The American silent film The Sheik (George Melford, 1921) caused a sensation and made Rudolph Valentino a sex symbol. It nearly singlehandedly founded the genre of 'oriental romance' Hollywood films. The Sheik is about Lady Diana Mayo (Agnes Eyres) a free-spirited English woman who is kidnapped in the North African town of Biskra by Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan with whom she eventually falls in love. In the original 1919 novel by Edith Maude Hull, Diana falls in love with the sheik precisely because he rapes her. In the film, however, this rape is only hinted at. Although set in Algeria, the film was shot entirely in the United States. In 1926, also starring Valentino, an even more popular sequel was made under the title The Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926). The Sheik craze led to several imitations and parodies.
![Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik (1921)]()
British postcard in the Famous Cinema Star Series by Beagles, no. 196.S. Photo: Paramount. Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1921). Valentino wore the same costume in The Son of the Sheik, so we doubted for which of the two films this still was taken. However, Paramount was the producer of The Sheik.
Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926) was Hollywood's ultimate 'Latin Lover'. The Italian-born American actor starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), The Sheik (1922), Blood and Sand (1922), The Eagle (1925), and The Son of the Sheik (1926). His early death at age 31 caused mass hysteria among his female fans and propelled him into iconic status.
![Pola Negri, Paul Wegener and Jenny Hasselquist in Sumurun (1920)]()
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin. Photo: Union Film. Publicity still for Sumurun (Ernst Lubitsch, 1920) with Pola Negri, Paul Wegener and Jenny Hasselqvist.
Ernst Lubitsch's silent film Sumurun (1920) tells the story of the favourite slave girl (Hasselquist) of a tyrannical sheik (Wegener), who falls in love with a cloth merchant (Harry Liedtke). Meanwhile, a hunchback clown (Lubitsch himself) suffers unrequited love for a traveling dancer (Negri) who wants to join the harem.
![Ben Turpin in The Shriek of Araby (1923)]()
Spanish collectors card by Chocolates Amatller, Barcelona, in the 'Artistas de cine' series, no. 14: Ben Turpin. Image: Martinez Surroca. Ben Turpin played a sheik in The Shriek of Araby (F. Richard Jones, 1923).
Cross-eyed silent comedian Ben Turpin (1869-1940) was not born that way. Supposedly his right eye slipped out of alignment while playing the role of the similarly afflicted Happy Hooligan in vaudeville and it never adjusted. Ironically, it was this disability that would enhance his comic value and make him a top name in the silent film era. Turpin's true forte was impersonating the most dashingly romantic and sophisticated stars of the day and turning them into clumsy oafs. He also invented a Hollywood tradition by being the first actor to receive a pie in his face.
![Rex Ingram, Alice Terry and Ramon Novarro during the shooting of The Arab]()
Spanish minicard in the Series 'Intimidades de artistas de cine'. Caption: Under the Algerian sun. Director Rex Ingram, his wife, and female lead Alice Terry, and male star Ramon Novarro during the shooting of The Arab (1924). Ingram was keen on realism, so he shot portions of the film on location in Algiers and hired real Bedouins as extras.
Mexican-American actor Ramon Novarro (1899-1968) was a popular Latin Lover of the 1920s and early 1930s. In the 1920s he made several films under the direction of Ingram, including The Prisoner of Zenda (1922) and Scaramouche (1923). Yet, his biggest claim of fame remains his lead in the mega-epic Ben-Hur (Fred Niblo, 1925).
Alice Terry (1900–1987) appeared in almost 40 films between 1916 and 1933. Though a brunette, Terry's trademark look was her blonde hair, for which she wore wigs from 1920 onwards. Her most acclaimed role is the leading lady in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Rex Ingram, 1921) starring Rudolph Valentino. Ingram, who married her in 1921, would shoot her in many of his films and often paired her to Novarro. Terry proved also in films without her husband’s direction she was a legitimate star. In 1923 the couple moved to the French Riviera, where they set up a small studio in Nice and made several films on location in North Africa, Spain, and Italy.
![Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Bagdad (1924)]()
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 40/3. Photo: IFA / United Artists. Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Bagdad(Raoul Walsh, 1924).
