INFAMOUS SCANDALS (True Crime) by Anne Williams, Vivian Head Page A
Authors: Anne Williams, Vivian Head
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porch and a violent argument broke out. Blanca reached into her handbag and took out a gun, which she pointed at John’s head, demanding that he immediately handed over their son. When he tried to take the gun from Blanca, she lost her control and shot him five times from close range. John was rushed to the nearest hospital, but they failed to resuscitate him and he died at 10.20 p.m. of his gunshot wounds. Blanca, rather than try and run, had waited at the house for the police to arrive and she was taken into custody having admitted that she had fired the shots. She was charged with first-degree murder and held in Nassau County Jail in New York, to await trial.
The trial turned out to be a sensation and lingered on for months, making headline news despite the fact that war was raging in Europe. Blanca became the darling of the court and portrayed herself as a victim of a very male chauvinist society. Blanca was unanimously acquitted of all charges and was released on 1 December 1917.
RISE TO STARDOM
Despite the fact that Valentino had had nothing to do with Blanca since her divorce, his name got dragged through the courts and once again he became the victim of scandal. To try and free himself of the bad reputation he had received, Valentino changed his name at this stage from Rodolfo Guglielmi to Rudolph Valentino and headed off to Hollywood to see if that would change his luck. His first role was as a dancer in a film called Alimony, and once again his agility and natural aptitude for dancing caught the eye of a movie star, Mae Murray. She asked Valentino to play the leading role in her next movie, The Big Little Person , which was followed by another leading part in The Delicious Little Devil . The union between Valentino and Murray was to be short-lived because Murray’s husband became jealous of the steamy love scenes, and so the association came to an end.
Murray had given Valentino the opening he needed and he was approached to lead in two more films, A Society Sensation and All Night , both of which were box office successes. At last Valentino had achieved his dream – he was rich, famous and always had an attractive woman on his arm.
UNLUCKY IN LOVE
In 1919, following his two successes, Valentino met a woman named Jean Acker. Acker was just a small time actress who got her parts due to her lesbian relationship with the Russian film star, Alla Nazimova. This was a relationship that Valentino apparently was completely unaware of. The three of them became close friends, but Acker was in a difficult predicament and wasn’t sure how to get out of it. She was caught in a love triangle with Nazimova and another lesbian by the name of Grace Darmond, both of whom threatened to destroy Acker’s career if she left either of them. Seeing her chance to get out of the situation without damaging her reputation, Acker agreed to marry Valentino.
However, the marriage was a sham and was never consummated. Valentino’s new wife locked him out of their hotel suite on their honeymoon night and later fled into the arms of Darmond. Valentino followed her and begged Acker to give him another chance, but she wasn’t prepared to listen and he went away with his tail between his legs.
Valentino soon pulled himself together and his star was to rise once again. In 1921 he was cast in the coveted role of Julio in The Four Men of the Apocalypse . He capitalised on his good looks and exotic dance moves and wowed the hearts of his audience, earning himself the title as the ‘Great Italian Lover’.
By the time Valentino starred in The Sheik, also in 1921, Valentino had become the first real Hollywood male sex symbol. With his graceful style and seductive blend of passion, he literally had women fainting in the aisles. To them this handsome young man represented forbidden eroticism fulfilling their dreams of illicit love. Unfortunately, Valentino was not so lucky with love in real life.
Valentino and Acker
The trial turned out to be a sensation and lingered on for months, making headline news despite the fact that war was raging in Europe. Blanca became the darling of the court and portrayed herself as a victim of a very male chauvinist society. Blanca was unanimously acquitted of all charges and was released on 1 December 1917.
RISE TO STARDOM
Despite the fact that Valentino had had nothing to do with Blanca since her divorce, his name got dragged through the courts and once again he became the victim of scandal. To try and free himself of the bad reputation he had received, Valentino changed his name at this stage from Rodolfo Guglielmi to Rudolph Valentino and headed off to Hollywood to see if that would change his luck. His first role was as a dancer in a film called Alimony, and once again his agility and natural aptitude for dancing caught the eye of a movie star, Mae Murray. She asked Valentino to play the leading role in her next movie, The Big Little Person , which was followed by another leading part in The Delicious Little Devil . The union between Valentino and Murray was to be short-lived because Murray’s husband became jealous of the steamy love scenes, and so the association came to an end.
Murray had given Valentino the opening he needed and he was approached to lead in two more films, A Society Sensation and All Night , both of which were box office successes. At last Valentino had achieved his dream – he was rich, famous and always had an attractive woman on his arm.
UNLUCKY IN LOVE
In 1919, following his two successes, Valentino met a woman named Jean Acker. Acker was just a small time actress who got her parts due to her lesbian relationship with the Russian film star, Alla Nazimova. This was a relationship that Valentino apparently was completely unaware of. The three of them became close friends, but Acker was in a difficult predicament and wasn’t sure how to get out of it. She was caught in a love triangle with Nazimova and another lesbian by the name of Grace Darmond, both of whom threatened to destroy Acker’s career if she left either of them. Seeing her chance to get out of the situation without damaging her reputation, Acker agreed to marry Valentino.
However, the marriage was a sham and was never consummated. Valentino’s new wife locked him out of their hotel suite on their honeymoon night and later fled into the arms of Darmond. Valentino followed her and begged Acker to give him another chance, but she wasn’t prepared to listen and he went away with his tail between his legs.
Valentino soon pulled himself together and his star was to rise once again. In 1921 he was cast in the coveted role of Julio in The Four Men of the Apocalypse . He capitalised on his good looks and exotic dance moves and wowed the hearts of his audience, earning himself the title as the ‘Great Italian Lover’.
By the time Valentino starred in The Sheik, also in 1921, Valentino had become the first real Hollywood male sex symbol. With his graceful style and seductive blend of passion, he literally had women fainting in the aisles. To them this handsome young man represented forbidden eroticism fulfilling their dreams of illicit love. Unfortunately, Valentino was not so lucky with love in real life.
Valentino and Acker
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