Candid Photo of Valentino with Secretarial Signature

This is a rare, candid photo of Rudy dated 1925. This candid snapshot is signed, "To Lyle, Sincerely Rudy, 11-14-25." After some great feedback and taking the time to review the photo closer, this is definitely not signed by Valentino. Thanks for the call-out! I would be very interested in finding out who signed this on his behalf, a secretary, Pola, George Ullman, who knows?. Valentino appears to be wearing the same ensemble from the film Cobra. Candid shots of Rudy that were not mass produced are extremely desirable. Donna gave some great background to this photo, thank you for that. The photo was taken at Pola Negri's home, with different variations appearing in Donna's book. The fact this is not signed by Valentino obviously brings the value down. It is still a rare photo and these types of items do not surface very often.

Paramount Publicity Poster

This is a rare publicity poster, also known as a personality poster, produced by the movie studio. Posters such as these were often displayed at the studio or the movie theater to promote their top or up and coming stars. I believe this poster to be from 1921 or so, it is a fantastic piece. I have to believe these were not produced in the quantities of the standard movie posters. This helps with the rarity and value of a poster such as this. I would be interested to know if there are any other variations created. Regardless, I will need one of each for the ever growing collection.

The Young Rajah Insert Card

I know, that title is a bit confusing; however, I found this photo many years ago and have it filed under movie herald's. It appears to be the art for a window card, whatever it is, it is a fantastic, colorful piece of rarely seen movie art from the 1922 film, "The Young Rajah." This film is known for very colorful memorabilia, often depicting missing scenes from the current copy of the film that exists. If this window card exists it would be quite valuable, the same would go for the movie herald due to the rarity. With that in mind, a movie herald pales in comparison to an actual poster, it's just that both would be very desirable. If anyone has any further insight or information, feel free to comment. All in all, a wonderful, artistic piece.

Update: Bob, who does a fantastic job of restoring photos, updated the Rajah Insert Card, see the photo below, thanks again Bob!

Photos from The Son of the Sheik

These are five photos from the Rudy's last film, "The Son of the Sheik." For non-collectors / non-fans, items and photos from The Sheik and The Son of the Sheik are easily mixed up. As a collector / fan, this of course drives me crazy. These films were made five years apart and rarely do the photos look similar except for a few of the costumes; anyway, I digress. This early sequel was a great film and if Valentino had not died during the release of the film, I still feel it would have been a great success.

The Eagle Newspaper Advertisement

The is a newspaper ad from the film, The Eagle from 1925. This ad is actually not from 1925, most likely from the 1930's re-release. Many of these newspaper ads are more common than you think. These are not very valuable, just great pieces to add to the collection.

Vintage Son of the Sheik Stick Pin

This is one of the many random items out there.  I am truly unsure what exactly this is.  My best guess is a stick pin or simply a lapel pin.  If it is from the 20's, which is looks to be, it would be a memorial piece.  However, it may possibly be from the 60's or 70's.  I do not own the item, I just have a photo.  Maybe someone out there knows more about it, or owns one.  It depicts a colorized photo of Valentino from the film, "The Son of the Sheik."  This falls in the category of one of those random items that has to added to the collection, because you do not already own one.

1938 Re-Release Movie Poster from The Son of the Sheik

This is a 1939 Movie Poster from the film, The Son of the Sheik. This poster is similar to a window card, which typically measures 14'x22', this one happens to measure 12'x26'. This poster is Swedish and is from the re-release of the film. This is an interesting variation of the movie art for the film; however, the poster does a poor job of depicting Valentino as the star of the film. I still find it to be a great example of a 30's re-release poster.

Rare Photo from The Hooded Falcon

This is an extremely rare photo of Valentino from the unmade 1924 film, "The Hooded Falcon." This was to be the story of the Moor's. There were many reasons why this film never came to fruition, one of which was the overspending of Rudy and Natacha's trip overseas to obtain authentic antiques and clothing for the film. The studio could not afford what the Valentino's had in mind. Many look toward Natacha for her ridiculous demands and causing a riff with Rudy and June Mathis. It was rumored that Nita Naldi was to co-star in the film as well and was sent to Paris for costume fittings. There are only a few surviving photos of Valentino in costume, this is an extremely rare photo depicting Valentino in this role.

 

 Update: One of our loyal blog followers, Bob, has touched up the photo, I wanted to post it for everyone to see, thanks again Bob!

Artistic Photo from The Sheik

This is a great, framed photo of Valentino from the 1921 classic, "The Sheik." This photo was submitted from one of the blog's avid readers, Chris. I liked his description of the photo: "I found a picture of Rudy as The Shiek which I had framed in a second hand store frame and dulled brown with coffee. It looks awesome! Great idea, it turned out fantastic! For anyone out there you would like to share pieces of their collection, or maybe just their favorite photos or items, feel free to email me. I will post them for everyone to see. Thanks again Chris for your submission, keep them coming!

French Film Magazine

This is a French Magazine from 1929, called "Le Film." The cover of the magazine depicts Valentino from the 1925 film, Cobra. After Valentino's death various publications featured Valentino on their cover. I am sure it assisted publications in selling magazines. Most of these were produced during the anniversary of his death or birth. Some simply featured small stories pertaining to Valentino and his life or films. This particular magazine is not seen too often; however, like most simple black and white publications are priced moderately.