British postcard in the Famous Cinema Star Series by Beagles, no. 196.S. Photo: Paramount. Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1921). Valentino wore the same costume in The Son of the Sheik, so we doubted for which of the two films this still was taken. However, Paramount was the producer of The Sheik.
Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926) was Hollywood's ultimate 'Latin Lover'. The Italian-born American actor starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), The Sheik (1922), Blood and Sand (1922), The Eagle (1925), and The Son of the Sheik (1926). His early death at age 31 caused mass hysteria among his female fans and propelled him into iconic status.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin. Photo: Union Film. Publicity still for Sumurun (Ernst Lubitsch, 1920) with Pola Negri, Paul Wegener and Jenny Hasselqvist.
Ernst Lubitsch's silent film Sumurun (1920) tells the story of the favourite slave girl (Hasselquist) of a tyrannical sheik (Wegener), who falls in love with a cloth merchant (Harry Liedtke). Meanwhile, a hunchback clown (Lubitsch himself) suffers unrequited love for a traveling dancer (Negri) who wants to join the harem.
Spanish collectors card by Chocolates Amatller, Barcelona, in the 'Artistas de cine' series, no. 14: Ben Turpin. Image: Martinez Surroca. Ben Turpin played a sheik in The Shriek of Araby (F. Richard Jones, 1923).
Cross-eyed silent comedian Ben Turpin (1869-1940) was not born that way. Supposedly his right eye slipped out of alignment while playing the role of the similarly afflicted Happy Hooligan in vaudeville and it never adjusted. Ironically, it was this disability that would enhance his comic value and make him a top name in the silent film era. Turpin's true forte was impersonating the most dashingly romantic and sophisticated stars of the day and turning them into clumsy oafs. He also invented a Hollywood tradition by being the first actor to receive a pie in his face.
Spanish minicard in the Series 'Intimidades de artistas de cine'. Caption: Under the Algerian sun. Director Rex Ingram, his wife, and female lead Alice Terry, and male star Ramon Novarro during the shooting of The Arab (1924). Ingram was keen on realism, so he shot portions of the film on location in Algiers and hired real Bedouins as extras.
Mexican-American actor Ramon Novarro (1899-1968) was a popular Latin Lover of the 1920s and early 1930s. In the 1920s he made several films under the direction of Ingram, including The Prisoner of Zenda (1922) and Scaramouche (1923). Yet, his biggest claim of fame remains his lead in the mega-epic Ben-Hur (Fred Niblo, 1925).
Alice Terry (1900–1987) appeared in almost 40 films between 1916 and 1933. Though a brunette, Terry's trademark look was her blonde hair, for which she wore wigs from 1920 onwards. Her most acclaimed role is the leading lady in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Rex Ingram, 1921) starring Rudolph Valentino. Ingram, who married her in 1921, would shoot her in many of his films and often paired her to Novarro. Terry proved also in films without her husband’s direction she was a legitimate star. In 1923 the couple moved to the French Riviera, where they set up a small studio in Nice and made several films on location in North Africa, Spain, and Italy.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, Berlin, no. 40/3. Photo: IFA / United Artists. Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Bagdad(Raoul Walsh, 1924).
Douglas Fairbanks was the star of the magical adventure The Thief of Bagdad (1924), directed by Raoul Walsh. This Arabian Nights fantasy tells the story of a recalcitrant thief who falls in love with the beautiful daughter of the Caliph of Baghdad. The imaginative special effects, including a flying carpet, a magic rope, fearsome monsters, and the massive Arabian-style sets are still amazing. The Thief of Bagdad was a box-office failure in 1924, but now it is seen as one of the great silent Hollywood films and one of Fairbanks's greatest works.
![Maciste in Maciste contro lo sceicco]()
Italian postcard. Photo: Pittaluga Films, Torino (Turin). Bartolomeo Pagano as Maciste in the Italian silent film Maciste contro lo sceicco/Maciste Against the Sheik (Mario Camerini, 1926).
Bartolomeo Pagano (1878-1947) was an Italian actor in Italian and German silent films. His name is forever attached to the character of the strong man Maciste.
![Agnes Ayres and Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik]()
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3373/2. Photo: United Artists. Agnes Ayres and Rudolph Valentinoin The Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926), retaking a scene from the original Paramount production The Sheik (George Melford, 1921).
