I think it is proper, at this time, for me to give another disclaimer. A great deal of what follows in this series will be from George Ullman's 1975 memoir, but I cannot vouch for its complete accuracy. The reason for this is that I am forced to take the information from the 'S. George Ullman Memoir' as written by Evelyn Zumaya. I can attest that it has been altered in at least a few ways, and I am suspicious that it has been altered even more than I can possibly know.
I have not been able to see the actual memoir; not even a photocopy. I know of at least three individuals who have had access to photocopies of the memoir, and I suspect there are a few more floating about, but I have never been able to physically view them. And so, this is the best I can do.
I have no proof of what the actual 1975 memoir says, but I have enough even here with what IS written that I have been able to glean what I consider to be good information. Information that makes it clear what type of man Ullman was, and what type of man he was not.
I'll give my own opinion as we go along, from here on out. Please keep in mind my old mantra ... 'opinions are not facts.' Many Valentino fans consider George Ullman the 'hero' of the Valentino story, but his own words betray that description, as you shall see. While he was not the true villain, either, he was not pristine. It will, I hope, become clear on its own who the 'true villain' was, but I shall be pointing it out when we wrap this all up in future blog posts ... just in case anyone misses it.
For now, I shall let George Ullman get on with his story as noted in his 1975 memoir:
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"On Sunday morning, August 15th, 1926 my wife and I were having breakfast in the living room of the suite when Rudy came in. He looked awful but said that he would join us in a few minutes. We heard a loud groan from Rudy's room and went in to see him. He said he had a stomach ache and knew what would help it. He then poured almost a full glass of brandy and quickly drank it and said he felt much better. He got into his bed and said that he wanted to sleep all day because he had a big date that night.
Mrs. Ullman and I left our room to visit nearby friends and on the way out we asked the telephone operator not to put through any calls to the room until we returned.
At about four o'clock that afternoon we returned to the hotel and heard loud groans from Rudy's room. Rudy was in severe pain in the region of his stomach, so I phoned to the desk to ask for the hotel physician. There was a doctor whose home was across the street from the hotel and I asked the clerk to get him up to the room as quickly as possible. Dr. Paul Durham arrived in a few minutes and his first diagnosis was that Rudy was suffering from a perforated ulcer.
Dr. Durham wasn't certain that his diagnosis was entirely correct and phoned Dr. D.K. Manning to examine Rudy at the hotel to confirm his findings. When Dr. Manning arrived he advised Rudy's immediate removal by ambulance to The Polyclinic Hospital."
The Polyclinic Hospital, c1926
"Dr. Harold D. Meeker, a prominent surgeon, was called and he advised immediate surgery. Preparations were made and Dr. Meeker performed the surgery at 6 o'clock in the evening on Sunday. Dr. Battey, the senior Polyclinic physician was his assistant."
"When Rudy was brought down to his hospital room he was still under the anesthetic. I asked Dr. Meeker whether Rudy was in any grave danger. He told me that gangrene had set in at the place of incision of the ulcer but that he thought that he had been able to excise the gangrene. Again I asked him what the chances of Rudy's survival were and he said, 'About 50-50.' That was a great blow to me to be sure.
I went about getting the best nurses Dr. Battey recommended and placed two guards to keep all visitors away from the room.
The newspaper reporters were already assembled in a private room on the lower floor of the hospital and I went to them and gave them a condensed review of the surgery and the time of Rudy's probable stay at the hospital. Each day more press and magazine representatives congregated in the hospital room assigned to them and several times each day I visited with them and gave them details of Rudy's condition and other information to enable them to write their stories. My main reason for my efforts to keep the press interested was that for the first four days of Valentino's illness I felt certain that he would recover but that the time for the convalescence might be fairly long.
At one time I asked Rudy whether I should send for his brother and he said, 'By no means. Just please cable him that I am indisposed and that I will soon be up and around.'
As I wrote before, these are the almost deathbed words of my friend and I would not distort them by so much as a misplaced word and I quote only those which are necessary to this narration.
Rudy asked for no one and slept almost all the time. He said that he felt no pain and only expressed himself as being 'so tired.'
The newscasters and writers, at my request, frequently made the announcement that no one was permitted to see Valentino, but despite this, people continuously tried by every conceivable ruse, to gain admittance to the hospital and even to the corridor near the room where Rudy was fighting for his life.
