The Legend of Rudy

Rudolph Valentino | Wikimedia Commons

I'm not exactly sure what is about Rudolph Valentino and my fascination with him. There is something haunting about his photo, something behind his eyes.

There is a sadness and nostalgia I feel when thinking about him and his death. He was the first in a long line of screen legends, the Latin Lover. He had it all until he didn't. Women wanted him, and men wanted to be him. Rudy, it seems, had it all. However, death, as it so often does, came quickly and suddenly. He died at the age of 31 at the height of his fame.

Rudolph Valentino was born in Castellaneta, Italy on May 6th, 1895 to French Mother, Marie Berta Gabrielle, and his Father, Giovanni, a veterinarian. He had 3 siblings, an older brother, Alberto, an older sister, Beatrice, who died when she was a baby, and a younger sister named Maria. He immigrated to France in 1912, but not finding any work he then went to New York in 1913. In 1917, Rudy went to Hollywood, trying his luck in acting.

In 1919 he married an actress named Jean Acker. From most accounts though, the marriage wasn't a happy one. The marriage was never consummated. They divorced in 1921.

Natasha & Rudy

That same year he met scriptwriter, June Mathis. Mathis was able to convince the movie director, Rex Ingram to cast Rudy in the lead role of his new movie, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It was a million-dollar production that catapulted Rudy into stardom. He then stared in George Melford's The Sheik in 1921. More films followed for Rudy, Blood and Sand (1922) and The Eagle (1925). He said of Mathis:  "...She gave me my start. She first, of all people, believed in me."

In 1922 he married actress and set designer Natasha Rambova, however, he was brought up on bigamy charges, since his divorce from Acker wasn't finalized.  The law at the time stated that one had to wait a year between getting a divorce and a new marriage. Natasha and Rudy's marriage was annulled. 

They legally remarried on March 14, 1923, in Indiana. It's said that his marriage to Natasha was volatile due to Natasha being controlling and Rudy wanting to have children while Natasha didn't. 

From the book, by Michael Morris, Madam Valentino: The Many Lives of Natasha Rambova: 

Natasha & Rudy | Wikimedia Commons

"He knew what I was when I married him. I have been working since I was seventeen. Homes and babies are all very nice, but you can't have them and a career as well. I intended, and intend, to have a career and Valentino knew it. If he wants a housewife, he'll have to look again."  

Natasha and Rudy divorced in 1925.

In 1925, right before his divorce from Natasha, Rudy bought four acres in the Hollywood hills and built a house. He named it Falcon Lair. It was built in the Spanish Colonial style, complete with fountains, and Italian trees. It was his refuge. He furnished it with antiques from his travels. 

On August 15, 1926, Valentino collapsed at the Hotel Ambassador in New York City. He was hospitalized for appendicitis. Valentino had surgery to correct the condition. Rudy's doctors including Rudy himself believed he would make a full recovery. However, he later developed peritonitis, inflammation of the tissue that lines the abdomen. Then on August 21, he was stricken with Pleurisy, inflammation of the lining surrounding the lungs. On August 23, 1926, Rudolph Valentino died.

His funeral was held at Frank Campbell Funeral Home in New York. Fans by the hundreds waited outside the funeral home to get a glimpse of Rudy. Riots broke out and there were reports of suicides of overzealous fans. New York police lined the streets to keep order. 

There was also a funeral mass held for Rudy at St. Malachy's Roman Catholic Church in Manhattan on August 30th. Valentino's body was then taken by train from New York to California. Another funeral was held at the Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. 

Rudy's old friend June Mathis, offered to lend Rudy a spot in her family's crypt at Hollywood Memorial Park, for Rudy to be interred in until a more permanent spot could be arranged. Rudy hadn't purchased any burial space before his death, it's thought partly because he was so young, and didn't feel there was an immediate need.

Rudy and Mathis on the set of Blood and Sand

However, June Mathis died the following year on July 26, 1927, from a heart attack. Mathis' husband, Sylvano Balboni, graciously gave Rudy his crypt. On August 8, 1927, Rudy's casket was moved from Mathis' crypt to the one adjacent, crypt 1205. Mathis was then interred in the crypt she had "lent" to Rudy. 

Every year on the anniversary of Valentino's death, a woman draped in a black veil and dress carrying a long-stemmed red rose has come to visit Valentino's crypt. People have said it's a devoted fan or lover of Rudy's, others say that it was a publicity stunt. 

Rudy's beloved Falcon Lair was auctioned off after his death. It was later sold to Doris Duke in the 1950s. Duke sold it in the 1990s and it underwent major renovations.  In 2006 it was bulldozed. “Only the outer gates/fence structure and garage area remain extant and recognizable from Valentino’s time.”

Even though Rudy has been dead for over 90 years, his story lives on. That's the thing with legends, especially legends who die young, they never really die. Their name is still spoken, and their movies still are viewed, they still have fans. Rudy lives on in the hearts and minds of his fans. 

"I have been deeply touched by the many telegrams, cables, and letters that have come to my bedside. It is wonderful to know that I have so many friends and well-wishers both among those it has been my privilege to meet and among the loyal unknown thousands who have seen me on the screen and whom I have never seen at all."

Citations:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Rudolph Valentino.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 19 Aug. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Rudolph-Valentino.

Pickford, Hala. “Rudolph Valentino.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/name/nm0884388/bio.

“Rudolph Valentino.” Rudolph Valentino, www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3872.html.

Wikipedia contributors. "Natacha Rambova." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 Sep. 2019. Web. 7 Sep. 2019. 

Wikipedia contributors. "Rudolph Valentino." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 13 Aug. 2019. Web. 7 Sep. 2019. 

Wikipedia contributors. "June Mathis." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24 Jul. 2019. Web. 7 Sep. 2019. 

Soares, Andre. “Falcon Lair: Rudolph Valentino House for Sale + Baby Peggy Talks!” Alt Film Guide RSS, 2018, www.altfg.com/film/falcon-lair/.

Morris, Michael (1991). Madam Valentino: The Many Lives of Natacha Rambova. Abbeville Press. ISBN 978-1-558-59136-3. OCLC 555726616. 

Ellenburger, Allan R. “The Story of Rudolph Valentino’s Borrowed Grave.” HOLLYWOODLAND, 19 Aug. 2017, 2:36 am, allanellenberger.com/the-story-of-rudolph-valentinos-borrowed-grave/.

“Appendicitis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 24 May 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/appendicitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20369543.