Happy 120th Birthday Rudolph Valentino!

Happy 120th Birthday (about 1.5 hours early) to Valentino!  I hope all is well with all of the collectors, fans, and vintage Hollywood fans.   So, today Valentino would have been 120 years old.  Take time out today to buy a Valentino item, watch a Valentino film, or simply tell someone what today is.

I am posting an awesome Swedish Movie Poster from Blood and Sand.  The poster is simply awesome, not much else to say about it except it would look wonderful framed and hanging up in my Rudy room, haha.  Enjoy the day, long live Valentino!

Photos of Valentino from the 1922 film, Blood and Sand

I still love to simply scour the internet for photos of Valentino.  I spent a lot of time doing just that when I first started collecting....well a couple of years ago....or something like that, I don't exactly remember.  Anyway, I would find photos and print them, going through a lot of ink at the time.  I know I have said it a million times, but is simply amazes me that I can still come across not only collectible items; but, photos I had never seen before.  The following are 5 photos from the 1922 film, Blood and Sand, one of Valentino's finest.  Some of these poses are not often seen, enjoy!

Blood and Sand Newspaper Advertisement

This is another great example of an original newspaper ad from the 1922 classic, Blood and Sand. As with most of these ads, it depicts slightly different art from most of the posters, lobby cards and various promotional material.  As I've said before, these are great to collect.  They are easy to frame or put in a scrapbook and they are reasonably priced.  Finally, I like this ad because it actually depicts Lila Lee and Nita Naldi together.  Most ads only depict one.

Russian Blood and Sand Movie Poster

I came across this poster on a rare Swedish Movie Poster site.  One of our readers, Karena tells me it's in Russian and I have to agree with her.  This is a poster from the 1922 film, Blood and Sand.  This poster appears to be all hand done and does not have information for Paramount Studios.  If this is a poster that was all hand done for a theater showing, it would be an interesting find.  I would think it would be difficult to attach a value to it since it is not a mass produced item.  I find it to be a wonderful piece!

Rare Spanish Blood and Sand Photoplay Book

This is a rare paperback from Spain. This is a photoplay edition from the 1922 film, Blood and Sand. This is a fairly rare book, it has a fantastic colorized photo of Valentino from the film on the cover. I really enjoy the items from overseas with all the unique, colorful artwork. This is a fantastic piece!

Postcards from Blood and Sand

These are five postcards from the 1922 film Blood and Sand. I find postcards to be a great, reasonable collectible. Often original postcards from the 20's depict unique or rarely seen poses. I try to display as many postcards as I can in my Valentino office; however, my space is limited. Anyway, I digress, these postcards are not overly valuable but great additions to any collection.

Swedish Blood and Sand Sheet Music

This is a rare piece of sheet music from Sweden from the film, "Blood and Sand." Sheet music, besides books, are my favorite items to collect in regards to Valentino memorabilia. Pieces of sheet music often depict scenes from the film or colorful, artistic depictions of the actors. I look at sheet music as in the same class as posters and lobby cards, they are of the same period and represent a tool to promote the film. This particular piece is not often seen, there are many other variations of sheet music from the film, Blood and Sand. As in this case the overseas variation is quite different that the U.S. editions.

Blood and Sand Stamped Signature

This is a fan photo from the film, Blood and Sand. These photos which can be found from many of Valentino's films, such as The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Ealge, and even The Hooded Falcon, all have the same stamped signature. These are commonly mistaken for authentic autographs, as did I when I first received one as a gift. The most common trait that each of these photos have is the dented "a" in Valentino, this is a indication that the photo has a stamped signature. I have seen people try to trace these with blue or green markers to appear real; however, they are not, be cautious. Even though they are not authentic they are still from the 20's and some of these were actually sent out by Valentino himself. With that being said they are still fairly desirable, just not overly valuable. Don't think you can sell one of these and go buy a new car, more like a nice dinner, well, a semi-nice dinner.

