23 Sahara Knights

Nita Naldi

 

 

Sites: There was a site, but it has lapsed into not being updated for years (do you have an active Nita Naldi site?  Contact us!)

 

Books about: The first biography about Nita has been published in, "Rudolph Valentino: A Wife's Memories of an Icon by Natacha Rambova".  It contains new information about her childhood and relationship with Barclay.  Mentioned extensively in both Dark lover by Emily Leider and Madame Valentino by Michael Morris

 

Films About: None

 

Voice: Nita never made a talkie.  However towards the end of her life Columbia University's Oral History Research Offices recorded interview sessions with her.  Click here to hear Nita speak!

 

Merchandise: Click here to see our Nita Naldi merchandise!

 

More Nita Naldi on the web:

Nita Naldi on IMDB

Nita Naldi at TCM

Nita Naldi at Find A Grave

 

by Hala Pickford @2009, please do not use without permission

 

Biography:

 

By 1932 newspaper articles made note of how 'the younger generation' wouldn't know the name Nita Naldi.  By the time she passed in 1961 this was once again reiterated.  One obituary written by an acquaintance compared her fame to that of Elizabeth Taylor or Marilyn Monroe.  All vamps must fade, but Nita was arguably one of the greatest.  Though many of her films are lost, we are lucky to have her vamping Rudolph Valentino in "Blood and Sand" and "Cobra".

 

Deemed by more than one person as a 'salty broad' Nita was known for speaking her mind, telling the most inappropriate stories in the fanciest of settings, using language that would put Olive Thomas to shame.  One reporter when interviewing her on the set of "Blood and Sand" noted a first impression of her: worrying over her dress Nita declared, "I hope I don't lose the god damned thing before I get back to my dressing room, because I haven't a fucking thing under it!"

 

Nita was born Nonna Dooley March 1895 (see notes below).  She was named for her great aunt Mary Nonna Dunphy, who founded The Academy of Holy Angels in Ft. Lee, New Jersey.  Not much is known about her parents.  Her father Patrick Dooley immigrated from Ireland.  Her mother Julia Cronin was from New York.  Naldi was the oldest child, with her brother Daniel Francis (Frank), and her sister Mary being born later.

 

Much like the first vamp Theda Bara who fed the press stories of an Egyptian childhood, Naldi had her own mythology.  As her star rose the press was told of her Italian childhood, her father supposedly an Italian diplomat.  It is unlikely she had any Italian blood in her, though even obituaries made note of it.  Naldi was actually said to be a 'proud Irish'.  As a child she could be found passionately arguing over Irish issues with friends and hanging St. Patrick's Day cards over her bed (threatening anyone who would dare to take them down with a punch).

 

She attended her Great Aunt's Catholic school at least until 1910.  There she was said to be a prank maker, putting Epsom salts in the nun's drinking water.  She claimed to have been almost expelled over her frequent use of the blasphemous phrase "Oh my God!" something she gleefully taught her fellow students.  Naldi claimed it was there she first seen films being made.  Indeed many of the early films were shot in Ft. Lee, NJ until about 1910.  Even then there were several holdouts, including Theda Bara who entered film in 1914.

 

In an early interview Naldi claimed her father died when she was young, though it appears like many other silent stars her father walked out on the family by 1910.  Naldi's grandparents moved in with the family, while her mother took to 'cloak modeling', a job Naldi herself would soon have.

 

Naldi's mother died suddenly in 1915, an event that left her teenage siblings in her care.  Naldi took on odd jobs including artists model, cloak model, and eventually entered vaudeville.  She and her brother Frank had a song and dance act.  Frank would revive the act with a new partner in 1928 at the New Castle Theater.

 

Naldi debuted on Broadway in 1918 at the Winter Garden in "The Passing Show of 1918".  By 1919 she was a Ziegfeld Follies Girl, but for what years or roles is unknown.  She played her first vamp role that year in Aphrodite.  Her performance in "The Bonehead" was well received.  After this show noted producer William A. Brady engaged her for his Broadway play "Opportunity" in 1920.

 

Naldi had been approached to enter film, a now established, albeit new, art form.  She agreed to appear in a picture with Scottish comedian Johnny Dooley (no relation).  The film was titled "Hearts and Arts" with Nita playing a Spanish girl.  She agreed to work for free as she admired the performer, however once she found he was friendly with Gertrude Vanderbilt she quit in a huff with the picture apparently being shelved.

