In every mythology, there are sacred relics—and those who stand guard over them, snarling at anyone who dares to look too closely. The legend of Rudolph Valentino is no exception. Among the ruins of his tattered legacy, a handful of self-appointed figures—the Gatekeepers—have taken it upon themselves to decide what can and cannot be said about this long-gone icon.
But their mission isn’t about truth. It’s about control.
These obedient enforcers serve the person I refer to as The Cult Leader. His gatekeepers work his two primary Facebook forums as administrators.
Now, there are many Rudolph Valentino Facebook forums—most are respectful and well-managed. But I’m focused today on the two that dominate the Rudy cyberscape, the ones with the loudest voices and the tightest censorship. How do I know the Cult Leader runs these two forums? I was told—explicitly—by one of his own, someone who broke rank briefly and shared everything. They laid out the connections between the various Gatekeepers/ administrators and confirmed what was already painfully obvious: the Cult Leader has always been the puppet master.
These gatekeepers, as forum admins, act as loyal moderators who answer not to facts, not to history, but to their leader. He plays puppeteer; they dance. Some do it for favor. Some for attention. And some—tragically—believe they’re on a holy mission.
The result? A toxic ecosystem where critical thinking is silenced, primary sources are erased or mocked, and anyone who presents documented history that contradicts the approved myth is branded a heretic.
I’ve been that heretic for nearly two decades.
Let me show you how it plays out, with just a couple of examples.
My late husband and I published a firsthand memoir by Valentino’s close friend and manager, George Ullman—a man who actually lived the Valentino story. In his memoir, he recalls a vivid moment: Valentino passionately kissing actress Mae Murray. A small, human detail from a complex life.
When a reader recently mentioned this incident on one of the cult-run forums, one of the Gatekeepers pounced, demanding: “That sounds like an unsubstantiated rumor. Where did you find that??”
The answer, of course, is in the memoir Renato and I published years ago. A memoir any serious Valentino researcher would know.
But our names—and any mention of our books—are strictly forbidden on the cult leader's forums. So it’s no surprise this particular gatekeeper had no clue. Their question was not just a challenge—it was a confession.
This same gatekeeper frequently reminds forum members not to mention me. (See the image illustrating this note.) That’s not moderation—it’s erasure. They hold the line for the Cult Leader while snapping at any potential violators.
The gaslighting runs deep.
For years, I’ve had to defend myself against this particular gatekeeper’s unprovoked attacks. When someone once asked about my book Affairs Valentino, they dismissed it as “the rantings of a madwoman.” In smug exchanges with their co-gatekeeper, they’ve mocked my appearance and dismissed my books as garbage. The cruelty is casual. It’s strategic. It’s relentless.
And then, someone sent me a private exchange they had with this gatekeeper—a telling moment.
The forum member had mentioned me in a post. The gatekeeper deleted it, then sent them a direct message explaining I was “nasty” and not to be mentioned again. That’s not critique. That’s command: erase her. Do not speak her name.
Incredibly, the gatekeeper also claimed they had never given me any reason to say anything negative about them. A laughable claim, considering the documented years of defamation I’ve endured.
They went on to say I had a “long history of conflict” with the Cult Leader.
Damn straight I do. I had to.
I’ve fought for my name, my dignity, and my right to publish the truth. Every word, every response, including this one which both Renato and I made over the years has been more than justified.
I share this today not for sympathy, but to show how tightly the puppet master pulls his strings. This isn’t about historical debate. It’s about suppression. Its about his will.
Here’s what the person who forwarded me the gatekeeper’s messages had to say:
“I don’t like people who attack & harm others & they should be ashamed of their mean-spirited behavior. They, along with those other horrible people, disparage you, defame you & should get sued. It’s so wrong what they’re doing & the damage they’ve already done. It seems to me that their conduct & shenanigans are illegal & they are guilty of defamation, hurting your sales, hurting your reputation. They should be held accountable. You should talk to a lawyer.”
Well, I did. I sued one of them for defamation—and I won.
Still, they police. Still, they enforce. Still, they hoard what little power they’ve scraped together under the long shadow of a leader who throws stones and then hides his hands.
They lie, portraying me as aggressive and cruel while casting themselves as victims. But the record tells a different story. It is well known that Renato and I spent many years—and I still spend time—defending ourselves, salvaging our dignity, and resisting the cult leader’s attempt to erase us.
And here’s the most grotesque part: they do it while cloaking themselves in the language of “respect” and “legacy”—as if Valentino himself would applaud their rewriting of his life into bland reverence.
As if the man who defied norms, who challenged convention, who lived boldly and controversially—would want his truth silenced in favor of the cult leader’s mythology.
Let me be clear: the Gatekeepers did not earn the keys to this gate. They took them—through censorship, defamation, and alliance with a bully.
They have erased, defamed, and gaslit those of us who did the real work: the archival digging, the translations, the court battles, the years of research.
This post isn’t meant to win friends in their world. I’m long past hoping for civility from those who never showed it. This is about calling it what it is.
If you find yourself blocked for asking a question, if your post disappears for citing a published source, if you feel like the rules bend depending on whom you’re quoting—you’re not imagining it.
You’re just approaching the gate.
But truth doesn’t ask permission.
It doesn’t knock.
It breaks down the door.
And I will keep walking right on through.
I don’t write this to burn bridges—because those bridges were never built. I write this because truth deserves guardians who aren’t afraid of nuance or complexity in Rudolph Valentino’s history.
Even the gatekeepers know their standing depends on obedience. They fight among themselves and jockey for attention—but they all know what happens if they stop holding the line. The Cult Leader will turn on them too. He always does.
And that’s the irony: every attempt to silence me only proves how powerful our work truly is.
Fiat Justicia Ruat Caelum... and arrevederci!
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