This is a synopsis the 23-part series I have just completed on S. George Ullman.
I thought I knew pretty much what I was going to say about the man, but there were some surprises I found along the way, as is usually the case when I do one of these long series; mainly because I do them 'unscripted' and think as I go. While this may result in some wandering on my part into some childhood memories or topics not on the subject of the series or blog post, I find that it also brings out some interesting little thoughts. Some of it was not surprising to me, some of it was of great surprise and some of it was just sad.
If you have been following this series, you will understand. If not, I encourage you to take the time to read it from the beginning. This blog is not going anywhere. I hope that you can give it a proper read from beginning to end, someday.
I suspect that if I were to have the 1975 memoir and the full court transcripts available to me I would find more to bring to light. Perhaps, someday, I'll get hold of it all and be able to write a book with a true picture of what happened in the life of George Ullman as it pertained to his interaction with the life and estate of Rudolph Valentino.
I hope you have enjoyed this Ullman series as much as I have enjoyed bringing it to you.
SYNOPSIS
Beginning
Regarding the contract between the Ullman family and the author of the book (the 'S. George Ullman Memoir'), there is no solid proof offered that it existed. There is no legal obligation on the author's part to provide this. I also was not present for the events. I compare Ullman and his relationship with Rudolph Valentino to Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley. I used the 1975 memoir that Ullman wrote and the only source I had was that which the author had put into her book, 'S. George Ullman Memoir.' While this was not her original material, it did come from her book, which I openly acknowledged then and do so now.
In order for me to bring certain things to light, I found myself referring to this author at times, even indirectly. but the grand majority of the series was comprised of Ullman's 1975 memoir and my observations. This synopsis will go part by part through the series and point out key areas in each part that I found interesting. I thought this end blog post would be helpful so readers could refer to the respective parts of the series.
Part One
Early comparisons between Ulman's 1926 & 1975 memoirs. Ullman's early childhood, military service, marriage. Career choice of Industrial Engineering. First indications of Ullman's 'life of lies.'
Part Two
First of many of George Ullman's quotes from his 1975 memoir. Impersonation of his brother on his military records - verification presented by George Ullman as his own identity. History of Industrial Engineering was discussed and Ullman's employment with 'Mineralava Beauty Clay, Inc.' and Rudy's involvement with 'The Mineralava Tour' were discussed. Jack Curley's history and involvement with 'The Mineralava Tour' discussed.
Part Three
Ullman and Rudy go on 'The Mineralava Tour' after gaining court permission for Rudy to work as a dancer. Jack Curley makes trouble for Natacha on 'The Mineralava Tour.'
Part Four
Discussion of Rudy & Natacha's Crowne Point, Indiana wedding. Description of the shows on the Mineralava Tour.
Part Five
'Famous Players-Lasky' monitors Rudy and George Ullman. Joseph Schenck enters the picture but stays in the background. List of 'Confirmed Dates for Mineralava Tour.' Rudy & George deal with racism and Rudy's mounting debt during 'The Mineralava Tour.' Other anecdotes from 'The Mineralava Tour' are discussed. Rudy's affair with Norma Niblock, the Toronto beauty contest winner, is discussed.
Part Six
'Cosmic Arts' discussed. J.D. Williams and 'Ritz-Carlton Pictures' discussed. Ullman's experience with 'Monsieur Beaucaire' was discussed. 'Monsieur Beaucaire' is produced.
Part Seven
Rudy & Natacha overspend in Europe while 'researching' and buying props for 'Monsieur Beaucaire.' André Daven is discovered by the Valentinos. George claims that he had doubts about Daven from the first he heard of him.
Part Eight
'A Sainted Devil' and its production are discussed. It is revealed that Ullman, himself, planted the seeds of the long-held rumor that Natacha was banned from a studio lot. While Ullman was referring to 'A Sainted Devil,' somehow this idea got shunted to a later picture 'The Eagle.' Natacha was not banned from any studio lot by a contractual agreement. She caused this herself by making a nuisance of herself on the set of 'The Eagle' and it was then that the studio told Ullman that she was to be barred from the set. Not in the contract at all.
Part Nine
Observation that Ullman was insanely jealous of anyone close to Rudy; Natacha, Lew Mahoney, Alberto Guglielmi, Jean Guglielmi, Pola Negri & others. The Ritz-Carlton group moves from New York to Hollywood. J.D. Williams double-crosses Rudy ... George Ullman is aware of this but withholds the information from Rudy out of fear that Rudy may walk out on his contract as he did with 'Famous Players-Lasky.' Cora McGeachy, medium, is discussed in detail. 'The Hooded Falcon' is pushed aside for 'Cobra.' Rudy's publicity stunt beard is discussed.