Photos from Blood and Sand

These are five hard to find photos from the 1922 film, "Blood and Sand." Blood and Sand was a great movie with a great script. I found it to be very well acted and well filmed, even though the studio's original plan was to film part of the film in Spain, which did not happen. There are hundreds of thousands of stills from most of Valentino's more popular films, most of these stills are not too common. Four of the five photos are from Frau Wulf's website.

Spanish Mini Chocolate Card Fold Outs

This is a great, random item. The front of this mini booklet reads, "Galeria de las Estrellas del Cine," which translates to Gallery of the Stars of the Cinema. This was created from the Amatller Chocolate Company. There are fold out cards depicting Valentino from The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Young Rajah, and Moran of the Lady Letty. I love finding items like this. I had no ideas things like this existed. It still amazes me just how many items are out there!

Lobby Card from Blood and Sand

This is one of my favorite lobby cards from Blood and Sand. It is a very colorful card that features Valentino and co-star Nita Naldi. The card depicts one of my favorite scenes from the film where she seduces him by playing the harp. Many of the desirable lobby cards seem to be more scarce. Most are already in collections out there, that is, for the ones that have survived over the past 90 years, which is how old this film is. Lobby cards such as this can be quite valuable, even though they are a fraction of the cost of an original poster which can easily bring five figures.

Photos from Blood and Sand

Here are five photos from the 1922 film, "Blood and Sand." Blood and Sand is a fantastic film which co-starred Lila Lee, Walter Long, and my favorite silent sexy-vamp Nita Naldi. One of the photos is taken from NitaNaldi.com, it is my favorite of the five, I enjoy the artsy shadow play. A great story, great acting, and a film filled with great costumes!

Happy Thanksgiving - Color Photos

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and I hope many of your friends and family members are getting out tomorrow to find you some Rudy treasures for Christmas! I thought I would post a few color photos from the Old Hollywood in Color blog. These photos include scenes from The Sheik, The Young Rajah, Blood and Sand, and a candid photo.

Rare Blood and Sand Movie Poster

This is a rare version of a poster from the 1922 film, "Blood and Sand." The poster is from Belgium. This is another example of a different variation from the U.S. release. Many overseas collectible items depict different art work or different movie scenes. This would be a valuable and hard to find movie poster.

1922 Lowe's Newsletter featuring Blood and Sand

This is a great 1922 Lowe's Theater Newsletter sent to me by one of our readers, Bob. It features scenes from the 1922 film, "Blood and Sand." Even though these newsletters were mass produced, you do not see a great deal of these around today. These not only promoted the films, they also contain a few articles about the stars. These are great, informative items.

Photos from the Blood and Sand

These are five photos from the 1922 film, "Blood and Sand." This is truly one of Valentino's best films. Parts of the film was supposed to filmed in Spain; however, it was filmed on the back lot of the old Paramount Studios. Regardless of where it was filmed a superb performance by Valentino, Lila Lee and Nita Naldi. These are all great photos, one of my favorites is the one where he has a cigarette in his hand. I just bought it in Hollywood.

Rare French Blood and Sand Movie Poster

This is a very rare French Movie Poster from the film Blood and Sand. I find it fascinating that so many different posters and other collectibles exist out there that I have never seen before. This poster happens to be one. Although I will say the man on the poster that is suppose to be Valentino looks nothing like him. I think the artist was looking at a photo of Harry Houdini when he drew Valentino.

Five Photos from the Film, Blood and Sand

These are five photos from the film, "Blood and Sand." This was one of Valentino's best performances, along with a great supporting cast. Besides both Sheik films Blood and Sand seems to have the largest assortment of collectible items. Most of the items from this film are very colorful and dramatic. If you have not watched this film in a while, check it out again!

Rare French Blood and Sand Poster

This is a rare French movie poster from the 1922 film, "Blood and Sand." It appears to be a window card, which is simply a horizontal poster than is a bit smaller than a normal size movie poster. This is yet another example of a wonderful overseas poster that depicts colorful, unique artwork. A poster such as this would easily bring 5 figures at an auction, so needless to say I am not the proud owner of one, but always looking for someone who wants to part with one for a few bucks.