Thousands of telegrams, letters and religious medals began to arrive for Rudy. Flowers arrived by the truckloads. I told Rudy about these things whenever I could and he asked me to have the flowers distributed to the free wards in the hospital."
Astrid Williams was in the Polyclinic Hospital at the same time Rudy was in there as a patient. She had her tonsils (or appendix) out. Rudy shared his flowers with her.
"He asked me to let him have a hand mirror. His illness had left him so thin that I tried to avoid getting one for him, but he said 'Ok, let me have it! I only want to see what I look like when I am sick, so that if I ever have to play that kind of part I will know how to put on my make up.' "
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There are many conflicting stories about this time in Rudy's life, and some were much more detailed. Rather than go through all of it as it happened at this time, I am only going to go with what George Ullman has to say about Rudy's end times.
I do want to say that I strongly disagree with Ullman's not calling Alberto, even though he claims that Rudy did not want his brother notified of the events. Rudy was not in his right mind. At the very least, George should have had Frank Mennillo in on things from the time Rudy was admitted to the hospital. Mennillo was the closest thing that Rudy had to family and Ullman knew it. This was Ullman showing just how jealous he was of anyone close to Rudy and Ullman could now taking his chance to become 'Rudy's closest person,' since Natacha was out of the way for all intents and purposes. Rudy didn't even realize it, and Rudy was in no shape to realize it.
There is no proof that he contacted Natacha immediately, either. I realize there are tales of Rudy and Natacha being in constant contact during his illness and that Rudy kept her cables and telegrams under his pillow in the hospital. I'm not buying that hogwash, either. While very romantic, I see no proof of that other than some ramblings of his hopeful fans. Ullman contacted Natacha three times that I can believe, to tell her he was ill, to tell her he was getting better and to tell her he had died.
Due to distance and time constraints (not to mention the probable lack of an invitation) Natacha did not attend his New York funeral. However, there was no such excuse as to why she could not have managed to be at his Los Angeles funeral, had she wanted to. Oh, but that was also invitation only ... controlled by George Ullman. No. Natacha was cut out of those funerary proceedings by Ullman .. or Natacha simply did not want to go. Anyone can see that. BUT, I find it interesting that Rudy's old chums, the old gang he used to hang with ... Paul Ivano and others who had been integral to Rudy's life, were also not in attendance at either funeral. Someone made sure they also had no invitations.
Frank Mennillo ... Rudy's very close friend (whether some choose to believe it or not).
Back to Ullman's 1975 memoir:
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"He was definitely on the road to recovery on Sunday morning at one-thirty when Mrs. Ullman and I left him. Neither the nurses or doctors had expressed any anxiety about his condition."
"Nevertheless, I was uneasy. I do not say that I had a premonition, but after I had taken my wife to the hotel, where I shaved and showered, instead of going to bed, I returned to the hospital, arriving there about five o'clock Sunday morning.
It was still dark and the night nurses were on duty. Rudy was asleep. I read his chart, and, to my consternation, saw that both his pulse and respiration were much more rapid than when I saw him earlier. I immediately phoned the four physicians to come at once, which they did.
A little before seven o'clock Rudy awakened and said, 'I feel fine now. The pain is gone. All I can feel is the place where they made the incision. Perhaps on Monday Mr. Schenck and Norma can come for a visit. Later on perhaps I can go back to the hotel and rest there.' "
"The doctors examined Rudy and then held a consultation which lasted about an hour. One of the doctors, Dr Durham, urgently suggested blood transfusions, but the others disagreed.
At about 8 o'clock that morning I went into what I thought was an empty hospital rom, to try and rest awhile. In one of the beds I saw Dr. Durham, the man who first examined Rudy at the hotel. He was lying on his back listening to his own heart and then sternly demanded that I get to bed at once because my heart was in very bad shape. Without thinking much about it, I said, 'I think you're crazy.' And I left the room. I said this without meaning it, of course, but a month or so after Valentino's death. I learned that Dr. Durham was actually confined in a Texas home for mental patients!
While I was in the corridor near Rudy's room, a priest told me that he wanted to see Rudy. I thought Rudy might be alarmed if he saw a priest at this time, so I refused to permit the priest access to Rudy. He frowned and looking down at me said, 'If he should die without the last rites, it will be upon your head!' I mention these things only to show the strain upon me at this time.