Part Ten
'Cobra' (and the making of) is discussed. Parallels between the two male leads in 'Cobra' and Rudy & George in real life are discussed. Norma Niblock's participation in 'Cobra' is discussed.
Part Eleven
New 'United Artists' contract discussed and Schenck's continued interference in Rudy & Natacha's life. Schenck used Ullman to exact his revenge against Rudy & Natacha for te the 'Famous Players-Lasky' strike. Rudy is forced to accept a new United Artists contract. Natacha is not happy with the terms, but not banned from the studio lot, as rumors persist through the ages.
Part Twelve
Natacha continues to be unhappy and embarks on an affair and a movie of her own. Beltran-Masses & George Ullman encourage Rudy to engage a private investigator to follow her. Rudy begins to obtain 'opo-orchitine,' an opioid combined with a hormone extracted from bull's testicles (hormone replacement therapy popular among Italians at the time) from a doctor in Spain via Beltran-Masses. Beltran-Masses' paintings of Rudy are discussed.
Part Thirteen
George Ullman obtains Rudy's power of attorney. Natacha and Rudy separate. 'Last kiss' at the train station is staged. Rudy and Natacha part for the final time - never to see each other again. Manuel Reachi discussed & Ullman's dislike for this friend of Rudy's discussed. More envy & jealousy show on Ullman's part. Ullman's participation in covering for Rudy in many indiscretions and incidents where Rudy breaks the law. My observation is that neither Ullman or Rudy had much respect for the courts or the law.
Part Fourteen
Rudy asks Ullman to look into the adoption of Jean Guglielmi. Ullman felt it was unlikely this adoption would ever come to fruition but Rudy insisted they try. Papers were filed. It was denied; Rudy was devastated. Note that Rudy made his new will at around the same time he filed those papers. Rudy has his family visit after he received the denial and he intended to only bring Jean over to the States. When Ullman heard of this, he booked passage for Alberto and Ada, as well. The visit did not go well, and there was much fighting. Rudy had to leave to film 'The Son of the Sheik,' and Alberto made the household miserable. Ada left to stay in a hotel. By the time the family left to go back to Italy, Rudy and Alberto were barely speaking, no matter what the photos show. Filming of 'The Son of the Sheik' was discussed.
Part Fifteen
'The Son of the Sheik' filming ended, and United Artists checks stopped. 'The Cinema Finance Corporation' gave Rudy a loan to tide him over. George Ullman obtained an insurance policy on the order of the loan company to secure the loan. Rudy put up everything he had as collateral. Again, Schenck cut a deal with George for Rudy and this put Rudy right back in 'debt' to Schenck. Plans were made for Rudy to film 'The Firebrand.' Rudy's animals were discussed.
Part Sixteen
The possible effect of hormone replacement therapy on Rudy was discussed. Marked decline in Rudy's physical appearance between 1925 and 1926. Rudy leaves for San Francisco with Ullman accompanying him. Rudy is given a puppy by the mayor of San Francisco. The pair continue their journey back East, arrive in Chicago, and see the 'Pink Powder Puff' editorial in a local newspaper. Rudy sends his response to a rival newspaper (although I have suspicions that it was heavily editorialized). I believe it is possible that this publicity stunt was engineered by Joseph Schenck and that Ullman may have known something was afoot, but I do not believe Ullman was party to the 'Pink Powder Puff' editorial itself. I think Ullman became involved later, though. Ullman's feelings of homophobia were discussed.
Part Seventeen
Rudy heads to New York. Ullman continues involvement until Schenck (and by association, the mob) is discussed. Ullman is apprised of the publicity campaign for Rudy by his East Coast publicity staff. Rudy admits he knew about the 'Pink Powder Puff' editorial's resulting challenge having been a publicity stunt. Rudy's social activities back East in the summer of 1926 were discussed.
Part Eighteen
Rudy's illness and death in August of 1926 discussed. Link to George Ullman's original 1926 memoir posted. Ullman's overstepping of his authority regarding Rudy's time of passing was discussed.
Part Nineteen
Aftermath of Rudy's passing was discussed. The craziness that surrounded 'Campbell's Funeral Church' was discussed. Two videos were were posted that show the atmosphere at the time. Alberto Guglielmi arrives in New York and Ullman's resentment of him immediately begins. Rudy's two funerals discussed.
