His was a death that shocked the world. The 31-year-old Rudolph Valentino was on a nation-wide promotion tour for his latest film, "The Son of the Sheik." The just completed movie opened a solo movie house limited engagement at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles and was in preparation for a general public release in early September 1926. The actor, swooned over by an adoring female mob wherever he went, was suffering from stomach pain during the later portion of the campaign. While in New York City to promote his movie, Valentino was rushed to the hospital from his Hotel Ambassador room at Park Avenue in Manhattan on August 15, 1926.
The star was operated on immediately for what was discovered as a perforated ulcer, today known as 'Valentino's syndrome.' During post-surgery, doctors attending him felt he had a good chance for recovery. Then, on August 21, inflammation from the infection around his chest cavity, known as pleuritis, hit the actor hard. Valentino's chances for recouping his health went downhill fast. A couple of days later, on August 23, a bulletin was released announcing the death of one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars and sexiest symbol silent movies had ever known.
The timing of young Valentino's death was ironic in that his movie career experienced an up-and-down graph of popularity. His fame was reaching a crescendo upon the release of "The Son of the Sheik," coming on the heels of a long overdue successful film in quite some months, 1925's "The Eagle." As much as he hated to be identified with his greatest hit, 1920's "The Sheik," Valentino readily accepted his studio's, United Artist, insistence that a sequel to his desert character should be made. Taking a cue from Douglas Fairbanks, whose father/son role in "Don Q., Son of Zorro" was a rousing success, Valentino saw a golden opportunity to lick his chops by playing both the father portrayed by him in "The Sheik" and his youthful son. The make-up on Valentino to create the aging sheik was so convincing that the star would take pleasure in walking around the town without anyone recognizing him.
Valentino appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself during "The Son of the Sheik" filming. When the crew was out in the Yuma, Arizona, desert in 110-degree, the star was happily riding his horse around the arid grounds. He also enjoyed having the luxury of picking his leading female. Selecting Hungarian-born Vilma Banky was a no-brainer for him since the on-set chemistry in "The Eagle" was something special for Valentino.
He was humbled by his less-than-successful love life, especially after his divorce from his second wife, costume designer Natacha Rambova. He was famously quoted as realizing "women are not in love with me, but with the picture of me on the screen. I am merely the canvas on which women paint their dreams." The direction of George Fitzmaurice took advantage of Valentino's stunning on-screen looks in "The Son of the Sheik" by calling for a number of close-ups of the actor, especially when he's locking lips with Banky.
United Artists came under some harsh criticism when it decided to release "The Son of the Sheik" two weeks after Valentino's death. But as the studio went ahead with its release, adoring fans, especially the women, lined around the blocks in a last chance to see Hollywood's biggest male sex symbol on the big screen.
By the time "The Son of the Sheik" was playing nationwide, Valentino was laid to rest through the good graces of June Mathis, the scriptwriter and studio executive who had recently reconciled her friendship with Valentino. Mathis had divorced her husband and had a spare crypt available at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It was intended to be a temporary place for the star, but when Mathis suddenly died the following year, Valentino's remains were left there in repose.
The cemetery ceremony concluded a hectic two weeks of funerals and memorials attended by thousands of adoring fans. Outside Saint Malachy's Roman Catholic Church, police were called in to quell a mob estimated to be almost one hundred thousand people anxious to get a glimpse of Valentino's coffin. Transported by train to Los Angeles, another crowd greeted his body during a second funeral in Beverly Hills.
For years afterwards, a woman in black would place a red rose in Valentino's crypt on the anniversary of his death. Valentino had visited a friend's daughter in the hospital a year before he died. He told her she was going to live a lot longer than he was. As a request, the actor asked if and when he was ever in the hospital that could she take the time and come by and talk to him because he didn't want to be alone. The girl, Ditra Flame, didn't get a chance to visit him in his last hospital stay in New York. But she did bring a rose annually to his crypt for a number of years before she saw others were doing the same. She eventually gave up the practice. Strangely, those who pay their respects at Valentino's crypt swear they hear footsteps approaching when no one is around. For casual movie fans today who heard of the absolute mania surrounding the death and funeral of Valentino, they can get a glimpse of what all the commotion was all about by watching the pinnacle of the star's alluring performance in "The Son of the Sheik."
