Reason # 1
It seems there is always more to realize about the cult's raison d'être. Just when I think I have it figured out, another aspect of their actions, their loyalties and their rocky alliances is revealed. This week... my revelation?... Well I came to the conclusion that their definitive reason for their campaign to ruin me... is fear.
Whether they realize this or not...their fear has always been palpable. They fear they will be proven to be liars, fear they will be revealed as not so knowledgeable, they fear being caught with merchandise/relics with shady provenance. They fear being exposed as frauds... something they never stop accusing me of being.
In this post I address one of their primary motivating fears and reasons why they do what they do; this would be... the thorny subject of Rudolph Valentino's only brother, Alberto Valentino.
When I was researching Affairs Valentino, someone told me the following. They said Rudolph was one thing but if I dared to ding the halo of his brother Alberto, “they” would come after me.
That is exactly what happened and I blame a great percentage of the cult's attacks on my exposing Alberto Valentino's true role in Rudolph's story. I had no bias against Alberto but his true role became reality after I discovered those one thousand pages of his brother Rudolph's probate court records.
I'd read many articles where Alberto Valentino relates his version of events and I watched his iconic video interview. It turns out it was mostly false. I add it was not just an innocent false telling of the story but a cruel and unwarranted attack on Rudolph's manager George Ullman.
I began to realize Alberto intended to keep the actual particulars of the story buried, a truth where he did not look so very good. In this cover-up he positioned himself as hero, a long-suffering victim who only got “pennies” and a few memories from his famous brother Rudolph's estate. In this narrative he positioned George Ullman as the villain who embezzled estate money and prolonged the settlement of the estate.
Imagine how I reacted as I pored through the mile high stack of those records which documented a completely opposite history. I knew then I would be the person to report this for the first time.
Why do I think my telling Alberto's true story prompted the attacks? To answer that question I back track a bit to 2009.
It was then I was invited by the University of Turin to deliver a speech on Valentino. It was then the Valentino family spokeswoman finally revealed the family had a copy, I believe the original, of George Ullman's 1975 memoir.
I point this out because the Valentino family hid the very existence of that critical document from public view. Why? Well it turns out they were hiding a great deal, not only the Ullman memoir and those probate records... which involved Alberto Valentino.
After my speech in Turin, the Valentino family spokeswoman told me that if I ever published that 1975 Ullman memoir, “It would kill her mother” and the family would release information which would impugn George Ullman. They had been doing that for decades, nevertheless I heard the threat.
What did they fear about my releasing the memoir? I found nothing so offensive in the document except references to Alberto's spending. I will not digress into the details of Alberto's spending but explain what I believe the family and the cult's fear of this issue is based on.
My late husband Renato and I thoroughly dissected Alberto's role in his brother's history on every level, refer to Affairs Valentino, The Affairs Valentino Companion Guide, The George Ullman Memoir, The Rudolph Valentino Case Files... and with our source of court records publicly archived and our publication of the 1975 George Ullman memoir, anyone could fact check our work. But here follows the crux of the fear about Alberto's truth.
Alberto Valentino stated many times over the years after his brother Rudolph's death, how he and his sister Maria received nothing but a “few” items of sentimental value and “pennies” from his brother's estate. He blamed this on the lawyers and George Ullman. In examining the data contained within the court records recording the actual dispensation of Valentino's estate, fact is this is a false statement indeed. Alberto was the one who extended the settlement of the Valentino estate and his claim of receiving pennies is ridiculous.
As the originals of those stolen probate records were hidden away in the hands of collectors and some allege the Valentino family for decades... it was impossible to fact check Alberto's statements. Because I am able to do so now, I share the following court documented facts as a revision to Alberto's account.
When the probate court requested an audit of George Ullman's executor's books, the records subpoenaed were those of the last few months of Rudolph Valentino's life. As itemized under the “Baskerville Audit”, subtitled, 1926 “Gray Book” Household Expenses #3 we find the following entries itemizing money paid to Alberto.
During the last four months of Rudolph Valentino's life, Alberto received a total of $6050.00 dating from the first entry on April 7, 1926 until July 6, 1926. (by today's monetary value calculated x 15, today this would be a value of $90,750.00.) This money was primarily dispersed in $400.00 a week checks. ($6000.00 a week)
In the months following Valentino's death in August of 1926, Ullman, as executor, dispersed the following additional money to Valentino's sister Maria and Alberto, while acting in good faith believing they were the rightful heirs. As itemized in the court records under the heading of “The Matter of Heirship and Distribution” we find the following:
Maria Guglielmi Strada received, in cash and personal property, $21,616.33. (today's value, $324,244.95) With the personal property alone Ullman advanced to her after her brother's death totaling, $3,428.00 (today's value, $51,420.00)
Alberto received during the same time frame from Ullman, $36,949.71 (today's value, $554,245.65) I do not have access to a specific itemization of the personal property advanced to Alberto but do know from various newspaper reports and collector Bill Self that Alberto seized possession of Valentino's various cars, his dog Kabar, clothing and jewelry.
Contrary to Alberto's life long claiming as fact he and his sister only received a “few items of sentimental value”, and “pennies”...from 1926 until 1930, Rudolph Valentino's siblings received from the executor of their brother's estate, a total of $59,027.33 (today's value, $885,409.95).
This total reflects only information entered in the extracts which I had access to in the court of appeals records covering a time frame from 1926 until 1930.
Contrary to Alberto's life long effort to falsely impugn Ullman.. he and his sister lived extremely well from Ullman's generosity.
If Alberto found himself penniless by 1930 it was not due to George Ullman's mismanagement or any lack of cash from his brother's estate. The annual income in America at that time was $1500-2000 ($22,500.00) so put that into perspective. It is my opinion Alberto squandered the money he received, living far beyond his means and hiring lawyers to execute a thirty years long vendetta to “get” Ullman. That vendetta is incredibly still being carried out today.
In closing I reiterate the cult and its leadership fear the public's knowledge of the information contained within the stolen probate court records, fear the exposure of Alberto Valentino's cover-up and misrepresenting of Ullman's performance as executor. For decades Alberto spun his version of events as gospel primarily because no one had yet to access the probate records.
When a research librarian behind the main desk at the Hastings Law Library asked me if George Ullman ever filed an appeal of Alberto's first judgment against him, Valentino history was revised.... the true history emerged. That was a significant moment in Rudolph Valentino's story which did not bode well for a family and the cultish collectors who absolutely never thought such a thing would happen.
It did.... in Affairs Valentino.
I could almost understand Alberto portraying the past with his brother as a rosy landscape where he was the wise and circumspect older sibling. I could almost understand his reasons for not wanting to admit to the substantial amount of money he burned through in record time after he came to Los Angeles. But I can not understand why this meant he was compelled to erroneously vilify George Ullman in his tall tale. Ullman was ultimately exonerated on all charges of estate mismanagement and the judge praised his work.
Alberto's years of blaming and defaming Ullman for his own squandering of funds imprinted an irrational hatred of Ullman. The collectors in turn fell into line and seized this cruel portrayal of the man who was the actual hero in the story.
Curiously I feel the cult of collectors do the same with me by going too far to vilify me in order to hide the truth about their own less than noble dealings.
For today....Thanks for listening! And more to come!
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