![Rudolph Valentino in The Son of the Sheik (1926)]()
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 1534/3, 1927-1928. Photo: United Artists. Rudolph Valentino in The Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926).
![Rudolph Valentino in The Son of the Sheik (1926)]()
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3373/1, 1928-1929. Photo: United Artists. Rudolph Valentino in The Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926).
The Sheik (George Melford, 1920) was a major success with audiences and set new attendance records where it premiered. In its first week of release, it set attendance records at two of New York's major theaters, the Rialto and the Rivoli. The New York Telegraph estimated that in the first few weeks 125,000 people had seen the film. The film’s power over the public imagination relied on American fantasies of the Orient as a place of billowing sands, luxurious silks, and heated primal romance
Due to the film's success, Jesse Lasky declared the last week of November 1921 as "The Sheik Week", and screened the film at 250 theatres in the United States on 20 November 1921. The Sheik became so popular that the word came to be used to mean a young man on the prowl. The object of a Sheik's desire was dubbed "a Sheba". The film ran for six months in Sydney, Australia, as well as 42 weeks in one theatre in France. It was the first Valentino film to show in his native Italy.
Within the first year of its release, The Sheik exceeded $1 million in ticket sales while the film was made for under $200,000. The Sheik helped to solidify Valentino's image as one of the first male sex symbols of the cinema and made him an international star. While he was a popular draw with female audiences, some male audiences mocked his onscreen persona and questioned his masculinity.
The popular song 'The Sheik of Araby' was written in response to the film. The Sheik became widely copied over the years. Burning Sands (George Melford, 1922) with Milton Sills, The Tents of Allah (Charles Logue, 1923) with Monte Blue, A Son of the Sahara (Edwin Carewe, René Plaissetty, 1924), Rex Ingram's The Arab (1924), which starred Ramón Novarro, and Felix the Cat Shatters the Sheik (Otto Messmer, 1926). The Shriek of Araby ( F. Richard Jones, 1923) starring Ben Turpin, the Baby Peggy short Peg o' the Movies (Alfred J. Goulding, 1923), and the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon The Shriek (William Nolan, 1933) were also parodies of The Sheik.
Rudolph Valentino would later attempt to portray roles that went against his 'Sheik' image with limited success. In 1925, he signed with United Artists. In an effort to capitalize on the success that Valentino had achieved with The Sheik, United Artists' president Joseph M. Schenck bought the rights to Edith Maude Hull's novel 'Son of the Sheik' and cast Valentino in the dual role of father and son.
Donna Hill in her essay 'The Son of the Sheik': "Valentino might have chafed a bit at reprising the role, but he recognised the necessity of doing it. Sequels were not yet common in 1926, but all signs pointed to the film being a sure-fire winner." The novel was adapted for the screen by Frances Marion and Fred de Gresac. Hill: "Set Design was handled by William Cameron Menzies, now famous for The Thief of Bagdad, who worked magic within budget confines, making a lush world out of little more than decorative fabrics and fake – albeit artistic – palm trees."
The Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926) was shot on location in California and in the Yuma Desert in Arizona which substituted for the Sahara dunes. Hill: "Conditions there were little better than the actual Sahara: 110o heat during the day, barely cooling at night. The cast and crew camped in tents. The prop master, Irving Sindler, recorded in his diary that unlike co-stars Montagu Love and Vilma Banky, Valentino worked uncomplainingly in the brutal conditions. He actually seemed to be enjoying himself; home movie footage documents a pith helmeted Valentino racing around the sands on his horse, appearing to have a wonderful time."
At AllMovie, Hans J. Wollstein loves the result: "Son of the Sheik is full-blooded, romantic, silent melodrama at its very best and played with complete sincerity by everyone involved, with the exception of a couple of minor characters provided for comic relief. More than anything that would follow in the fast-approaching sound era, this desert romance relied thoroughly on sex appeal. Valentino's own, of course, bordered on mythical proportions, but Vilma Banky was awarded just as many loving close-ups and she photographed luminously. The culmination of all this cinematic lust remains Valentino, on his indigo horse, kidnapping dancing girl Banky, whom he mistakenly accuses of having betrayed him."
