Rudolph Valentino Book Giveaway

In a bit of shameless self-promotion, I'm giving away a softcover edition of my book Rudolph Valentino the Silent Idol via the Goodreads website.  If you are on Goodreads, you click the link to sign up for this giveaway.  The winner of the giveaway will be selected by Goodreads after December 5th.

Good Luck!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Rudolph Valentino The Silent Idol His Life in Photographs

by Donna L. Hill

Giveaway ends December 05, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

This n That

Some fabuous double bills coming up at the Castro Theater in late July and early August to honor film composer Max Steiner

July 29
MILDRED PIERCE (1945) + THE LETTER (1940)

July 30
CASABLANCA (1942) + TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)

July 31
GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)

August 1
NOW VOYAGER (1942) + DARK VICTORY (1939)

August 2
WHITE HEAT (1949) + ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938)

August 3
THE BIG SLEEP (1946) + KEY LARGO (1948)

August 4
KING KONG (1933) + THE SEARCHERS (1956)

More info to be found at The Castro's Website.

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Begin commercial announcement:  I've got an eBay store open that currently is selling vintage 1920s postcards of Rudolph Valentino.  More movie memorabilia will be listed soon, as well as non-movie items such as vintage picture frames, costume jewelry, bakelite and other ephemera.  You can check it out by visiting Golden Gate Goodies.  We're cleaning out the closets!  End of the commercial announcement.

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There's a new blog online by my favorite Cultural Archeologist, Thomas Gladysz.  City Brights is located on the SF Chronicle's website, you can find it here.  As always there will be plenty of good reading.

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There is another new (old) blog that is well worth mentioning.  Larry Harnisch of the Los Angeles Times has been posting all sorts of fascinating LA history at The Daily Mirror (formerly hosted on the LA Times website).  It's got a new home and new contributors here.  Do pay it a visit, there is some wonderful content as Larry "Reflects on Los Angeles History."

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Speaking of LA ... Do not miss the excellent lineup of films screening at the LA County Museum over the summer.  LACMA's lineup has me drooling and absolutely green envious!  Check it out here.

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My book Rudolph Valentino the Silent Idol - His Life in Photographs is now one year old.  What a wonderful year it has been!  To say the book has suceeded beyond my wildest dreams is an understatement.  It's been received with open arms, the feedback has been great and sales are still going strong.  Who knew??

A new website for the book is currently under construction.  The purpose of the new website devoted solely to The Silent Idol is to further promote the book and to share some goodies that did not make the final cut as well as some fun multimedia.  Nothing online at the moment, you will eventually find it at http://www.silentidol.com/.  Don't forget that the book may be ordered at amazon.com as well as the link to blurb's website above.

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A free screening of The Son of the Sheik will be at the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library in the Koret Auditorium.  Sunday, July 10th at 2:00 - 5:00 pm  Come see Valentino at his best!  I will be there and would love to meet other "rudyfans."

Don't forget to pay a visit to the exhibits celebrating silent film at the library on display through the summer (descriptions below cribbed from Thomas' blog):

"Reading the Stars" is on display in the Steve Silver room (4th floor) of the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library through August 28th. It is part of a SFPL celebration of the silent era called "Shhhhh! Silents in the Library."

Other exhibits are devoted to "Downtown Movie Palaces of the 1920s" and "The Silent Screen in the City." The latter looks at some of the many movie stars who visited San Francisco or made films here in the Bay Area.

"Shhhhh! Silents in the Library" coincides with the 16th annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival, which takes place July 14-17 at the Castro Theater. A display of past posters from the Festival are also on display at the SFPL.

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The San Franciso Silent Film Festival will be happening on July 14-17 at the Castro Theater.  It's an event I look forward to every year.  I hope to have a few more posts on a couple of the films this weekend.  I'm anxious to talk about the premiere of Douglas Fairbanks' Mr. Fix-It as well as the Marlene Dietrich silent Women Men Yearn For.

That's it for this week!

Rudolph Valentino Son of the Sheik Screening in San Francisco

Save the Date: July 10, 2011 at 2:00pm
The Place: San Francisco Public Library, Koret Auditorium (100 Larkin Street, San Francisco)

In conjunction with the Reading the Stars exhibit in the library (4th and 6th floors), the SFPL will screen Valentino's 1926 film The Son of the Sheik.  The full line up of Shhhhhh Silents exhibits can be found here.

The Son of the Sheik was Rudolph Valentino's final film and a delightful film it is.  Valentino is cast in a dual role of Ahmed the son and Ahmed Ben Hassan the elder sheik (originally portrayed by Valentino in the 1921 film, The Sheik).  Young Ahmed falls in love with a dancing girl Yasmin (Vilma Banky) and believes he has been betrayed by her once he has been captured and torutured by a band of thieves.  Young Ahmed takes his revenge and it takes a few rousing fights and miscommunications to set things straight before there is a happy ending.  Agnes Ayres makes an appearence reprising her role from The Sheik as Lady Diana.  Montague Love co-stars as the baddie Ghabah the Moor and Karl Dane as Ahmed's loyal friend Ramadan.  Directed by George Fitzmaurice and E.M. Hull's novel The Sons of the Sheik was adapted by Hans Kraly and Francis Marion.  This Arabian fantasy has plenty of action, romance and humor packed into roughly 60 minutes.

I will introduce the film and also present a slideshow utilizing images that did not make the cut in my book Rudolph Valentino the Silent Idol.  With the abundance of riches at my fingertips, space prevented some, some were images I wished I'd been able to find and others came into my hands after publication.  It's an enjoyable glimpse into Valentino's world.  I will also have copies of the book on hand for purchase and autographing.

Thomas Gladysz of the Louise Brooks Society and editor of  the Louise Brooks edition of Margaret Boehme's 1905 novel Diary of a Lost Girl will also be on hand to sign copies of his book.  Thomas has also curated the Reading the Stars exhibition. 

The Son of the Sheik is one of Valentino's most engaging films and hope to see you there!