L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022 L'Italo-Americano Valentino wrote that he w e n t t o s t u d y a g r o n o m y because Italy needed farm- ers more than sailors or sol- d i e r s , a s h i s m o t h e r t o l d him in an attempt to revive his enthusiasm. "I couldn't disappoint her after she had shown me so much loyalty a n d r e s p e c t . I f a c e d t h e School of Agriculture with determination (…). I could not fail, and I did not fail ..." The time spent in Sant'I- lario, Genoa, represents a decisive turning point in his life. Rudy once told a friend that his success had its ori- gins in Sant'Ilario. There, he earned a diploma in scien- tific agriculture that later allowed him to become a gardener on the Long Island e s t a t e o f C o r n e l i u s B l i s s . T h a t h a p p e n e d s i x months after his arrival in New York, where he stayed in the Italian Quarter and worked several menial jobs. At the same time, he tried to improve his English. A f t e r g r a d u a t i n g , h e returned to Taranto to pack his bags and leave for the city of dreams, Paris, where he tried his luck as a dancer. "He stayed for a few weeks b u t t h e n f i n i s h e d u p t h e money his mother had given him. But in Paris, he under- s t o o d t h a t ' I t a l y w a s t o o small' for his ambitions," says Ludovico. He ran to Paris and felt l i k e h e w a s i n h e a v e n . " I had freed myself from that feeling of suffocation. The boulevards offered me an abundance of treasures and beauties. I was the lord of C r e a t i o n ( … ) " . B u t t h e money didn't last long, nor d i d t h e w h i m s i c a l b o u l e - vards' generosity. He ceased to be the lord of Creation and went back to despera- tion. After Paris, he went to Monte Carlo to play at the casino. His life was full of bitterness but guided by the same spirit of adventure he had when he fled to Paris. "But Monte Carlo treated me much worse than Paris," he wrote. Back in Taranto, Rodolfo felt even more suffocated than before. The town was too restrictive. He had to leave again. Otherwise, he would have fallen into the abyss of depression. Only America could wel- come his dreams. Only in America he could breathe, he wrote. Rudy's paternal relatives supported his will to leave a s " t h e y f e a r e d R o d o l f o with his reckless behavior could further dishonor the G u g l i e l m i f a m i l y , " s a y s L u d o v i c o . " T h e d e c i s i o n w a s h a s t e n e d b y t h e f a c t that Rodolfo got a girl preg- nant." At age 18, on December 8, 1913, Rodolfo boarded t h e S . S . C l e v e l a n d a n d s a i l e d t o N e w Y o r k C i t y , happily paying extra for a f i r s t - c l a s s c a b i n . H e h a d 4 , 0 0 0 d o l l a r s w i t h h i m . " O n e d a y , t h e y w o u l d b e proud of me. (…) It was my mother who put together the money needed for my departure. It was my moth- e r w h o i n s t i l l e d n o t o n l y new courage but new ideals in my heart," he wrote. I n A u g u s t 1 9 1 4 , e i g h t months after his departure, the girl gave birth to Gio- vanni, who will become his brother Alberto's son", says Mr. Ludovico. On a sunny September 1923, the Hollywood star R u d o l p h V a l e n t i n o returned to visit his birth- p l a c e . H e d r o v e h i s b l u e Bugatti as the village kids clung to the car's bumper. Everyone wanted a ride. " T h e f a b l e d , s u n g , d r e a m e d a n d c h e r i s h e d place! In fact, I believe that the place of birth is above all a sentimental matter," he wrote in My Private Diary. H e w e n t b a c k t o t h e "square, white house where I was born, I got a knot in my throat and a veil cloud- ed my eyes (…)". O n h i s I t a l i a n v i s i t , Rudolph tried to adopt Gio- vanni, the son of Alberto and Ada Guglielmi. Accord- ing to some, Giovanni was the natural son of Rudolph. B u t A l b e r t o r e j e c t e d t h e request. Alberto was work- ing in the city hall of Cam- pobasso as municipal secre- tary. Three years later, from F e b r u a r y t o J u n e 1 9 2 6 , Alberto, his wife Ada and G i o v a n n i w e r e g u e s t s o f Rudolph Valentino in his legendary Falcon Lair villa in Hollywood. Valentino died quickly t w o m o n t h s l a t e r . H i s brother Alberto moved to Los Angeles to contest the settlement of Valentino's estate and protect the fami- ly's interests. "He opened a l o n g l e g a l d i s p u t e ( u n t i l 1960) with George Ullman, e x e c u t o r o f V a l e n t i n o ' s will," says Mr. Ludovico. "Alberto underwent var- ious surgeries to look like Valentino and replace him in the movies but ended up w o r k i n g a s a n a u d i t o r a t United Artists. He passed away on June 4, 1981, in Los Angeles." Also, Giovanni settled in California and became an award-winning sound engi- n e e r k n o w n a s J e a n G . V a l e n t i n o . H e h a d t w o d a u g h t e r s , S y l v i a a n d Jeanette. "My heart is just over- f l o w i n g w i t h h a p p i n e s s , " s a i d S y l v i a V a l e n t i n o H u b e r i n 2 0 1 4 w h e n t h e m a y o r o f C a s t e l l a n e t a awarded her the honorary c i t i z e n s h i p o f t h e P u g l i a village. Sylvia lives in Santa Monica. Valentino possessed the " S " f a c t o r , w r o t e S u s a n K i n g f r o m t h e L A T i m e s y e a r s a g o . " H e w a s s e x y , sensuous, smoldering and swarthy". I n d e e d , h e h a d t h a t screen magnetism, and an iconic style. But he was also passionate about art and loved to write. He cultivat- ed beauty like an aesthete. He was somehow medita- tive. His collection of poems, DayDreams, sold in 1923 half a million copies. When he penned the book, he was waging a "one-man strike" against his studio, demand- ing higher quality produc- tion standards for his films. His wife Natacha Rambova alleged that those "psychic" poems had been dictated to h i m b y h i s o w n s p i r i t guides, in a trance, through a u t o m a t i c w r i t i n g . O n e poem invokes "mercy" for those who only see "gray skies" where all around is "celestial glory." Y o u r g l o r y i s e t e r n a l , Rudolph Valentino. Happy birthday, real charmer! The magnetic eyes of Rudy Valentino made many women swoon (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons agreement. www.archive.org. Public Domain) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Valentino possessed the "S" factor, wrote Susan King from the LA Times years ago. "He was sensous, smoldering and swarthy." But he was also passionate about art and loved to write. He cultivated beauty like an aesthete Continued from page 6

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