The cursed ring
Today I want to take a journey through time with you. This is the story of Rudolph Valentino and his cursed ring.
It’s the 1920s, Los Angeles, and Rudolph Valentino is a star. Silent films are at the height of entertainment, and there’s only one king. Or rather, one Latin lover, the one for whom the term is coined.
Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d’Antonguella was born in the province of Taranto in 1895, and at 18 years old, on December 23, 1913, he arrived at Ellis Island. He doesn’t have an impeccable academic record; he has always been a playful child who doesn’t like to sit for long. His mother has always adored him, while his father would have preferred a stricter education for him. When he arrives in New York, he has a diploma from the Agricultural School of Genoa in his pocket.
He finds odd jobs here and there and works as a waiter, gardener, and errand boy. He lives on the streets and the kindness of friends and acquaintances. In 1914, he was hired to dance the tango at the Woodmansten Inn for 50 dollars a week, and then he became a genuine taxi dancer at Maxim’s restaurant cabaret. Taxi dancer is a new word for me today, a new concept. Taxi dancers, also known as “tango pirates,” were everywhere in the 1920s in America, although they have almost completely disappeared today.
Patrons of a venue would buy “dance tickets” and redeem them for a single song from the chosen taxi dancer, who would dance with them only for that piece and then move on to the next customer and dance partner. Dance tickets usually cost 10 cents, hence the name “dime a dance boys,” and since the dancer earned 5 of those cents, another nickname for the profession was “nickel hopper.” At Maxim, even members of fallen European noble families worked as dancers. They were particularly sought after, and dancing with them cost a few cents more.
It’s there that Rudolph befriends Blanca De Saulles, a Chilean heiress unhappily married to John De Saulles. When she decides to divorce, Valentino testifies in court to support her friend’s accusation of infidelity against her husband. It’s unclear whether the two, Blanca and Valentino, also engaged in an extramarital relationship. After the divorce, John De Saulles uses his numerous political connections to have Valentino arrested, catching him with the famous mistress Mrs. Thyme. The charge is vague: “vice.” Consequently, there is no evidence, and so, after a few days in jail, the bail is lowered from 10,000 to 1,500 dollars, and Rudolph becomes a free man again.
However, the case has been a scandal, and his involvement makes it difficult for him to find work. As if that wasn’t enough, shortly after the trial, Blanca shoots her husband, killing him, during an argument about custody of their child. Terrified at the idea of being called to testify in another high-profile case, Valentino leaves New York and joins the cast of a touring musical troupe that takes him to the West Coast.
In 1917, after travelling with various theatre companies from Utah to Los Angeles, it’s in San Francisco where he reunites with an old friend from New York, the actor Norman Kerry, who convinces him to try his luck in the film industry. The two share a room at the Alexandria Hotel.
Rudolph Valentino’s first role is in a film called “Alimony,” where he’s an extra. For the most part, he’s only assigned the role of the “heavy,” the villain, or gangster, due to his “exotic” appearance compared to the standard of beauty reserved for the “good” characters.
In 1919, he met actress Jean Acker, who was in a complicated love triangle with actresses Grace Darmond and Alla Nazimova. The latter has a protege, a costume designer, set designer, and art director named Winifred Shaughnessy, known by her stage name, Natacha Rambova.
The two impulsively get married. Jean wants to exit the love triangle, but soon regrets the marriage and locks Valentino out of the bedroom on their wedding night. The couple separates shortly after, and despite years of being apart, they remain friends for life.
Meanwhile, the similar and repetitive roles he’s getting frustrate him. He even considers the idea of returning to New York for good. Perhaps he feels a sense of nostalgia when he visits friends living in Greenwich Village and spends a few days with them.
From there, he heads to Florida to film “Stolen Moments,” and during the trip, he reads the novel “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” and is deeply affected by it. Upon arrival, he buys an industry newspaper to stay informed about the latest castings and ongoing projects. He discovers that Metro, the production company that precedes and paves the way for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, has acquired the rights to the book. He might have felt a certain urgency during those days, waiting to pursue this new project. As soon as he returns to New York, he visits Metro’s offices to apply, only to find out they were already looking for him. June Mathis, a screenwriter and one of the first executives of Metro/MGM at only 35 years old, was especially interested. This initial encounter sparks a tumultuous relationship between two strong personalities. They go through years without speaking to each other, but always reconcile after each argument, remaining friends until the end.
