L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 4 MARIELLA RADAELLI NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS W hen leg- e n d a r y s i l e n t film star Rudolph Valentino died at age 31 on August 23, 1926 in New York City from a perforated ulcer, the announcement sparked scenes of mass hysteria. A hundred thousand mourners lined up the streets outside the funeral home, hoping to catch a final glimpse of their idol in his coffin. As soon as the doors of the funeral par- lor opened, the inconsolable fans surged and a riot erupted. "The rioting was without precedent, both in numbers concerned and in the behavior of the crowd, which in larger part consisted of women and girls," reported the New York Times. T h e r e a c t i o n w a s e x t r e m e . W i t h i n d a y s , R u d o l p h ' s s u d d e n d e a t h c a u s e d s e v e r a l w o m e n t o commit suicide in grief. The memorial service in Manhattan was held at the e n d o f A u g u s t a t S t . M a l a c h y ' s C h u r c h o n W . 49th St. attended by devas- tated fans and Hollywood n o t a b l e s i n c l u d i n g M a r y P i c k f o r d , D o u g l a s F a i r - banks, and Gloria Swanson. You could see people weep- ing, fainting at the casket of the Italian-born actor. His body was transported back to Hollywood where another star-studded funer- al took place at the Good Shepherd Church on Sep- t e m b e r 1 4 . T h o u s a n d s o f d e v o t e d f a n s l i n e d t h e streets in Beverly Hills and H o l l y w o o d t o w a t c h t h e funeral procession. R u d o l p h m a d e f e m a l e hearts flutter in silent films such as The Four Horsemen o f t h e A p o c a l y p s e , T h e Sheik, Blood and Sand, The E a g l e , a n d h i s f i n a l f i l m , The Son of the Sheik. He had been the world's first male sex symbol, the origi- nal "Latin Lover," a title invented for him by Holly- wood moguls. In the beginning, he was cast as the handsome but s l e a z y v i l l a i n . B u t J u n e M a t h i s , o n e o f t h e t o p s c r e e n w r i t e r s f o r M e t r o , which would become part of MGM, perceived his poten- tial as a leading man, as we s e e i n R e x I n g r a m ' s T h e F o u r H o r s e m e n o f t h e Apocalypse. The scene of V a l e n t i n o d a n c i n g t h e t a n g o m a d e t h e r a k i s h l y h a n d s o m e I t a l i a n a n overnight sensation. Writer June Mathis also donated her family crypt for Valentino who was never moved to a new location. He is interred next to Math- is in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In 2005, Cosimo Fun- g o s o , a g e n t l e m a n f r o m C a s t e l l a n e t a — R u d y ' s b i r t h v i l l a g e i n P u g l i a — started bureaucratic proce- dures to bring the body of the silent screen heartthrob back to his homeland Italy. H e h a d b e e n t r y i n g f o r years but without results. He officially wrote to Presi- dent George W. Bush and then to Prime Minister Sil- vio Berlusconi so they could d i s c u s s t h e m a t t e r a n d make the wish come true. "Castellaneta is Rodolfo's h o m e t o w n , a n d h e r e t h e body would receive a con- tinuous, affectionate pil- g r i m a g e , " F u n g o s o remarked. In these pages, I won't detail the personal life in America of the Italian-born actor or his film career and Hollywood stardom. I want t o c e l e b r a t e t h e s i l e n t - screen star's 127th birthday by bringing back to life his e a r l y y e a r s i n I t a l y a n d understanding the family he was born into. R u d o l p h w a s b o r n i n Castellaneta at 3 a.m. on May 6, 1895 as Rodolfo P i e t r o F i l i b e r t o R a f - f a e l e G u g l i e l m i d i Valentina d'Antonguel- l a . H i s m o t h e r , M a r i e B e r t h e G a b r i e l l e B a r b i n , w a s t h e d a u g h t e r o f a French engineer who led the construction of three r a i l w a y v i a d u c t s o n t h e B a r i - T a r a n t o r o u t e . H i s father, Giovanni Antonio Giuseppe Fedele Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella, was a doctor of veterinary m e d i c i n e f r o m M a r t i n a Franca who took up service in Castellaneta. The home where he was b o r n i s a n A r t N o u v e a u building on Via Roma 116 – at the time, Via Commercio 34. In 1933, Cincinnati's R u d o l p h V a l e n t i n o C l u b had a bronze plaque placed on the house façade that reads: "Rudolph Valentino, a n a m e t h a t i n a d i s t a n t land meant Italic art and beauty." "The baby was baptized o n M a y 1 6 i n t h e l o c a l cathedral by the old parish priest Don Giuseppe Scara- no. The godparents were maternal relatives," says Antonio Ludovico, author of a trilogy on Valentino, and founder and director of the Museo Rodolfo Valenti- n o i n C a s t e l l a n e t a . T h e s a m e y e a r i n P a r i s , t h e Lumière brothers gave birth to the big screen thanks to their revolutionary camera a n d p r o j e c t o r , t h e C i n é - matographe. Mr. Ludovico says that Rudolph's father also had been a cavalry captain. His family was originally from R o m e . R u d y c l a i m e d t o have noble origins: on the boarding slip for the ocean liner S.S. Cleveland issued in December 1913 he signed "Rudolph of the Guglielmi marquises." The noble title in his family had to do with t h e " d i V a l e n t i n a d ' A n - tonguella" part in his full name. Valentino had an older brother, Alberto, a younger sister, Maria, and an older sister, Bice, who had died in infancy. Her grave is at the cemetery of Castellaneta. Maria worked as a seam- Continued to page 6 Rudy Valentino in the Lobby card for the 1919 movie "The Delicious Little Devil" (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons agreement. Universal Pictures/Public Domain) Happy birthday, real charmer: the vitality and the blues of a young Rudolph Valentino

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