Irving Schulman's "Author's Note"

While researching Affairs Valentino, I made a point of accessing and studying the archive of Valentino biographer Irving Schulman. There I found the following "Author's Note" as he typed it himself which I found fascinating for one reason. On the second page he laments, with obvious emotion, how people feared to make their identities known for fear of the "professional keepers of the myth" as he referred to them. This reflects his experience in 1966. Not much has changed. 

 

Leslie Flint Letter to Michael Morris

During the late 1980's Father Michael Morris was researching his biography of Natacha Rambova, Madam Valentino. It was in this effort he contacted the President of The Valentino Memorial Guild, Leslie Flint. Mr. Flint was instrumental in making other introductions to Michael Morris; one being Tony Altimoreno. Altimoreno's shared confidences with Michael Morris were ground-breaking. I include this research in my article, "The Love Child Theory" which can be read by clicking on the Google Drive link posted, @ https://evelynzumaya.blogspot.com/p/the-love-child-theory.html

 

George Wehner Obituary

Following her divorce from Rudolph Valentino, Natacha Rambova found solace in the company of psychic and trance medium George Wehner. When Valentino died, Wehner was with Rambova in France visiting the Hudnut chateau. He infamously foretold Valentino's death in a seance which was attended by Natacha Rambova, her mother, step father and aunt. His psychic prediction was written about for years. This story is told in Astral Affairs Rambova. 

Wehner was a fascinating character in the story and in his autobiography, A Curious Life, he related the events at the chateau when Valentino died. Most importantly he revealed Natacha's genuine, emotional reaction to news of Rudolph's death. His obituary follows: 

 

George Ullman's Complete Exoneration

In April of 1934, Rudolph Valentino's close friend and trusted business manager received a complete exoneration. He was also praised by the ruling court for his services as Valentino's executor. This is seldom if ever reported and although it received minor press in the day, eight years after Valentino's death - this stands as a critical document verifying Ullman's honesty and integrity. 

 

Correct Identification of Rene Clair

Expanded Insight to the Andre Daven research posted: https://andredaven.blogspot.com/

It has long been claimed the person to Valentino's left in this image below is André Daven. This is incorrect and I share the definitive documentation regarding the identification of this person as René Clair. The image as left to right: Rolph de Mare, Valentino and René Clair... both men were in Deauville with the Valentinos.  

René Clair has been officially verified by the Iconographic section of the Cinémathèque Française. 

Below the image, I share the response to Renato's request for clarification on the identity of the person at Rudolph Valentino's left. The curator of the image sector replied with the following message:

Bonjour Renato,

Après vérification des différents portraits que nous avons de René Clair nous vous confirmons que c’est bien lui qui est sur la photo et non André Daven.

En espérant avoir répondu à votre demande…

Restant à votre disposition,

Bien cordialement,

xxxxxxxxxxx

(English translation of the verification e-mail)

Hello Renato,

After checking the different portraits we have of René Clair, we confirm that it is him who is in the photo and not André Daven.

Hoping to have answered your request.

Remaining at your disposal,

Best regards,

xxxxxxxxxx

 

Contract Appointing Ullman as Valentino's Business Manager

On July 6, 1923, Rudolph Valentino met with S. George Ullman in the office of his new lawyer Max D. Steuer to sign a contract appointing Ullman as his business manager.

 

Executor's Exhibit 4 - Maria Strada Letter

George Ullman included this personal note from Rudolph Valentino's sister, Maria Guglielmi Strada in his appeals case because it proves she charged him with advancing estate funds to the godfather Frank Mennillo. Ullman made several advances as secured business investments in Mennillo's business, Vab, Inc., and these were disputed by the Valentino heirs. 

This note is also significant in that Ms. Strada acknowledges the "difficulties" taking place with her brother Alberto's interference in estate affairs. Mennillo is also established as a godfather/padrino personage for the Valentino family.

The estate monies Ullman advanced to Mennillo were eventually dismissed as being legitimate investments of profits Ullman generated for the Valentino estate. 

 

The United Artists Contract - 1925

For decades Rudolph Valentino's contract with United Artists, signed in 1925, remained hidden in a collector's secreted collection. When I interviewed collector William Self in 2003, he told me he had the original copy of the contract. I asked him several times if I could see it and never did. 

An official copy was included in the court records I retrieved from the California Court of Appeals library in San Francisco. This is the copy I share via the below Google Drive link. 

Until I shared this contract, it was purported that United Artists specifically banned Valentino's wife Natacha Rambova from any role in his United Artists' films. This was not the case and she is not mentioned. It was the fact she was not given any role which caused the rift in the Valentino marriage. 

The contract also reveals Valentino's contracts were assigned to the ownership of his corporate alter ego, Cosmic Arts. (More about Cosmic Arts in the "Page" link in this blog's header). The sole stock holder of Cosmic Arts was Natacha Rambova which made her the sole owner of her husband's contracts. 

Here follows the contract with the "Assignment to Cosmic Arts" contract and the distributing agreement included:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZGAGO5xY0MRGwDzHwGadhWgW7gMVJBKi/view?usp=drive_link

Svetoslav Roerich Permission

In 1989, Michael Morris secured the permission from Svetoslav Roerich to reproduce his painting of Natacha Rambova on the back of his Rambova biography, Madam Valentino - The Many Lives of Natacha Rambova.

 

Alberto Guglielmi Declaration of Intention

Rudolph Valentino's brother Alberto Guglielmi enters the United States filing his intention to become a citizen. It is interesting to note he cites Turin, Italy as his foreign residence. He is not on file in the Turin City Archives as ever having been a citizen. His surname is also legally Guglielmi although he was known as Alberto Valentino.

 

William Self E-Mail

This email from Bill Self, dated September 1, 2003, was sent to me during my early investigations into the disappearance of Rudolph Valentino’s probate case file. Self, a Hollywood producer and longtime Valentino collector, confirms that the records—once presumed lost—were quietly returned to the Valentino family by a third-party collector.

Self made the identity of the “Valentino collector” he mentions known to me but he never formally acknowledged the transfer of stolen records to the family until he sent this email to me.

Another source, now deceased, later confirmed to me that the exchange involved a barter: the records were returned in exchange for one of Valentino’s dress shirts. This individual was for a time ostracized from the inner circle of collectors for revealing this to me.

I share this email, marked with a coffee stain from that time, as a piece of documentary evidence. It remains one of the most striking insights into the Valentino family’s role in the concealment of stolen historical records. The message contained in Self's e-mail has never been refuted.