The doctors, at my request, had canceled all their other appointments and stood by to try anything that might get Rudy past the crisis. They issued hourly bulletins and, in silence, crowds began to gather in the street, for word of hope, which never came.
Early on Monday morning when I went again to his bedside, I saw that he as sinking rapidly. His fever had increased and his pulse was very rapid.
Realizing that were he able to ask he would probably want to see a priest, now I called Father Leonard, with whom I had spoken several times during the past previous days. He was a pastor of a church called the 'Actor's Church' on West 47th Street.
Father Leonard soon arrived and went alone into Rudy's room where he remained for some time. When he came out his face was uplifted. Later when I saw Rudy I was sure that I had done the right thing because he appeared calm and peaceful.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Schenck came to visit Rudy and he spoke with them quite normally inquiring about their health and the health of Norma's sister, Connie Talmadge.
I sent for an old friend of Rudy's, an Italian gentleman named Frank Menillo (sic), because I thought Rudy might want to say something to him in his native language. But he spoke in English and said, 'Thank you, Frank I'll be well soon.'
Early next morning when I again went to his room, he called me by name in a voice so much stronger that I was greatly encouraged until he said, 'Wasn't it an awful thing that we were lost in the woods last night?" I was too shocked to answer and just stood next to his bed and stroked his head. He looked up at me and said, 'On the one hand, you don't appreciate the humor of that, do you?' I tried to smile and said, 'Sure I do, Rudy, sure I do.'
Fearing to excite him and hoping that he might fall asleep again I turned to pull down the blinds, for the sun was rising. I turned at the sound of his voice. He waved a feeble hand and with a smile just touching his lips he said, 'Don't pull down the blinds. I feel fine. I want the sunlight to greet me!'
These were the last intelligible words he spoke. Hurriedly I brought Frank Menillo (sic) and an Italian priest into the room. I thought that Rudy might say something in his native tongue to a confessor, but Rudy was already in a coma and muttered only one word in Italian, which I though was, 'Madre.'
At 12:10 p.m. on Monday, August 23rd, 1926 Rudolph Valentino was dead; age, thirty-one years."
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So, I have to stop it here and insert my own commentary. This story of Rudy's final days from Ullman's 1975 memoir just seemed so bland that I felt compelled to go back and re-read the 1926 version of Ullman's recounting of that time. I went online to a free copy of the 1926 memoir.
There were some differences, which I'm going to outline in a minute, but first, I have to say what a monstrous ego Ullman must have had, even until his final days in 1975. He truly thought he had been running the entire show, didn't he? He was commanding the doctors and, indeed, the entire hospital's daily routine! In his own mind, perhaps. Having worked for many, many, MANY hospitals and medical facilities, I can tell you right here and now that NO ONE tells them how to take care of their patients (and the docs aren't real crazy about any attempts either) ... I don't care if that patient is Rudolph Valentino, the President of the United States, a diplomat, or anyone else.
There are hospital policies set in place, and no layman is going to waltz in and just read the chart. Ullman claims in the 1926 memoir that the night nurse gave him access, but that is one of the biggest no-nos around. No family or friends read the charts of the patients. Perhaps in military hospitals where the chart used to be hung on the end of the beds a commanding officer might have access, but not in a proper hospital, such as Rudy was in ... nope, this was all in Ullman's mind and he certainly would not have had the medical knowledge to alert to doctors that a change in Rudy's vital signs meant something nefarious.
Ullman wanted so very badly to be in charge that he even made Frank Mennillo seem to be unimportant, when I believe that Mennillo was there almost the entire time, no matter what Ullman related.
It is true that Dr. Durham did have a nervous breakdown and a cardiac condition (Durham had a mild heart attack when Rudy died) and he did spend some time in a sanitorium shortly after Rudy died. Heck, it seemed that people spent time in sanitoriums for hangnails, back then! But if there was any type of lack of expertise in Durham's practice, you can bet that Ullman would have been on that immediately and would have filed a lawsuit against Durham for malpractice.