The Son of the Sheik went into general release nearly two weeks after his death from peritonitis at the age of 31. However, Valentino lived only long enough to witness the film’s success in Los Angeles and New York. He was promoting it when he fell ill and died at the age of 31, but lived long enough to know it was going to be a box office hit. The film grossed $1,000,000 within the first year of its release. Eventually, it more than doubled that. Donna Hill: "lines snaked down busy metropolitan streets attesting to the flappers and sheiks who yearned for a final glimpse of the Latin lover in what is arguably his best-remembered film."
Had Valentino lived, Son of the Sheik would undoubtedly have put him back on top. Years later, the film rights of The Sheik were bought by producer Edward Small who recreated segments of The Sheik in the biographical picture Valentino (Lewis Allen, 1951), starring Anthony Dexter as Valentino, who Small announced would star in a remake of The Sheik, but which was never made. Harum Scarum (1965), which starred Elvis Presley, was inspired by the film.
![Bebe Daniels in She's a Sheik (1927)]()
Italian postcard by G.B. Falci Editore, Milano, no. 493. Photo: Paramount Films. Bebe Daniels in She's a Sheik (Clarence G. Badger, 1927).
Bebe Daniels (1901-1971) was an American actress, singer, dancer, writer, and producer. She began her career in Hollywood during the silent film era as a child actress and later as the love interest of Harold Lloyd in dozens of short comedies. Cecil B. de Mille made her a silent star and later she sang and danced in early musicals like Rio Rita (1929) and 42nd Street (1933). In Great Britain, she gained further fame on stage, radio, and television. In her long career, Bebe Daniels appeared in 230 films.
![L'Occident (1927).]()
French postcard by Europe, no. 41. Publicity still for the French silent film L'Occident (Henri Fescourt, 1927, released 1928). The card makes publicity for the film's premiere screening at the Paris cinema Marivaux. Caption from La Petite Illustration, 398, 1928: "The hour of prayer of the tribe of Zerrath-Hama."
L'Occident/The West (1927) was based on the play by Henri Kistemaeckers (who also scripted the film), produced by Société des Cinéromans, and distributed by Pathé Consortium Cinéma. The leading actors were Lucien Dalsace, Claudia Victrix, and Jaque Catelain. The sets were by Robert Gys. The film premiered in France on 26 September 1928 at the Paris cinema Marivaux.
![Léon Mathot in Dans l'Ombre du Harem (1928)]()
French postcard by Cinémagazine-Edition, no. 540. Photo: Franco Film. Léon Mathotin the French silent film Dans l'ombre du harem/In the Shadow of the Harem (Léon Mathot, André Liabel, 1928). The title on the postcard is slightly incorrect.
French actor and director Léon Mathot (1886-1968) became well-known for his role as Edmond Dantès in the French serial Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (Henri Pouctal, 1918). Mathot was one of the most popular stars of French silent film of the 1920s with such films as L'Empereur des pauvres (René Leprince, 1922) and Coeur fidèle (Jean Epstein, 1923). From 1927, he also became a film director, directing over 20 films.
![Adolphe Menjou in His Tiger Wife (1928)]()
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 4101/2, 1929-1930. Photo: Paramount. Adolphe Menjou in His Tiger Wife (Hobart Henley, 1928).
Suave and debonair American actor Adolphe Menjou (1890-1963) with his trademark waxy black moustache was one of Hollywood's most distinguished stars and one of America's 'Best Dressed Men'. He started as a matinée idol in the silent cinema in such classics as The Sheik (George Melford, 1920), Ernst Lubitsch's The Marriage Circle (1924). His sound films included Morocco (1931) with Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper, A Star is Born (1937), and Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1957) with Kirk Douglas. In 1931, he was nominated for an Oscar for The Front Page (1931).
![Ramon Novarro in A Night in Cairo/ The Barbarian (1933)]()
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5935/2, 1930-1931. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Ramon Novarro in A Night in Cairo/ The Barbarian (Sam Wood, 1933).
Mexican-American actor Ramon Novarro (1899-1968) was a popular Latin Lover of the 1920s and early 1930s.
![Ramon Novarro and Myrna Loy in A Night in Cairo/ The Barbarian (1933)]()
Dutch postcard, no. 484. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ramon Novarro and Myrna Loy in The Barbarian (Sam Wood, 1933).