He is cast as Julio Desnoyers, and although he had a terrible relationship with the director, this role proves to be a life-changing one.
“The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” was released in 1921 and became an unparalleled success in both audience and critical acclaim. It was one of the first films to gross a million dollars and remains the sixth most successful silent film of all time.
However, the studio isn’t particularly invested in him, leading him to break his contract for three more films. Desiring respect, adequate pay, and Europe, he leaves Metro.
He moved to Famous Players-Lasky, a precursor to Paramount, where he landed the lead role in “The Sheik” in 1921. Here, his star power EXPLODES. Valentino, as adoring fans call him, sets the trends (Valentino-style clothing, hair, boots, and especially the Valentino gaze). He becomes the first male “superstar” of the early cinema, embodying the romantic and rogue hero, whose magnetic charm hypnotizes the attractive leading lady.
With this role, Rudolph Valentino leaves an indelible mark in history, not only for his success but also for his efforts to distance his performance from the foolish and offensive stereotypes of the era.
Do you remember Natacha Rambova, mentioned earlier? Valentino meets her on the set of “Uncharted Seas” in 1921. They married on May 13, 1922, in Mexico.
However, the divorce from Jean Acker is not yet finalized, and this leads to a bigamy trial. It becomes a massive scandal. Rodolfo and Natacha are forced to annul their marriage and remain separated for a year. During this period of separation, Valentino works on “The Young Rajah,” which he ultimately isn’t satisfied with. He’s distracted, missing Natacha, and troubled by the idea of being away from her.
He returns to New York, where both he and Natacha are constantly pursued by journalists.
During this time, Valentino starts considering not returning to Famous Players, to the extent that, for reasons beyond just finances, but also artistic control, he launches a one-man strike against them.
This leads to a long standoff, and Valentino writes an “Open Letter to the American Public” published in Photoplay. Famous Players responded with a public statement accusing him of diva behaviour and having a terrible temperament.
The conflict doesn’t discourage other studios from courting the Latin Lover. At this point, Famous Players realizes what’s at stake and attempts to trap him with a contract extension, preventing him from accepting other offers. With Jean’s alimony, the bigamy trial, and other financial problems, Valentino accumulates debts of $80,000. With his hands tied by Famous Players, he can’t work for anyone else but them, and they, of course, don’t hire him.
Fortunately, he can still work in other ways and become the spokesperson for the new makeup trend: the Mineralava Beauty Clay Company.
This is one of the first companies to sell complexion products in history. They take Valentino and use him as the face of the product, and he becomes a judge at beauty contests sponsored by the company. The partnership is a shining success for all involved, to the point where Famous Players returns with its tail between its legs, offering him a pay raise, creative control, and the opportunity to work in New York.
Valentino accepts and goes back home. His film career picked up again, with a few disagreements but without major upheavals, until in 1924, Charlie Chaplin negotiated with Valentino to join United Artists.
The pay is higher, but it excludes Natacha Rambova. Meanwhile, it’s 1925. Valentino enjoys a few days of vacation in San Francisco, and suddenly, while walking down the street, he sees a ring in a shop window.
I haven’t found definitive sources on whether it was made of gold or silver, but what’s certain is that it’s a single tiger’s eye gemstone. It’s not exceptionally valuable, but the famous actor, the Latin lover at the peak of his success, desires it. Even more so since the shopkeeper resists.
“It’s cursed,” the shopkeeper tells him, “It’s called the Ring of Destiny. It’s brought misfortune to all its previous owners.”
Rodolfo doesn’t heed the warnings. Perhaps the fame of the jewellery intrigues him, and he buys it.
Back in New York, he accepted United Artists’ offer. His marriage to Natacha Rambova is already on thin ice, and this additional separation only fuels discord. The following year, Natacha began divorce proceedings.
On August 15, 1926, Valentino collapses at the Hotel Ambassador in Manhattan. On his finger, as always, is the Ring of Destiny, which he never takes off. He’s admitted to a New York hospital, diagnosed with appendicitis and gastric ulcers, and immediately undergoes surgery.
Complications arise. By August 18, the doctors are optimistic, but by the 21st, his condition worsens. He develops pleurisy, and his left lung gives out first. The doctors realize Valentino is dying, but as was customary at the time, they don’t inform him or anyone else.
On the morning of August 23, he’s conscious, talking with doctors about his plans for the future. But shortly after, he falls into a coma and dies a few hours later, at the age of 31. The tiger’s eye ring is still on his finger.