 

It seems by the time she entered the follies Naldi had taken on the stage name 'Nita Naldi'.  This has led to the belief her birth name was Anita though where she came up with Nita is unknown.  She chose Naldi as a shortened form of 'Rinaldi', the last name of her best friend from school, Francis Rinaldi.

 

Despite the belief that John Barrymore snatched her away from the follies Naldi claimed her first picture was "A Divorce of Convenience" with Owen Moore.  It's possible some of her early films were made before Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  Despite most reports it seems Naldi did not sign right away with Famous Players-Lasky.  Most of her early films were for Selznick Picture Corporation.  She also had a part in  "Life" in 1921, a William A Brady production, and a independent Owen Moore production in 1922.

 

No matter how many films she made, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was the one that brought her attention from the film world.  Though never romantic, Naldi claimed she and John Barrymore two had a great friendship.  He teasingly nicknamed her the 'Dumb Duse' and in the late 20s Naldi would say he and Valentino were the most handsome men on earth.

 

It seems Naldi did not sign with Famous Players-Lasky until 1922, when she was personally chosen by author  Vicente Blasco Ibáñez whom she met at a party.  Naldi recounted the meeting in one of her oral history sessions later in life.  She claimed  Ibáñez declared she was a wicked woman, that she was his Dona Sol and he would mark her with that image for life.  Indeed Naldi would become best known for her vamping roles.

 

The vamp craze started in 1897 when a poem titled "A Fool There Was" accompanied a painting of a woman vamping.  The poem was turned into a play, and the play became a film in 1915 which gave then almost 30 year old actress Theda Bara her big break.  Overnight Bara became a sensation, and though the word 'vamp' does not appear in the film or poem it soon came in use to describe such a woman, shortened for vampire.  Vamps were said to be heartless, soulless, demon women who sucked the essence, money and acclaim out of their victims without even thinking twice.  They were also notorious for luring men away from their good Edwardian homes, with Theda Bara's version of the vamp taking great joy in such a horrifying act for the time.

 

Though Theda had her imitators none had outshone her, and by 1918 Bara had all but retired (she would make one more little known feature in 1926).  Though the flapper craze began in 1920 with Olive Thomas, vamping was still in demand.  Naldi's depiction of Donna Sol would give her fame, with many considering her Bara's successor.

 

Naldi reluctantly relocated to California for filming, though she considered it temporary as she didn't think Hollywood was 'wild' enough.  In one of her first interviews she noted how she missed her sister and that she wished she had brought her to Hollywood. 

 

Naldi got along well with her co-star Lila Lee who she was still friends with later in life.  She also got along well with the film's star Rudolph Valentino, who had recently become a superstar for his film "The Sheik".

 

Valentino had begun his love affair with Natacha Rambova, who would become his second wife after filming wrapped.  Most of Valentino's friends did not get along with Rambova, finding her cold and off putting.  Naldi and Rambova became friends, with the press speculating Naldi was the only woman Rambova trusted to act with her husband.  Indeed Naldi would become Valentino's most frequent co-star, appearing with him in "Blood and Sand", "The Hooded Falcon" (never made), "A Sainted Devil" and "Cobra".  In fact she appeared in all but 2 films made during Valentino and Rambova's relationship.

 

Of Valentino, Naldi noted she did not find him attractive citing her fake Italian heritage, "Fall for Valentino I shall say not!  Why Should I fall for him?  Down in Little Italy where I was a kid I knew a hundred boys better looking than Rudy is!"  However Naldi found him a dear friend, "He is most generous.  No matter what his income he would spend it on others.  He is very grateful aiding in a great degree people who were friendly with him in his less prosperous days."

 

Naldi also found him a good actor, "Valentino is the most sincere actor I know.  He lives the part even in the love scenes.  Niblo (Blood and Sand director) would call 'That's enough Rudy...don't get too rough!'"

 

It is perhaps interesting to note that in her roles with Valentino, Naldi was the one seducing.  Valentino, known for being the Great Lover, would usually play a man taken under her wicked spell.  Naldi's characterizations were the opposite of most of his leading ladies, particularly his Sheik films.

