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