an early film where he played the villain since he is sporting the villainous mustache.  This is such a cool photo.  It appears to not only be the cast; but, possibly some of the behind the scenes workers as well.  The most immediate thing I noticed was Valentino seems to simply "stand out" from the rest.  I'm not just saying that because I'm a huge fan.  In the photo he looks like the only "movie star" in the photo.  I know with all of the Valentino fans, someone will look at the photo and say, oh yeah that is from such and such film.  I am not an expert on the early films.  If anyone knows, let me know and I will update the post.  Enjoy, its a great pic!


Rare Son of the Sheik Valentino Bookends

When I think of what I consider "rare" Valentino collectibles, besides personal items, autographs and original one sheets, there are only a few things that come to mind.  The elusive bookends, at least to me, are one of those items.  In my many years of collecting I had only seen one in person, up until now.  I just acquired one a few weeks back, yes only one.  I still need another to make a set.  I am happy to have at least one for now.  I checked and I posted a photo of a complete set a few years ago; however, this one is mine personally, so why not post it again?  Again, I do not have much information on these other than they are on the heavy side, they are made of some sort of metal and they depict Valentino from The Son of the Sheik along with his facsimile autograph.  I assume they were manufactured in the 20's after his death; however, I am not 100% certain.  If anyone has more specifics on the manufacture or when it was produced feel free to contact me.  In the meantime, I will enjoy my bookend as it is introduced to the many, many Valentino books it will be sitting next to!



Italian Book Edition from The Eagle

This is a fantastic Italian movie tie in book from The Eagle.  I am a big book collector and would love to own this one!  The overseas editions always seem to have unique covers and artwork and are more difficult to come across.  Unfortunately, I know nothing about this book, only that I came across the photo and would love to own it.  Another great piece to look for!