 

After "Blood and Sand" Valentino was brought up on bigamy charges, stemming from his quick marriage to Rambova.  The studio ordered him to work on "The Young Rajah" which he had little say in.  After that film he embarked on a one man strike which would keep him out of film for almost 2 years.  Naldi would not work with him again until he had made his final picture for Famous Players in 1924.

 

Naldi herself also had relationship troubles at this time.  She had met millionaire sportsman J. Searle Barclay in 1919 when she was still performing on Broadway and with the Follies.  Barclay, born in 1869, had been married to Isabelle Hunnerwell Harrington for 16 years.  Barclay and Naldi had lived together in an upscale apartment in New York City since 1920.  Mary Naldi was officially said to be living with her sister at the apartment, which Barclay living in the same building.  On several occasions reporters had interviewed Naldi with Barclay present, with her claiming him to not be Barclay but her lawyer.

 

When Naldi relocated to Hollywood for "Blood and Sand" Barclay joined her.  It was at this time Isabelle filed for divorce, and named Naldi in the suit though she was ordered to keep quiet to the press.  Asked if she was indeed in a relationship with Barclay, Naldi denied it saying she had already married her lawyer, but would not give any details.  When the reporter kept asking Naldi stated, "You can say I am happy.  When I get ready to reveal my husband's name I will do it...and not a day before!"

 

Naldi would marry Barclay sometime in 1927 in France.  With all subtlety she noted in an interview around the time of the divorce suit, "I love tall men, especially men over 40.  A man has no sense until he's reached that age".  Naldi was 28 at the time.  Perhaps her father's abandonment influenced her decisions toward men.  Naldi would never have children, and after Barclay she would not remarry.  When asked in interviews during the 1920s if she would like children or marriage Naldi would give a neutral reply, stating both would be fine but she was 'meant for more'.  By the 1920s she was already being labeled a 'man hater' for some of her comments, a claim that would increase with time.  In one interview she noted, "The girl pays and pays...but if she's a smart little girl she gets away with an awful lot of change!"

 

The divorce suit didn't seem to damage Naldi, perhaps because of the vamp image she had been given.  In 1924 she said to a friend, "My stars, boy, how women loathe me!"  Fan letters to movie magazines back up this claim, with one stating how she hated Naldi for stealing Valentino's character away from the sweet Lila Lee.

 

Naldi's vamping career continued with "Lawful Larceny" (in which she opened the film portraying Cleopatra), "The Glimpses of the Moon" with Bebe Daniels, and "You Can't Fool Your Wife".  Naldi was given the role of Sally Lung in Cecil B DeMille's epic "The 10 Commandments".  Her work impressed the DeMille brothers as her follow up film was "Don't Call it Love" directed by William DeMille.

 

Valentino had finished his one man strike by this time.  In 1924 he owed 2 pictures to Famous Players-Lasky before he could begin his contract with Ritz Carlton Pictures.  He made "Monsieur Beaucaire" which was not well received.  His final film for Famous Players reverted to his Latin lover image, "A Sainted Devil".  Naldi was given the leading lady role of Carlotta.  Unfortunately this film is one of Valentino's few lost films.

 

Before "A Sainted Devil" was released Naldi received criticism for appearing 'plump' in her last few films.  She insisted it was just a bad fitting dress, and that she was as slim as ever.  Naldi who consistently claimed a height of 5ft 8in during her lifetime had always been full figured as most vamps were.  The press claimed she had weighed upwards of 150-160lbs which for her height would not be too scandalous.

 

The claims intensified adding gossip that Naldi had dyed her skin yellow and bobbed her hair.  Naldi denied both claims.  As for her weight she originated the 'pork chops and pineapple' diet, one Vilma Banky would be put on soon after.  The press speculated that Naldi had been sick for months over the diet, comparing her to Barbara LaMarr who had also had similar weight issues.  LaMarr had a drug problem, something Naldi herself would be accused of especially in her final years (particularly an unflattering shot in Hollywood Babylon 2).  Whether Naldi actually used drugs is unknown, though it is possible the weight criticisms could have prompted her to try such things.

 

However she did it, Naldi claimed to have lost 25lbs for her role of Carlotta.  She claimed she now weighed 123lbs.  The press speculated her contract required her not to weigh more than 130lbs.  By the time Valentino died just a few years later the press claimed she was once again too heavy.