More than 100,000 people flooded Manhattan to pay their respects to Rudolph Valentino. At the funeral, a drama unfolds, staged by Pola Negri, a Polish actress, who, overcome by grief, nearly faints multiple times and collapses in front of the coffin, claiming she and Rudolph were engaged, something no one had ever heard of until then. For the funeral, Pola sent 1,000 red and white roses arranged to spell her name. And when it came time to choose a memento of her beloved, she selected the enormous semi-precious stone jewel that Valentino still had on his finger.
The Ring of Destiny passes to her.
The only clear instruction Valentino had expressed in his will was to leave one dollar to Natasha Rambova. There were no burial arrangements. As a temporary solution, June Mathis offers the crypt she had bought for herself and her husband, from whom she had since divorced. She died the following year, and thus, the screenwriter and the actor she discovered and launched rest side by side at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in California.
Meanwhile, Pola falls ill.
Does she believe in superstitions? Ignore them? It’s uncertain, but, once she recovers, her career remains stuck in a quagmire from which she never manages to escape. Even in her personal life, luck doesn’t smile on her. She gifts the ring to Russ Colombo, a crooner she had worked with, known for his resemblance to Rudolph Valentino.
They call him the “Rodolfo of the radio” because his songs are intense and romantic. He writes them for the woman he loves, Carole Lombard. She reciprocates, and on September 2, 1934, the two have a reservation at a nice restaurant for dinner. In the afternoon, Russ visits a good friend, photographer Lansing Brown. He’s wearing Valentino’s ring.
Brown has an extensive collection of antique firearms, and as the two friends sit in the library, he shows Russ a duelling pistol. Unexpectedly, the pistol goes off, and a piece of the bullet ricochets off a table and strikes Russ Colombo above his left eye. He died in the hospital at the age of 26.
To avoid upsetting their mother, who had a heart condition, Colombo’s brothers keep up the charade that Russ is still alive and well for ten years. Carole Lombard writes letters to Russ’s mother, imitating the handwriting of the lost lover. She herself dies tragically eight years later in a plane crash.
The Ring of Destiny ends up in the hands of Joe Casino, Russ Colombo’s best friend, who is also in show business. He’s heard the stories circulating about the notorious gem, so he puts it in a display case, convinced that its influence can’t reach him behind glass.
But a few months later, perhaps shelving the superstition as a foolish unfounded fear, he gives in and wears it.
The following week, he’s killed, hit by a truck. At this point, the ring’s reputation precedes it, and no one wants to see it, not even from a distance. Except for Joe’s brother, Del, who inherits it and wears it without experiencing any misfortune.
However, he normally keeps it locked in a safe.
Rumours spread, and a certain James Willis learns about the infamous gem and decides to steal it. The alarm goes off, the police arrive in a flash, and as James flees, the officers shoot and kill him. The ring is found in his jacket pocket and returned to the safe.
Edward Small, a director, hears about the cursed jewel and wants to make a film about Valentino. He hires Jack Dunn, a professional skater who decides to try his luck in cinema. The director manages to obtain various items that belonged to Valentino for the film, including the ring.
The actor, Jack Dunn, wears the ring for two weeks. His screen test reportedly went perfectly. To celebrate, Jack goes to Texas with friends. A week later, he dies of a rare blood disease, tularemia. He was 21 years old.
The more nostalgic say that Valentino’s ghost roams in search of his ring, to destroy it once and for all. Every Valentine’s Day, his fans gather at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to leave gifts, letters, and notes, and many swear they’ve seen him wandering among the shadows.
His dog Kabar, they say, has no time to rest and haunts the Pet Cemetery in Calabasas.
In September 2017, a portrait of Valentino, Pola Negri, and the ring painted by Federico Beltran Masses was sold at auction. The buyer, for about 165,000 euros, hasn’t reported any issues so far.
From the days when Hollywood glamour reigned supreme to the countless contemporary commemorations, Valentino’s name is etched in history and in the small and great examples of those who’ve chosen to carry his name, from the fashion brand Valentino to the high school teams in Hollywood named “The Sheiks” in his honour.
As for the ring… Its current whereabouts remain the final impenetrable mystery. Some claim it’s in the vault of a bank in Los Angeles. Some say it has withstood countless theft attempts since being stored there. Some swear it was stolen. Some claim it was lost in a fire. In reality, no one knows for sure where it is. And perhaps that’s better for everyone’s safety.
