Variety, February 15th, 1923

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.

January 5th, 1923

On January 5th, 1923, VARIETY reported on behind-the-scenes negotiations about Rudolph Valentino’s future, between serious, heavy-hitting Hollywood power brokers. The names of the men mentioned are a revelation. Why? Because they feature so prominently in the future. Was Rudy’s career really in his own hands? It would seem not. Full article below:

The Spanish Boy

In this, the first post about 1923 in 2023, I reproduce a fascinating report, too rough and damaged to be presented in its original state. The piece appeared on the front page of The Morning Telegraph, on Wednesday the 3rd of January, 1923. And is a window, not only into the life of Rudolph Valentino, at the start of what was to be a momentous year, but also into his state of mind at that point. Those who read the long column through will appreciate the title: The Spanish Boy.

VALENTINO WON’T

ACCEPT ‘BROTHER’

Lowly Italian Youth Claiming Re-

lationship Confronted by Star

and Repudiated

WORKED IN THE FILMS, TOO

Muzii, Vague but Persistent in

Claims, Loses Job After Inter-

view in Director’s Office.

A pretender to the Valentino throne

is worrying the screen star.

The annoyance is of sufficient conse-

quence to cause him to appeal to his law-

yer, Arthur Butler Graham, 25 West

Forty Third street, to have it stopped.

Antonio Muzii, residing in West 112^th

street, is the cause of this additional

trouble. He is 19 years old, a native of

Italy, and claims to be a brother of

Valentino.

Valentino is more than displeased. He

went to the studios of the International

Film Corporation, accompanied by his

lawyer, to see Muzii, or Valentino, as he

was known to Mike Conley, casting di-

rector of Cosmopolitan films, and from

whom he obtained engagements in the

films “Adam and Eva” and “Enemies

of Women.”

Valentino Listens. Lawyer Talks.

Muzii was questioned by Mr. Graham

in the office of Mr. Conley. Mr Conley

held the attention of Mr. Valentino as

the conversation progressed. Valentino

registered deep displeasure, intensified

when he was informed that Muzii

claimed relationship.

It resulted in Muzii losing his position,

minor in character, also in the issuance

of the following, signed “Rudolph Val-

entino”:

“I am informed that one Antonio

Muzii of 500 West 112^th street, N. Y.

C., has been representing and holding

himself out to be my brother. I write

this letter to inform you that the said

Muzii is in no way related to me.

“You are requested to take no advert-

izing given you by any one in which the

said Antonio Muzii is exploited under

the name ‘Valentino’.”

This notice was sent to various pub-

lications.

Employed in Crowd Scenes.

Mr. Conley said that he had employed

Muzii because he was of the type needed

in crowd scenes. He said his name was

Valentino, but this exercised no influ-

ence, Mr. Conley observed, continuing:

“He is a little fellow. With a little

stretching of the imagination he could

be taken for the real Valentino in ap-

pearance. No one believes what he has

said as to his relationship with Valen-

tino.

At the offices of Mr. Graham it was

said that Muzii had amused and later

displeased Valentino. Persons on 112^th

street had said to Muzii that he re-

sembled Valentino, offering the first sug-

gestion of a motion picture agreement.

It was emphasized that he had committed

no offense other that using the name

Valentino.

Muzii could not be found. It was said

At 500 West 112^th street he had not

been around since Christmas. He is

known there as “the Spanish boy.”

Valentino says he has but one brother,

a physician in Italy.

Spelling of Star’s First Name.

The signature on Valentino’s letter,

looking as if a rubber stamp had been

used in attaching it to the warning no-

tice, indicates that the tangle continues

about the correct spelling of his name.

When he began to gain fame he was

“Rudolph” Valentino. After the “Sheik”

film he requested Famous Players-Lasky

to spell the name “Rodolfo.”

The management protested, explaining

that he had been known as “Rudolph

Valentino”: also that it was ill-advised to

change the spelling. Eventually Valen-

tino had his own way. The name “Ro-

dolfo” [sic] is used. His real surname is

Guglielmo. [Sic.]

I find this episode at the beginning of 1923 a really interesting one. Obviously, between the lines and without resorting to facetiousness, the anonymous Writer of this column is having fun with our Idol. At the same time we see there’s seriousness too. He, or she, finds fault with the injured party, Valentino, and that genuine though gentle disapproval is woven into the writing. We, today, see the incident in context. Rodolph/Rudolph had, for months, been forced to witness his substitution by others. Seen his pre-fame films, for which he’d been paid little, recut to place him front and centre for profit. And was about to experience the imminent exploitation of his adopted surname by his former Wife Jean Acker. It’s coincidental, yet still noteworthy, that The Imposter, Antonio, is an immigrant Italian. That, like the celebrity he attaches himself to, he’s good-looking. That he claims to be something and someone he’s not. That he’s starting out in crowd scenes. And that in his neighbourhood he’s known as: The Spanish Boy.

It would be much later, after his untimely demise and in the years that followed, that false girlfriends and wives, as well as babies, would emerge. As far as I’m aware – happy to be proved wrong! – this is the only example of anyone claiming close connection or kinship in his lifetime. A replacement for Valentino would be sought in vain in future years. And in a twist, his actual sibling, Alberto, mentioned in the article and not a Physician, was lured unsuccessfully in front of the camera. Neither he nor anyone else measured-up — how could they?

I want to thank you for reading this through to the end. And I take this opportunity, to invite you to comment and give me your thoughts, if you’ve any. Lastly, my best wishes for the year ahead of us all!