 

Eager to start their contract with Ritz Carlton, the Valentinos immediately started work on their pet project "The Hooded Falcon".  Set in Spain, Valentino and Naldi were to play Moorish royalty.  Newspapers noted it would be one of Naldi's first non vamp roles, playing a sympathetic character who helps Valentino's in the story.

 

Ritz Carlton refused to let the Valentinos shoot in Europe, so with Naldi they left for France to 'research'.  Naldi was fitted for costumes.  While in France Naldi's brother (possibly encouraged by a press agent) declared she had eloped with D. Gircimel Sanges...supposedly a great dueling man.  Naldi returned with the Valentinos and her dog, denying such claims.

 

After returning from France Rudy approached old friend June Mathis to write the script for the film.  Mathis had penned "Blood and Sand" and said of Naldi, "She's the most interesting personality I've seen in some time. I'd love to write for her."  Naldi remembered Mathis fondly telling of the friendship between Mathis and Valentino.

 

Unfortunately Mathis never had the chance to write for Naldi after "Blood and Sand".  Mathis wrote a script for The Hooded Falcon which the Valentinos felt was not up to par.  Rudy's manager George Ullman delivered the news.  Mathis promptly stopped speaking to the Valentinos and would not reconcile with Rudy until months before his death.

 

With Mathis off the project several more things fell through, making The Hooded Falcon a costly quagmire.  To try and salvage some of the fund Ritz Carlton ordered Valentino to begin a modern film, a quickie titled "Cobra".  Naldi played Elise Van Zile the 'cobra' of the story.  It is perhaps the most definitive film of her acting opposite Valentino.  Sadly it would be their last film together.

 

Naldi's weight was again under scrutiny, the press would become even more vicious once she retired from film.  By 1925 Naldi was no longer the reigning vamp.  Foreign Pola Negri was said to have usurped the vamp throne.  Other actresses vied for the title, but soon the vamp would be out of style.  It would morph into the femme fatal with Louise Brooks and Greta Garbo.

 

As with Valentino's last 3 pictures, Cobra did only middling box office.  With $150,000 already spent on the still unfilmed Hooded Falcon, Ritz Carlton cut the cord and ended their association with Valentino.

 

Valentino and Rambova's marriage began to fall apart in 1925.  When Valentino signed with United Artists it was stipulated Rambova (who had been blamed for his failures) would not be allowed on set.  As a consolation prize Ullman offered $30,000 to Rambova to make her own film.  Rambova wrote, produced, and designed the film titled "What Price Beauty?" Naldi starred as the subtly named Rita Rinaldi.  The film is notable for being the first (not counting Hooded Falcon) to use fashions by Adrian Greenburg, as well as giving Myrna Loy her first film role.  Unfortunately it is now lost.

 

"What Price Beauty?" had distribution problems, playing from 1926 to 1928 in various cities.  It was not a success.  It appears Naldi ended her friendship with Rambova during this time, though the reasons are unknown.  Rambova admitted to having an affair with her cameraman during filming, and perhaps this was a factor in Naldi's change of heart.  Later in life she would claim she accompanied Rambova to 3 abortions, though this is obviously impossible to verify.

 

Valentino only made 2 more films before his sudden death in August 1926.  If Naldi seen him around that time is unknown.  She would speak fondly of him later in life saying, "He was a sweet darling...kind, sweet, and generous".  Rambova's biographer asserts the theory that Naldi did have a sexual relationship with Valentino after his divorce, but before he began his relationship with Pola Negri.  While possible, Naldi had been involved with Barclay for several years and would marry him the following year.  Only one person (Valentino's yacht captain) claimed to have witnessed her affair with Valentino, and like other such things it is hard to verify.  Asked for a statement when he died Naldi said, "He was a fine actor and a cultured and educated man."

 

After "Cobra" Naldi did a handful of films, all for independent production companies.  Perhaps the most interesting is the lost "The Miracle of Life" which dealt with birth control.  After filming "Do Clothes Make the Pirate" a comedy with Dorothy Gish, Naldi left for France in November 1927.  There she finally married Barclay a month after arriving.

 

Naldi claimed the trip was meant to be only a few months long but she would come to say she stayed '13 years'.  However she would only spend 4 years before returning to New York City, without her husband.

 

Before she left Naldi was set to make "The Desert Healer" written by E.M. Hull (who had written the Sheik novels).  Naldi passed and the role went to Katherine McDonald.  When Naldi left the press claimed her family and friends had trouble getting a hold of her, supposedly to drum up publicity for her next picture.