Myrna Loy (1905-1993) was an American film, television, and stage actress. She was originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp or a woman of Asian descent, but her career prospects improved greatly following her portrayal of Nora Charles in The Thin Man (W.S. Van Dyke, 1934). Suddenly she was 'Queen of the Movies' and remained so until the late 1940s.
![Sabu in The Thief of Baghdad (1940)]()
British postcard in the Colourgraph Series, London, no. C. 338. Photo: Alexander Korda Productions. Sabu in The Thief of Baghdad (Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan, 1940).
British Indian actor Sabu (1924-1963) had 'a smile as broad as the Ganges and charm enough to lure the stripes off a tiger'. He became an instant star with the release of the British film Elephant Boy in 1937. His succession of tropical Technicolor treats delighted audiences before and during WW II.
![The Thief of Bagdad]()
Italian programme card for Il Cinema Ritrovata 2011. Photo: June Deprez and Conrad Veidt in The Thief of Bagdad (Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan, Alexander Korda, Zoltan Korda, William Cameron Menzies, 1940).
![Maria Montez in Arabian Nights (1942)]()
Spanish card, 1948. Photo: Universal. María Montez in Arabian Nights (John Rawlins, 1942).
Dominican film actress María Montez (1912-1951) gained fame and popularity as a tempestuous Latino beauty in Hollywood movies of the 1940s. In a series of exotic adventures filmed in Technicolor, she starred as Arabian princesses, jungle goddesses, and highborn gypsies, dressed in fanciful costumes and sparkling jewels. Over her career, ‘The Queen of Technicolor’ appeared in 26 films, of which five were made in Europe.
![Maria Montez in Sudan (1945)]()
Spanish postcard by Archivo Bermejo, Barcelona. Photo: Universal. María Montez in Sudan (John Rawlins, 1945).
![Totò]()
Small Italian collectors card, no. 291. Photo: Ivo Meldones. Totò in Totò sceicco/Toto the Sheik (Mario Mattoli, 1950).
Totò (1898–1967) was one of the most popular Italian film stars ever, nicknamed il principe della risata (the prince of laughter). He starred in about 100 films, many of which are still frequently broadcast on Italian television. Totò is an heir of the Commedia dell'Arte tradition and can be compared to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. His style and some of his recurring jokes and gestures are universally known in Italy.
Sources: Donna Hill (Library of Congress), Sophie Hammond (Inquiries), Hans J. Wollstein (AllMovie), Wikipedia (Dutch, German and English), and IMDb.
Italian postcard. Photo: Pittaluga Films, Torino (Turin). Bartolomeo Pagano as Maciste in the Italian silent film Maciste contro lo sceicco/Maciste Against the Sheik (Mario Camerini, 1926).
Bartolomeo Pagano (1878-1947) was an Italian actor in Italian and German silent films. His name is forever attached to the character of the strong man Maciste.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3373/2. Photo: United Artists. Agnes Ayres and Rudolph Valentinoin The Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926), retaking a scene from the original Paramount production The Sheik (George Melford, 1921).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 1534/3, 1927-1928. Photo: United Artists. Rudolph Valentino in The Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 3373/1, 1928-1929. Photo: United Artists. Rudolph Valentino in The Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926).
Full-blooded, romantic, silent melodrama at its very best
The Sheik (George Melford, 1920) was a major success with audiences and set new attendance records where it premiered. In its first week of release, it set attendance records at two of New York's major theaters, the Rialto and the Rivoli. The New York Telegraph estimated that in the first few weeks 125,000 people had seen the film. The film’s power over the public imagination relied on American fantasies of the Orient as a place of billowing sands, luxurious silks, and heated primal romance
Due to the film's success, Jesse Lasky declared the last week of November 1921 as "The Sheik Week", and screened the film at 250 theatres in the United States on 20 November 1921. The Sheik became so popular that the word came to be used to mean a young man on the prowl. The object of a Sheik's desire was dubbed "a Sheba". The film ran for six months in Sydney, Australia, as well as 42 weeks in one theatre in France. It was the first Valentino film to show in his native Italy.
Within the first year of its release, The Sheik exceeded $1 million in ticket sales while the film was made for under $200,000. The Sheik helped to solidify Valentino's image as one of the first male sex symbols of the cinema and made him an international star. While he was a popular draw with female audiences, some male audiences mocked his onscreen persona and questioned his masculinity.
