Français : Le Cheik (Rudolph Valentino) et son ami Raoul (Adolphe Menjou) dans le film Le Cheik (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When I was a child, I was in a talent show singing “I’m Old Enough for Kissing but I’m Too Young to Tango.” I was a hit even though I couldn’t sing or dance, wasn’t old enough to kiss, and didn’t know a thing about the tango, including the definition. I still can’t tango. If only Rudy were around to teach me!
Rudolph Valentino was “The Great Lover of the Silver Screen” until John Gilbert inherited that moniker after Valentino’s premature death. Valentino was an Italian immigrant, who slept on a park bench in Central Park when he arrived in NYC. Before he went from rags to riches, he was best known for his dancing skills.
I’ve seen several of his films. Despite his Italian background, he was cast as an Arab in THE SHEIK and in The SON OF THE SHEIK. I haven’t seen BEYOND THE ROCKS, based on a book written by Elinor Glyn, but love I his performance in BLOOD AND SAND, which earned a remake starring Tyrone Power. THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE is not my favorite Valentino film, but it does contain my favorite scene: Valentino doing the tango. (The tango made him a star.) I could watch that scene over and over. And I have!
Valentino was larger than life. How tragic that he died so young!
English: movie poster for 1922 film Blood and Sand (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Poster for 1921 film “The Sheik” starring Rudolph Valentino Français : Affiche du film Le Cheik avec Rudolph Valentino (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Son of the Sheik (1926) film poster. (Photo credit: *Wikipedia)
NOTE: I composed this post for my fellow blogger, Richard. We share an admiration for the films of Rudolph Valentino as well as Vivian Leigh. If you haven’t read his film reviews, check them out. They are outstanding. They cover films in every era of cinema history.
- The Son of the Sheik (1926) – by Thea (schilleratthemovies.wordpress.com)
- The Great Valentino (girlwithadogandgoodshoes.wordpress.com)
- Romance in Films: Then and Now (theprinceinthetower.wordpress.com)
JOHN GILBERT, ST. ELMO, & ME 