 

Within the year the US press announced that she had retired, despite the fact Naldi had never made such an announcement.  Many believe she retired due to talkies, however The Jazz Singer premiered just shortly before she left for France.  Like other silent stars Naldi's voice was fine, though it took on a British accent in her later years.  Naldi would never make a talkie despite being active until the 1950s.

 

Naldi actually went the opposite route, starring in a handful of films before she left the screen.  She starred as Beatrice in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Mountain Eagle" which would be released in the US (it was filmed in the UK).  Naldi then was asked to make a film for Paramount France which would be released in the US as "The Lady from Montmartre".  Known by the French title "La Femme Nue" it was one of the few films Naldi spoke of in the 30s, and appears to still exist in the French archives.

 

Naldi then made "Pratermizzi" in Austria.  This film had color sequences and still exists in fragmented form.  Her final film was the Italian production "La Maschera d'Oro" (The Golden Mask).  None of these films were released in the US, with her home audience assuming Naldi had long retired.

 

It's not clear when Naldi's marriage to Barclay began to crumble, or why.  The pair had been together at least 7 years when they separated.  Its unclear when Barclay lost his fortune as well.  He was referred to as a 'millionaire' during the 20s but it is possible he lost his wealth in the stock market crash.  When he died in 1945 he was said to be penniless.

 

Naldi returned to New York without her husband in late 1931 under the name Nita Naldi Barclay.  In December 1932 she filed for bankruptcy claiming to only have the clothes on her back and the jewelry she returned with.  By the time the proceedings started Naldi claimed she had pawned her last jewel.

 

In need of money Naldi returned to the stage in 1933 with "The Firebird" and "Queer People" in New York.  The papers were abuzz about her weight once again.  One newspaper review of "Queer People" noted that if you 'see an actress with 4 bosoms and 8 hips that was Nita Naldi'.  Naldi sued in 1934 for $500,000.  The suit was dismissed in 1938.

 

Naldi kept on working, performing in a troubled production of "Black Crook" in 1934.  She was spotted at the Algonquin looking 'vacant'.  She met with old friends including Lila Lee, Lillian Tashman, and oddly Gypsy Rose Lee.  Naldi told the press she enjoyed reading, especially thrillers.  She was said to enjoy horseback riding, croquet, and ping pong as well.

 

The press once again might have been insinuating a problem with Naldi's health.  She was noted as saying in 1932, "I don't drink!  2 drinks and I act crazy so I don't drink!"  Naldi would have a problem with alcohol in the coming decades.

 

It seemed the only people who remembered her was her colleagues.  During an interview around this time director Rex Ingram cited Naldi, his wife Alice Terry, and Gloria Swanson as the best silent actresses.

 

By 1936 Naldi's stage career had stalled.  Many reports thought she had just returned from Paris when she had been back for a few years.  She met with the Ziegfeld Girls Club that same year, claiming she was the oldest one there.  By this time the press began to speculate on the separation between Naldi and Barclay.  However articles from the late 40s (after his death) state her as still married.

 

In 1940 Naldi came to Boston with the play "Worth a Million".  An article from that time claimed Naldi weighed 250lbs.  However this seems exaggerated.  She must have put on some weight as other magazines claimed a similar story.  Within the year "Blood and Sand" was slated for a remake.  Hedy LaMarr was set to take Naldi's Donna Sol role though it eventually went to Rita Hayworth.

 

In 1941 Louella Parsons announced in her column that Naldi would be making her first talking starring in "For Whom the Bell Tolls".  The film would eventually be made in 1943 with Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper.  Naldi was said to have made a screen test, but she seemed to have no further film offers.

 

Along with Mae Murray, Naldi took part in "The Silent Screen" at Bill Rose's Diamond Horseshoe Club in New York.  Naldi recited the poem "A Fool There Was" for full kitsch effect.  She made twice weekly appearances and was said to be the only vamp not in retirement.  Whether Naldi and Murray got along is up for debate.  One report had it they insisted on separate dressing rooms.  However Naldi mentioned Murray fondly in interviews saying when asked to say how old she was Murray told her to always say '29'.

 

One headline at the time summed up how Naldi was thought of, "Buxom Vamp who make Grandpa Shiver now only gets laughs!"  Of course the same article also believed the Italian press release story.

