Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service 2007
Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service in the early 1950s
Scores Turn Out to Remember Silent Film Idol
It was standing room only yesterday at Hollywood Forever Cemetery’s Cathedral Mausoleum where around 200 mourners gathered to memorialize silent film heartthrob Rudolph Valentino on the 81st anniversary of his death.
On August 23, 1926, at 12:10 pm, Rudolph Valentino breathed his last in a New York hospital. For days to follow, fans rioted in the streets in an attempt to view his body. The five-day train trip to Hollywood brought a second funeral, and finally entombment in a borrowed crypt — belonging to screenwriter-producer June Mathis — at Hollywood Cemetery. The following year, hundreds attended the first memorial, and every year since mourners have made a pilgrimage to pay homage to their celluloid god.
People began arriving early, armed with traditional and makeshift fans to ward off the heat and humidity. While some looked at a display of Valentino memorabilia in a corridor of the mausoleum, stray visitors paid their respects at Valentino’s crypt. Minutes before the scheduled service, the well-known Lady in Black tradition took place as the latest in the dynasty of mourning women, Kari Bible, made her way through the mausoleum’s hall, laying red roses at Valentino’s crypt.
Traditionally, the service begins at 12:10 p.m., the exact time of Valentino’s death in New York. However, today there was a ten-minute delay while everyone waited for a scheduled guest to arrive. To fill the time, veteran organist Bob Mitchell entertained the crowd with various melodies.
Kari Bible, the 21st-century Lady in Black, shows a Valentino book to the even more mysterious Lady in White. (Did the black fade after decades of washing? What kind of white sneakers is she wearing? And what’s up with that green purse?)
Tracy Ryan Terhune, who wrote the foreword and afterword to the republished Valentino: The Unforgotten (1938), made the introductions at the podium. After the Lady in Black read selections of poetry from Valentino’s book Day Dreams, Bob Mitchell (right) once again entertained, this time singing two selections; the theme from the Valentino vehicle The Young Rajah and the fanciful ditty "He Loved, He Danced, He Tangoed." The 94-year-old Mitchell is still a musical powerhouse whether vocally or at the organ.
Film historian and author Bob Birchard then offered Valentino insights and introduced an eight-minute documentary (which he edited) on the history of the Valentino Memorial services. The documentary can be found as an extra feature on the recent DVD release Valentino: Rediscovering an Icon of Silent Film.
Others at the podium included Vlad Koslov, a filmmaker and Valentino look-a-like; A. C. Lyles, who, representing Valentino’s one-time employer, Paramount Studios, said a few words; composer and singer Ian Whitcomb, accompanying himself on the ukulele while singing Valentino’s enduring favorites, "There’s a New Star in Heaven Tonight" and "The Sheik of Araby"; and Valentino collector Stella Grace, who introduced the Valentino Memorial Committee before closing the service with the reading of the 23rd Psalm.
© Allan R. Ellenberger
Photos: Courtesy Allan R. Ellenberger
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