The star was operated on immediately for what was discovered as a perforated ulcer, today known as 'Valentino's syndrome.' During post-surgery, doctors attending him felt he had a good chance for recovery. Then, on August 21, inflammation from the infection around his chest cavity, known as pleuritis, hit the actor hard. Valentino's chances for recouping his health went downhill fast. A couple of days later, on August 23, a bulletin was released announcing the death of one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars and sexiest symbol silent movies had ever known.
The timing of young Valentino's death was ironic in that his movie career experienced an up-and-down graph of popularity. His fame was reaching a crescendo upon the release of "The Son of the Sheik," coming on the heels of a long overdue successful film in quite some months, 1925's "The Eagle." As much as he hated to be identified with his greatest hit, 1920's "The Sheik," Valentino readily accepted his studio's, United Artist, insistence that a sequel to his desert character should be made. Taking a cue from Douglas Fairbanks, whose father/son role in "Don Q., Son of Zorro" was a rousing success, Valentino saw a golden opportunity to lick his chops by playing both the father portrayed by him in "The Sheik" and his youthful son. The make-up on Valentino to create the aging sheik was so convincing that the star would take pleasure in walking around the town without anyone recognizing him.
Valentino appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself during "The Son of the Sheik" filming. When the crew was out in the Yuma, Arizona, desert in 110-degree, the star was happily riding his horse around the arid grounds. He also enjoyed having the luxury of picking his leading female. Selecting Hungarian-born Vilma Banky was a no-brainer for him since the on-set chemistry in "The Eagle" was something special for Valentino.
He was humbled by his less-than-successful love life, especially after his divorce from his second wife, costume designer Natacha Rambova. He was famously quoted as realizing "women are not in love with me, but with the picture of me on the screen. I am merely the canvas on which women paint their dreams." The direction of George Fitzmaurice took advantage of Valentino's stunning on-screen looks in "The Son of the Sheik" by calling for a number of close-ups of the actor, especially when he's locking lips with Banky.
United Artists came under some harsh criticism when it decided to release "The Son of the Sheik" two weeks after Valentino's death. But as the studio went ahead with its release, adoring fans, especially the women, lined around the blocks in a last chance to see Hollywood's biggest male sex symbol on the big screen.
By the time "The Son of the Sheik" was playing nationwide, Valentino was laid to rest through the good graces of June Mathis, the scriptwriter and studio executive who had recently reconciled her friendship with Valentino. Mathis had divorced her husband and had a spare crypt available at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It was intended to be a temporary place for the star, but when Mathis suddenly died the following year, Valentino's remains were left there in repose.
The cemetery ceremony concluded a hectic two weeks of funerals and memorials attended by thousands of adoring fans. Outside Saint Malachy's Roman Catholic Church, police were called in to quell a mob estimated to be almost one hundred thousand people anxious to get a glimpse of Valentino's coffin. Transported by train to Los Angeles, another crowd greeted his body during a second funeral in Beverly Hills.
For years afterwards, a woman in black would place a red rose in Valentino's crypt on the anniversary of his death. Valentino had visited a friend's daughter in the hospital a year before he died. He told her she was going to live a lot longer than he was. As a request, the actor asked if and when he was ever in the hospital that could she take the time and come by and talk to him because he didn't want to be alone. The girl, Ditra Flame, didn't get a chance to visit him in his last hospital stay in New York. But she did bring a rose annually to his crypt for a number of years before she saw others were doing the same. She eventually gave up the practice. Strangely, those who pay their respects at Valentino's crypt swear they hear footsteps approaching when no one is around. For casual movie fans today who heard of the absolute mania surrounding the death and funeral of Valentino, they can get a glimpse of what all the commotion was all about by watching the pinnacle of the star's alluring performance in "The Son of the Sheik."