 

With the new press attention Naldi claimed she had left Spain because of the Civil War (the very thing that forced Natacha Rambova out of the country), despite the fact she had been living in Paris.

 

In 1949 an article announced Naldi and Pola Negri were both working on their memoirs.  Unfortunately only Negri's would be published.  If Naldi did write her memoirs their whereabouts are unknown.

 

In 1952 Naldi returned to Broadway in "In Any Other Language" with Uta Hagen.  Naldi received good reviews for her role.  When interviewed with Gloria Marlowe, Naldi was asked how it felt to be on Broadway once more.  Naldi replied, "I feel like an antique because most of the people I started out with are dead!"  During the same interview Naldi was asked about her husband who was now deceased, "My husband could have covered me with square cut diamonds....of course the money made him more interesting!"  Sadly Naldi was noted during the 50s to still be dieting, 'to maintain' she claimed.

 

Naldi kept up appearances keeping active well into 1956.  Publicity photos capture her at many silent film events.  In 1956 she coached Carol Channing on vamping for a new show of hers titled "Vamp!"  Channing would be nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for that role.  Asked what she thought of vamps now Naldi noted she thought the censorship would be too limiting, but that she did indeed think vamping was making a comeback.

 

1956 also brought the rumor that Naldi was to wed a Park Avenue man named Larry Hall.  The union never took place.

 

In 1959 Naldi was interviewed by Joan and Robert Franklin for Columbia University's Oral History Research Office.  These recordings are still held at Columbia, with excerpts released on a CD collection.

 

Naldi had lived in the Hotel Wentworth in room 522 from 1945 until her death.  During her final years she had financial assistance from The Actor's Fund.  Her eyesight had been failing and she had some heart trouble during the final year of her life.  Naldi died on February 17th, 1961 aged 65.  She had been dead for 2 days when she was found by a hotel maid.  The cause of death was reported to be a heart attack.  Naldi was buried at the Calvary Cemetery in New York, Section 1W, Range AA, Plot 13/14, Grave 5.  She is buried with her mother, sister, and brother.

 

When Naldi died most of her obituaries got several things wrong, from birth name to age to place.  Many stated she had done work in television during the 1950s, yet what these shows or appearances were there seems to be no record of.

 

Naldi died in the decade when silent film was beginning to be rediscovered, when society woke up and realized these stars would not be around forever.  Unfortunately she did not live to see the many retrospectives of her work that would take place just a few years later.  Looking at her work today it is a shame she has not been remembered as well as other silent stars.  Naldi's work is excellent and I for one am proud to offer this article, the first of its kind on her with these new details.

 

 

Notes:

This is the first time since Nita's fame that her real name and age have been found.  The most common held belief is she was born Anita Donna Dooley in Ft. Lee, NJ in 1897.  That is not correct.

 

 During her life she gave various 'real' names including Jianna Maria Theresa, Nonna Dooley, Anita Donna Dooley, Donna Dooley, and even Mary Dooley.

 

She also gave various birth years between 1897 and 1900 as well as various birth places including New York City, Ft. Lee, New Jersey, and in her later years Washington D.C.

 

Finding Nita in the census was a major task, and it finally took the help of Jim Gettys to crack the code.  I am forever indebted to him for finding her in the 1900 and 1910 census.

 

Nita noted in interviews she was named for a great aunt Nonna Dooley who was a mother superior and founder of a Ft. Lee boarding school.  Indeed a (Mary) Nonna Dunphy founded The Academy of Holy Angeles in 1879 in Ft. Lee.

 

Through this Jim found a Nonna Dooley attending the school in 1910.  Nita noted her father 'died when she was young' which was usually code for 'left the family'.  Her father appeared in the 1900 census, but not the 1910.  In the 1910 census her mother was noted as being a cloak house model, a job Nita herself was said to be doing around that time.  It is interesting to note that her brother and sister would take on Naldi as a last name, but revert to Dunphy on their tombstone.

 

Nonna Dooley was reported as being 15 years old when the 1910 census took place, so Nita was actually born in 1895!  I'm sure she wouldn't be thrilled with that coming to light.

 

All information comes via the Manhattan Census and if one would like to search the info is in the following locations:

The Manhattan census reference for 1900 is: ED 930, sheets 1 & 2.

