Today, in 1923, VARIETY published a column focusing on Rudolph Valentino. Titled, in capitals, VALENTINO’S PICTURE FUTURE SUBJECT OF MUCH SPECULATION, the report, which originated out of the city of Detroit the previous day, a place Rudy had left just days before, on the eleventh, threw light on recent events there. As well as this, it dug down deep into his battle with Famous Players-Lasky, and also activities at St. Louis, Missouri, his location at that moment in time. The piece is here reproduced, in full, titled: VARIETY, February 15th, 1923.
VALENTINO’S PICTURE FUTURE
SUBJECT OF MUCH SPECULATION
________
Talking on Americanism in St Louis This Week—
Court Battle with Famous Players Still Waging—
Carl Fischer Broke Even on Detroit Engagement
________
Detroit, Feb. 14.
The enagagement of Rudolph Val-
entino and Winifred Hudnut at the
Majestic School of Dancing last
week did not prove such a fliv as
expected.
Carl Fischer, owner of the dance
hall, stood to lose $15,000 on the
week. When he found the public
would not pay $2.50 to see Valen-
tino he reduced the price to $1. This
helped a little the next night, but
on the third day there appeared a
very “hot” story in the local Hearst
paper in which Fischer unmercifully
panned Valentino, calling him a
“foul ball” and accusing him of
having polished his gold sticks a
few years ago while a guest o
friends at Long Island. He said
that he had to pay Valentino $7,500
for the week, $330 for his railroad
fare, and 50 per cent of the receipts.
The story started something and
that night nearly 2,000 people were
at the dance hall to see Valentino.
They cheered him. And in a speech
he concluded by saying “I have a
little surprise for you tonight; I
want you to meet Mr. Carl Fischer,
my friend, and I hope you will all
make it a point to become better
acquainted with him.”
The balance of the week showed
an increase in attendance and
Fischer just about broke even on the
engagement.
Valentino told the press he was
astounded upon reaching Detroit to
see the type of dance hall operated
by Fischer and that he offered to
cancel the engagement which
Fischer refused. Fischer proposed
that Valentino give out tickets to
all the women attending with the
idea of having a drawing contest,
the winner dancing with Valentino,
which the latter refused to do call-
ing the scheme ridiculous.
______
There’s considerable “inside stuff”
to the Valentino-F. P. imbroglio. It
is not generally known that Valen-
tino was quite willing months ago to
continue working for Famous in his
next planned production, “The Span-
ish Cavalier” under Allan Dwan’s
direction which was perfectly satis-
factory to the star, at the same
salary he last drew. It is not
generally known the hitch revolved
around the securing of June Mathis
to do the cutting, this being the only
condition Valentino required so as
to prevent the cruel slashing ac-
corded him in his last F. P. release,
“Blood and Sand.” The Famous
officials countered that Miss Mathis
was signed by Goldwyn. The Mathis
insistence is because of that scenario
writer’s friendship for Valentino,
she being primarily responsible for
“discovering” him as a screen mati-
nee idol.
This has always been played up
for press stuff in linking the “Ben
Hur” rumors with Valentino. Miss
Mathis prepared the scenario of the
Gen. Lew Wallace story and reports
that Valentino was to be the leading
male were thus given added weight.
Arthur Butler Graham who has
been acting as the actor’s local
spokesman again denies any reports
of Valentino signing with Metro
(in the last press story in which Harry
Fields, the actor’s manager, was
quoted) for the simple reason the
injunction prevents any such em-
ployment. The legal end of the Fa-
mous litigation is still in the courts.
Today (Thursday) Graham and
Louis Marshall of Untermeyer, Gug-
genheimer & Marshall, acting for
F. P., will oppose each other in a
motion whereby the film company
would have Valentino’s answer
stricken out and judgement awarded
to them on the pleadings.
Valentino is currently appearing
at the Delmonte theatre, a picture
house in St. Louis, where he is mak-
ing a 15 minute speech on Ameri-
canization thrice daily from the or-
chestra pit, not from the stage.
This is not considered a violation
of professionally appearing on
stage or screen. Mrs. Valentino
(Winifred Hudnut) is on the same
bill in a dance act, also appearing
three times daily. Cyrena Van Gor-
don, Chicago prima, is another fea-
ture of the program this week. At
50 cents top business the first three
days was capacity. He opens at the
Trianon, the new Chicago mammoth
dance hall Feb. 20.
Graham makes mention of the
fact that Valentino finally acceded
to a talk with Adolph Zukor, the
F. P. executive recently, after being
persistently sought after, but that
no definite arrangement could be
made. Despite the salary cones-
sions, Valentino is holding out for
artistic co-operation to meet with
his ideas which somehwo or other
F. P. will not grant.
Regarding Carl Fischer, Graham
mentions Fischer’s antecedents as
being of Scandinavia extraction,
formerly known as Carl Fischer Han-
sen who married a daughter of W.
Gould Brokaw and later became
known as “the millionaire lawyer”
for his philanthropies towards the
poor legally. Fischer was also a real
estate operator of parts in New
York. He cannot understand how
he came to be the manager of a
dance hall in Detroit.
Thank you for reading this latest post on the His Fame Still Lives Blog in its entirety. This is a report which goes way beyond the basics when it comes to the start of 1923. Nowhere else, to the best of my knowledge, is there a better look at the ups and the downs and the ins and the outs of Valentino’s life at this point. Certainly, nothing so in-depth and detailed, and revealing. And while personal communications and contracts continue remain either lost or unavailable, such material is essential, if we’re to fully grasp what was actually going on beyond the often sensational headlines. I can promise more such information in the weeks and months ahead, as I continue to look very deeply, into this most fascinating and busy of years for The Great Lover.
His Fame Still Lives 