Lobby Card from Moran of the Lady Letty

This is a lobby card from the 1922 film, Moran of the Lady Letty. There is not a great deal of memorabilia out there from this film. It was not a huge financial success. The lobby set, unlike most of Valentino's other films were in black and white. I still find these cards to be great pieces of Valentino memorabilia. I honestly do not think I have seen the complete set. Lobby cards are fairly valuable and great for framing. One note regarding framing and displaying any of your memorabilia, which you all will most likely already be aware of; but, keep items out of the sun, it really sun fades items over the years. All of my collectibles are in a room with no windows; however, if I lived in the Hollywood Hills I would have to display a lobby card or a poster in my living room. Something tells me I will never have that opportunity, it is just wishful thinking.

Photos from The Sheik

These are five photos from The Sheik. The Sheik is the quintessential Valentino film. The film co-starred Agnes Ayres and Adolphe Menjou. This is the film that truly launched Valentino into stardom. This was the first Valentino film I had ever seen, the rest is history. I highly recommend watching the version with the musical accompaniment from Roger Bellon. The following are a few photos not commonly seen from the film, the photo of Valentino and Menjou is from Ana's 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.

Rare 1978 Spanish Biography

This is a biography of Valentino from 1978, written in Spanish and published in Spain. The name of the book is: Valentino la seduccion manipulada by Antonio tello and Gonzalo otero pizzaro. The English translation of the title is Valentino, Manipulated Seduction. This is not a common book in the states, I am still on the lookout for one of these myself. There was a resurgence of Valentino in the 1970's. Movie stars from the 20's and 30's on a whole were again popular in the 1970's. For Valentino, there were a couple of movies made about him, along with numerous books written about his life and movies.

Vintage Italian Valentino Magazine

This is an Italian magazine called il mattino illustrato, which translates in English to The Morning Shows. I believe this magazine is from 1926. It depicts a profile photo of Valentino on the cover. I do not own this piece, I assume it is a magazine, it could quite possibly be a newspaper supplement. This is definitely not a common piece; but most likely would not be as sought after or as valuable as some of the colorful artistic covers. For someone like myself, it is another item I would have to have for the ever-growing collection of items I have no further room for, oh well, time to get rid of my childhood baseball cards.

Photos from a Rogue's Romance

These are rare photos from the 1919 film, A Rogue's Romance, starring Earle Williams. This is one of 7 films Valentino had a bit part in, in 1919. This was one of the many early films that was re-released when Valentino became a star. The studio's would often re-cut the film where Valentino's parts were played more than once, making it appear he had a bigger part in the film than he actually did. Just a few years after these films were released, Valentino was red hot and all of the studios wanted to capitalize. Original photo stills from the original release of these films are very difficult to find, most of the promotional material did not include Valentino. Three of these photos are from Frau Wulf, who has a great website by the way, definitely check it out!

Rare Sainted Devil Movie Poster

This is a rare movie poster from Belgium from the 1924 lost film, "A Sainted Devil." This is yet another great example of an overseas poster depicting different artwork that the common U.S. release edition. I had never seen this poster until now. This is truly a rare, and hard to find poster that would be quite valuable and would look great framed in my home somewhere.

Happy 117th Birthday Rudy!

Today is the 117th anniversary of Valentino's birth.  I thought I would list this stunning portrait taken by James Hargis Connelly.  To my knowledge, I do not remember seeing this photo before, unless it was in Donna's book.  There appears to be a signature at the bottom, my understanding is it is that of the photographer, not Valentino.  I find it to be such a fantastic vintage pose with a great play on the lighting. 

Anyway, Happy Birthday Rudy!  I know we have quite a few followers on the blog, feel free to share a Valentino story: maybe a favorite film and why, or how you got into Valentino, or maybe your favorite Valentino collectible and why.  Leave your stories in the comments as a birthday homage if you will.  If not, at least watch a Valentino movie, or treat yourself to a new item for your collection, just don't outbid me on ebay! Enjoy the day!

Valentino / Swanson Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film

This is an absolute fantastic series of VHS tapes that was produced in 1980 by David Gill and Kenneth Brownlow.  This is a 13 part series on silent film, distributed by HBO Video.  They produced an entire volume on Gloria Swanson and Valentino, each about 30 minutes long.  The documentary was narrated by James Mason, who has this great regal, British accent.  This is a fascinating documentary, not only on Swanson and Valentino, but the entire series, you will really learn a great deal about early Hollywood.  The entire series is available on YouTube.  I have linked the part on Valentino below, simply click on Valentino Documentary, it begins with the ending of the Swanson portion, then the Valentino part with begin, enjoy!

Valentino Documentary

Rare Movie Poster from Monsieur Beaucaire

This is a rare movie poster from the 1924 film, Monsieur Beaucaire. The poster depicts a hand drawn shirtless Valentino. This is one of those films that has many variations of artwork for their movie posters, especially the overseas versions. This is a poster that is not often seen and would be very valuable to any collector.