The Manhattan census reference for 1910 is: ED 1043, sheets 3b & 4a.

The Fort Lee, NJ census reference for 1910 is: ED 17, sheet 28a, line 31.

 

Again a major thanks to Jim!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nita Naldi Filmography:

 

This filmography is as complete as it can be.  However I have a feeling more of Nita's films exist.  Keep your eyes out for them!

 

The Complete Nita Naldi Filmography List
Purple means fully exists
Blue means partially exists or a clip exists
Pink means lost

* means released on DVD or VHS

1920:
Life

Common Sin

*Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

1921:
Last Door
Experience

The Devil's Daughter
Divorce of Convenience

Snitching Hour

 

1922:

Reported Missing
*The Man from Beyond
For your Daughter's sake (reissued as Common Sin/Warren's Daughter)

Channing of the Northwest

*Blood and Sand

Anna Ascends

1923:
You Can't Fool your Wife
*The Ten Commandments
Lawful Larceny
Hollywood (A guest appearance)

The Glimpses of the Moon

1924:
A Sainted Devil
Don't Call it Love
The Breaking Point

1925:
The Mountain Eagle/Fear O' God (alternative title)

Marriage Whirl
Lady Who Lied
*Cobra
Clothes Make the Pirate

The Hooded Falcon

What Price Beauty?

1926:
The Unfair Sex

The Miracle of Life

 

 

1928:

La Femme Nue (France)/The Model from Montemartre (English title)

*Die Pratermizzi (Germany)

 

1929:

La Maschera d'Oro (Italy)/ The Golden Mask (English title))

Surviving Films:

 

*Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
1921. Alongside John Barrymore. He 'discovered' her and this was one of her first featured films (but not her first as Wikipedia currently claims). Released by Alpha Video on DVD. Click here to purchase!
 

*The Man From Beyond

1922. Alongside Harry Houdini! How interesting! Survives entirely and was released on DVD by Alpha Video on DVD. Click here to purchase.

 

*Blood and Sand

1922. First appearance alongside to be good friend Rudolph Valentino. Nita was actually his most featured leading lady, appearing in 4 of his films (A Hooded Falcon is included in that number). Survives and was released by Alpha Video on DVD. Click here to purchase.

 

*The Ten Commandments

1923. Yes Nita appeared in Cecil B. DeMille's legendary Ten Commandments! And of course it still exists. Paramount released it on the Special '50th' anniversary (of the later version that is) DVD. Click here to purchase.

 

*Cobra

1925. Her third and final Valentino film (since Hooded Falcon was a bust). Has survived and been released on DVD via Image Entertainment. Click here to purchase.

 

*Die Pratermizzi (Pratermizzi)

1928 (depending who you ask). Possibly her final film, its still unclear. Rediscovered in 2005 apparently most of the film still exists at the Centre national de la cinématographie. Clips of the film were released by the Austrian Archive in 2005 as part of the DVD "Der Wiener Prater im Film". Why in clips I dont know. Click here to purchase (obviously in German and from Austria).

 

*La Femme Nue (The Model from Montemartre)

1928. Either her second to last or third to last film. Appears to exist in the French archives. Beyond that nothing about its condition is known. However it appears to not be on DVD.

 

Surviving Fragments:

 

*Reported Missing

1922. Apparently 7 minutes of this film still exists. Who owns it or if Nita is featured in the footage is unknown.

 

*Anna Ascends

1922. A 6 minute fragment apparently exists.

 

*Lawful Larceny

1923. A 6 minute fragment apparently exists

 

Lost Films

 

*The Mountain Eagle

1926. Alfred Hitchcock's second film. His first "The Pleasure Garden" survives and Nita is rumored to be in it though it seems to be just that...a rumor. She was actually the star of "The Mountain Eagle" which is now lost. Also released under the title "Fear O' God".

 

*You can't fool your wife

1923. Nita starred in the 1923 version, not the 1940 version with Lucille Ball. Nita's version is lost.

 

*The Hooded Falcon

1925. The infamous Valentino film which was never really made. Its unknown what was filmed but Nita was fitted for the film. Unlikely to turn up that's for sure!

 

*La Maschera d'Oro

1929. IMDB doesn't list this film but the Nita fan site does. It was Italian and its unknown if it was sound or silent. Its also unknown if it exists or is lost. If Nita truly was in it, this would mark her last film appearance.