The doctors may have disagreed on certain things and certain methods of Rudy's care, but they ultimately agreed that Rudy was a terminal case and there was a probability that he was going to die. The very nerve Ullman shows here (not in his 1926 memoir) to criticize Dr. Durham while taking credit for his own supposed 'catch' when it came to Rudy's condition is ludicrous. I did not know George Ullman, but I can almost hear him now as he boasts of his own sensitivity that 'no one else had' when it came to Rudy. Really? I think not.
The link to the free online 1926 George Ullman memoir is here so you may verify my findings for yourself:
Give it a read ... beginning around page 214, and see for yourself. This is an original copy of the book, not something re-typed by someone else. This was scanned as it appeared in 1926. I always love it when I can provide solid, irrefutable proof about things. Read on for my explanation of this ...
Something else I noticed that I mentioned at the beginning of this article that was confirmed as I took another look at this. When this 1926 memoir was transcribed for 'The S. George Ullman Memoirs', the author 'edited' it to suit herself. What you are reading in George Ullman's 1926 memoir chat contained within the book called 'The S. George Ullman's Memoirs' is not an accurate transcription. It may be a word changed or left out here, a word there, which changes or creates a sentence here and there ... and this skews the meaning of different aspects. If this happened on the four pages I read in comparing these two memoirs, how much of these re-tooled entire 1926 AND 1975 versions is not accurate? I'm saying, true to form, a LOT OF IT. A leopard doesn't change its stripes. Yes, I know the saying is 'spots' but this leopard is so odd I had to go there.
When one transcribes someone else's work, even if the 'family has given permission to use the documents' (which I doubt it was exclusive, anyway) you cannot just go in and change shit. That is a violation of trust and it is unethical. The author and the editor must work together to keep the history as pure as possible while still keeping the voice of the subject, and that takes research and verification. It also is prudent to obtain the written protection for the author from the subject (if living) or the subject's family if it is a biography. I do not believe this was obtained in the case of the surviving children of George Ullman. Of course, there is always the 'freedom of the press' argument, but morality and ethics should also be considered. Perhaps this is why the honest authors among us will title their books 'The Unauthorized Biography of So-and-So.'
I long suspected this procedure has been violated in the case of Rudy and we again see it is true. Others have known of this, but not said much because they are not willing to release the 1975 memoir out of some misguided fear of the collective Valentino community and the authors who write about Rudy. I hold no such fear. Now that I have seen the differences in the 1926 memoir for myself, there will be no stopping me to sing it from the hilltops and I honestly do not care if the 'Valentino community' likes it or not. I strongly suspect this would also be the case with the 1975 memoir.
Back to Ullman's story ... who was Ullman to decide that Rudy would not want to see a priest ... at ANY time during his hospital stay? Who was Ullman to decide anything when it Rudy was still lucid? Why was the priest who offered to give Rudy some comfort not good enough? Why did Ullman have to wait to get one from the 'Actor's Church' which was none other than St. Malachy's Catholic Church? I'll tell you why, because it looked better in the press. Ullman exploited Rudy in life and as he died. We shall see that Ullman then exploited Rudy even after death. Mennillo should have been much more involved and I actually think he was ... but Ullman grabbec the limelight.
I'm going to try to keep the legal mumbo-jumbo in this series to a minimum because that legal stuff is just boring, but I also want to bring to attention what all this looks like to me. My opinion on how Ullman looked in court differs from what others may think. I am not a paralegal, and certainly not a lawyer, but I am a woman with a decent amount of common sense and an ability to detect a lie.
I have worked for a number of physicians and had to become involved in their legal woes. I have experience writing papers for the State of California to present to the Legislature. I've been to court and filed more paperwork than I would like to admit. I know perjury when I see it. My experience as a book editor has given me the tools I use even today for research and I have learned to glean truths from what I read between the lines ... which causes me to search further for proof.
I feel confident in what I do. Even if no one reads or cares about Darkmum's Musings right now, it will stand the test of time, I hope and someone may stumble upon it and bring these things to the greater Valentino community.
The next portion of this blog will cover Campbell's Funeral Church and how they got involved with George Ullman after Rudy died as well as the New York funeral, possibly the Los Angeles funeral. I have not read ahead with Ullman's 1975 memoir closely, so I do not know what to expect. That keeps it fun for me, as well!
I like to let Ullman take the lead and I am just following along. He is digging himself deeper and deeper as we go!
Darkmum
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