# Valentino (1951 film)

Valentino is a 1951 American biographical film directed by Lewis Allen and starring Anthony Dexter and Eleanor Parker.

## Plot

It is a romantic biopic of the actor Rodolfo Valentino, or Rudolph Valentino as he is better known, who arrives in the United States from Italy and soon becomes a movie star. He falls in love with an actress and dies at an early age.
Aboard a passenger steamship traveling from Naples to New York, young Rudolph Valentino works as a dancer. He meets actress Joan Carlisle, who is traveling under the name Sarah Gray. The two fall in love. Maria Torres, the leader of the dance ensemble, grows jealous and dismisses Rudolph.
In New York, the penniless Rudolph works as a dishwasher and befriends waiter Luigi Verducci. However, he is fired after a brawl. Rudolph borrows money from Luigi to buy a tuxedo. Soon after, he is hired as a dancer at a nightclub, where he also secures a waiter job for Luigi. His refined European dance style becomes popular among high-society women. One evening, film director Bill King visits the club with Joan. Rudolph dances a tango with Joan, and King considers casting the handsome dancer in his next film. Rudolph agrees to give acting a try.
The next day, Rudolph plays a small role alongside Lila Reyes, with whom he becomes friends. Lila explains that Joan has influence over casting decisions for films. Rudolph arranges a meeting with Joan, and they start a new relationship. The following day, Bill asks Joan if she would approve of casting Rudolph in her next film. When she learns that Rudolph knows about her influence, she accuses him of dating her purely out of opportunism. Although Rudolph believes he has done nothing wrong, he is offended when the angry Joan offers him money, prompting him to storm off.
Left to his own devices, Rudolph travels to Hollywood. He begins with minor roles, struggling to make a name for himself. He hears about auditions for the role of Julio in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Hoping to impress producer Mark Towers, he plans a dance performance with Lila. However, despite Bill King’s support, Towers refuses to cast a newcomer. Determined, Rudolph and Lila, dressed as their characters, attend a party hosted by Towers. Their passionate and impressive dance persuades Towers to give Rudolph the role.
The film becomes a success, and Rudolph brings Luigi to Hollywood, hiring him as his assistant. Rudolph lands larger roles in subsequent films, quickly becoming a heartthrob idolized by countless women. Despite his rising fame, Rudolph tries unsuccessfully to reconnect with Joan, who is now dating King. Refusing to give up, Rudolph follows Joan to a beach vacation, where they reconcile. He confesses his love for her but admits he has no desire to marry. Joan parts with him amicably. Shortly afterward, Rudolph receives a call from King, asking him to be the best man at his wedding to Joan.
Rudolph’s career flourishes further, enabling him to purchase an estate he names Falcon’s Lair. Towers informs him that he has been cast as the lead in the romantic drama The Sheik. Bill King will direct, and Joan has been chosen as the female lead. The romantic scenes between Rudolph and Joan make both actors uneasy, leading to numerous retakes. Concerned, King and journalist Eddie Morgan observe the tension between them. Later, Joan admits to Rudolph that the love scenes make her uncomfortable. Angered, Rudolph vows never to work with Joan again.
The Sheik becomes a blockbuster, but Towers cannot understand why Rudolph refuses to make a sequel with Joan. Seeking respite, Rudolph embarks on a trip with Luigi. During the journey, he complains of abdominal pain, prompting Luigi to take him to a doctor, who diagnoses appendicitis and recommends rest and surgery. Meanwhile, Morgan visits Rudolph to gather gossip about his relationship with Joan, but Rudolph remains tight-lipped. Suspicious, Morgan begins spying on them, convinced they are having an affair.
Towers pressures King to get Rudolph to film with Joan again. Joan meets Rudolph in Malibu and confesses she still loves him but no longer feels anything for her husband. They agree to be honest with King about their feelings. However, as they leave the house, Morgan’s photographers capture them together. Confronting one of the photographers, Rudolph ends up in a scuffle while Morgan threatens to ruin both Rudolph and Joan.
Despite his worsening pain, Rudolph calls Lila for help. He arranges a meeting at his home with Joan and Morgan. To protect Joan from scandal, Rudolph lies, claiming he cannot be with her because of the situation. Joan realizes he is lying to shield her. When Morgan arrives, Rudolph announces his engagement to Lila, who corroborates the story. Morgan agrees not to publish the scandal.
On his way to New York, Rudolph collapses and dies shortly afterward in a hospital. When Joan reads the news of his death in the papers, she asks King if he ever knew her true feelings. King assures her he did.
Rudolph’s funeral becomes a major public event. For years, a woman dressed in black visits his grave on the anniversary of his death.

## Cast

* Eleanor Parker as Joan Carlise, also known as Sarah Gray
* Richard Carlson as Bill King
* Patricia Medina as Lila Reyes
* Joseph Calleia as Luigi Verducci
* Dona Drake as Maria Torres
* Lloyd Gough as Eddie Morgan
* Otto Kruger as Mark Towers
* Anthony Dexter as Rudolph Valentino
* Charles Coleman as Albert (uncredited)
* Eric Wilton as Butler (uncredited)

## Production

Edward Small had announced the project in 1938, with Jack Dunn first mooted to play the title role as a follow-up to his debut in The Duke of West Point. However the film had been delayed by script troubles, legal threats, the war, troubles making a movie with the lead character was Italian, and looking for the right actor to play the lead.

### Scripting

Florence Ryan wrote a script in 1939, but this was often rewritten. Others who worked on it (there were an estimated over 30 drafts) include Edward Chodorov, Stephen Longstreet, Sheridan Gibney, Frederick J. Jackson, Virginia Van Upp and George Oppenheimer. Eventual director Lewis Allen described the film as "an imaginary, romantic story with acting as a background." Edward Small could not get clearance from either of Valentino's wives, Jean Acker or Natacha Rambova so the script did not feature either; instead he has three fictitious lovers in the film, one of whom is his married co-star.

### Casting

Del Casino and Louis Hayward were mentioned as early possibilities. In 1946 it was announced Small tried to secure Cornel Wilde for the lead but was unable to. Frederik Vayder auditioned and Louis Jourdan, Helmut Dantine and John Derek were also considered.
The final script was heavily fictionalised to avoid lawsuits from Valentino's former wives, industry associates and his family specifically his brother Alberto.
Anthony Dexter was selected over 2,000 actors who auditioned. He was under contract to Small for two years, taking acting and dancing lessons before being used in the film. Lewis Allen was hired from Paramount and paid $60,000.
In 1949, another producer Jan Grippo announced plans to make a rival project but eventually came to an agreement with Small; Grippo became an associate on the film. (In the 1940s there was another proposed project starring Victor Mature and Pola Negri.)

### Shooting

Filming started on 2 June 1950 and took place at the Columbia Ranch and the Samuel Goldwyn Studio. George Melford, who had directed Valentino in the 1920s, had a supporting role.
The film includes recreated sequences from such Valentino films as The Sheik (1921), Blood and Sand (1922), A Sainted Devil (1924) and The Eagle (1925).

## Reception

Reviews were mostly poor.
The film was one of Edward Small's few box-office failures. However, it did well in South America where Anthony Dexter went on a dancing tour.
It was announced that Dexter would appear in a remake of The Sheik (1921), the rights for which Small had purchased in order to include segments of that film in Valentino. However, he only made one more film for Small, The Brigand (1952), after which they terminated their contract by mutual agreement.
Alice Terry sued the filmmakers for $750,000, complaining she was depicted in the film as having an illicit love affair while still being married. Valentino's brother and sister launched a $500,000 lawsuit against the filmmakers. Both cases settled out of court.