Was a wax dummy used at his visitation? Why did Rudolph Valentino have such a public funeral?
No. The wax dummy rumor was spread by a Photoplay reporter, who upon seeing Rudy’s body at the visitation was convinced it was a dummy. However the hundreds of thousands of others who viewed the body did not feel that was the case, noting his mouth was still twisted in pain from his final illness. If indeed there had been a dummy surely someone else would have mentioned it, or it would have turned up by now as Ellenberger pointed out. The public funeral was Ullman’s decision as he was executor of Valentino’s estate (Rudy’s next of kin were both in Italy when he died). Valentino’s estate was heavily in debt when he died, and Ullman knowing they needed to keep his name in the papers to promote Son of the Sheik decided to let the public view his body. However after a few days Ullman found the crowds actions distasteful (many were acting as if at a carnival or happy event…much like The Valentino Memorial Service today) and immediately ended the public viewings. Ullman seems to have meant