Part Twenty
Ullman hurriedly puts out his book, 'Valentino, As I Knew Him.' Ullman is resentful of Alberto. Admits that he never should have given Alberto any money without court authorization. Leaving the sum of one dollar to a possible heir was thoroughly discussed and found to be a useless action. Ullman changed his story several times over the years on various subjects. I find this untrustworthy. Joseph Schenck was funding Alberto's attorneys against Ullman from the beginning of the court battles, even through Pola Negri. Alberto admitted as much in his 1975 memoir. Schenck had offered Alberto a job with his studio before Rudy's body was cold if Ullman would sell him Rudy's profits from 'The Son of the Sheik.' Ullman refused and Schenck forgot all about the offer. 'Idealism' and 'realism' are discussed. Ullman claimed he was an 'idealist.' I outline my proof that Ullman was not the 'hero' of Rudy's story, nor was he the villain. There was NO hero. Schenck was the true villain. I outline why I feel Rudy disappeared the final page of the will, not Mahoney. I do believe that Mahoney knew Rudy had taken the final page of the will, but he thought it had been taken the morning of Rudy's departure for the trip back East. Mahoney did testify truthfully to this in court as is shown in the court records. I believe Rudy took the last page from his safe much sooner than the date he left for the trip back East.
Part Twenty-one
Rudy's estate auctions were discussed. Ullman helped himself to what he wanted, as did Alberto, Maria, and probably Mahoney. The auctions were rushed and poorly handled. In 1930, Alberto filed a lawsuit alleging Ullman had mismanaged estate funds. Alberto wants total cash liquidation of the estate. Alberto doubts the existence of the last page of the will. Alberto wants to be appointed executor and have Ullman removed as such.
Part Twenty-two
Joseph Schenck discussed. He is the 'man behind Ullman's misery.' Schenck's involvement in Ullman's life is discussed. Schenck's prison time, life after incarceration, and death are discussed. Various movies about Rudy's life are discussed. Rudy's interest in the occult is discussed.
Part Twenty-three
Memorial statues to Rudy are discussed. Jean Guglielmi's arrival in the States and career are discussed. Jean Guglielmi's lawsuit against Ullman is discussed. Events of the 1932 ruling by the court in response to Alberto's claim of mismanagement, and Ullman's appeal of that ruling is discussed. 1937 (decision of Appeals Court that there was no mismanagement of funds ... Ullman exonerated of wrongdoing, but still has financial responsibility of 187,000.00). 1947, Jean Guglielmi after years of attempting to collect files against Ullman's talent agency prompting Ullman to start a bonfire and burn many of his records. 1956, Jean Guglielmi Valentino finally settled with Ullman for the sum of $2500.00. There is finally nothing left of Rudy's estate to fight for. Bill Self is briefly discussed.
__________
This completes my synopsis of the Ullman series, except for a few last things. Now, I have to admit that I have little recollection of where these next pieces come from. I 'think' I got them from a public website I used to frequent, but I honestly cannot remember. I only know they were of interest to me and I thought I might need them one day, so I saved them. This is that day.
Since my new website will not be strictly Valentino-themed, I see no reason to hold this stuff back. I have been waiting to do this Ullman series for a long time, so I'm putting all the info out there that I have right now. I hope to get more as time goes on because I think there is more to Ullman's story, just as I think there is more to my cousin Natacha's story. Either I'll find it, or I won't.
When George Ullman took what he wanted from Rudy's personal effects, he slowly sold them off over the years. Sometimes it was done through a third party (someone named 'Del' or 'Dell' or even a 'Ms. Tull' as one collector told me once, so it could not be traced back to Ullman. Sometimes, Ullman simply gave them as gifts to fans or friends. Other times, he made money off the stuff, and I have heard he even put some of his (Ullman's) own personal stuff into the auction.
Whichever way Ullman did it, I have a few pieces that will prove that he got rid of these things. They are in his handwriting. I will post them for you to decide for yourself if Ullman was one of the good guys. I think that when he was caught selling Rudy's stuff years later, it showed that he was in the same game as the collectors of present-day... the same group that holds the Valentino relative in high esteem who found Rudy's items in some old trunk. She decided to exploit him to do her college thesis on him and lay out all his shit for all to see. That is how I see George Ullman. Right in there with all of them.
Do with this information as you will. Here is what I have ... it does no good sitting in my file:
My question is simple ... what in the world was George Ullman doing with all this Rudy stuff in 1955 that he was able to sell it to 'Dell?' I have it from a good source that this man's name was "Del" Delmo Devean and that he was from Hawthorne, California. While I do not know at 100% that this name and place is correct, I feel it is. I also highly suspect these were not the only items George unloaded over the years. I think he was slowly selling off Rudy's memorabilia to various collectors during most of his life once Rudy had died.
Well, that is all in the past, now. George Ullman is in the past ... his shady business dealings are in the past.
But Rudolph Valentino, even though his earth-life was in the past, will forever be in our present; the present of time, and his gift to many future generations.
Darkmum