The popular song 'The Sheik of Araby' was written in response to the film. The Sheik became widely copied over the years. Burning Sands (George Melford, 1922) with Milton Sills, The Tents of Allah (Charles Logue, 1923) with Monte Blue, A Son of the Sahara (Edwin Carewe, René Plaissetty, 1924), Rex Ingram's The Arab (1924), which starred Ramón Novarro, and Felix the Cat Shatters the Sheik (Otto Messmer, 1926). The Shriek of Araby ( F. Richard Jones, 1923) starring Ben Turpin, the Baby Peggy short Peg o' the Movies (Alfred J. Goulding, 1923), and the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon The Shriek (William Nolan, 1933) were also parodies of The Sheik.
Rudolph Valentino would later attempt to portray roles that went against his 'Sheik' image with limited success. In 1925, he signed with United Artists. In an effort to capitalize on the success that Valentino had achieved with The Sheik, United Artists' president Joseph M. Schenck bought the rights to Edith Maude Hull's novel 'Son of the Sheik' and cast Valentino in the dual role of father and son.
Donna Hill in her essay 'The Son of the Sheik': "Valentino might have chafed a bit at reprising the role, but he recognised the necessity of doing it. Sequels were not yet common in 1926, but all signs pointed to the film being a sure-fire winner." The novel was adapted for the screen by Frances Marion and Fred de Gresac. Hill: "Set Design was handled by William Cameron Menzies, now famous for The Thief of Bagdad, who worked magic within budget confines, making a lush world out of little more than decorative fabrics and fake – albeit artistic – palm trees."
The Son of the Sheik (George Fitzmaurice, 1926) was shot on location in California and in the Yuma Desert in Arizona which substituted for the Sahara dunes. Hill: "Conditions there were little better than the actual Sahara: 110o heat during the day, barely cooling at night. The cast and crew camped in tents. The prop master, Irving Sindler, recorded in his diary that unlike co-stars Montagu Love and Vilma Banky, Valentino worked uncomplainingly in the brutal conditions. He actually seemed to be enjoying himself; home movie footage documents a pith helmeted Valentino racing around the sands on his horse, appearing to have a wonderful time."
At AllMovie, Hans J. Wollstein loves the result: "Son of the Sheik is full-blooded, romantic, silent melodrama at its very best and played with complete sincerity by everyone involved, with the exception of a couple of minor characters provided for comic relief. More than anything that would follow in the fast-approaching sound era, this desert romance relied thoroughly on sex appeal. Valentino's own, of course, bordered on mythical proportions, but Vilma Banky was awarded just as many loving close-ups and she photographed luminously. The culmination of all this cinematic lust remains Valentino, on his indigo horse, kidnapping dancing girl Banky, whom he mistakenly accuses of having betrayed him."
The Son of the Sheik went into general release nearly two weeks after his death from peritonitis at the age of 31. However, Valentino lived only long enough to witness the film’s success in Los Angeles and New York. He was promoting it when he fell ill and died at the age of 31, but lived long enough to know it was going to be a box office hit. The film grossed $1,000,000 within the first year of its release. Eventually, it more than doubled that. Donna Hill: "lines snaked down busy metropolitan streets attesting to the flappers and sheiks who yearned for a final glimpse of the Latin lover in what is arguably his best-remembered film."
Had Valentino lived, Son of the Sheik would undoubtedly have put him back on top. Years later, the film rights of The Sheik were bought by producer Edward Small who recreated segments of The Sheik in the biographical picture Valentino (Lewis Allen, 1951), starring Anthony Dexter as Valentino, who Small announced would star in a remake of The Sheik, but which was never made. Harum Scarum (1965), which starred Elvis Presley, was inspired by the film.
Italian postcard by G.B. Falci Editore, Milano, no. 493. Photo: Paramount Films. Bebe Daniels in She's a Sheik (Clarence G. Badger, 1927).
Bebe Daniels (1901-1971) was an American actress, singer, dancer, writer, and producer. She began her career in Hollywood during the silent film era as a child actress and later as the love interest of Harold Lloyd in dozens of short comedies. Cecil B. de Mille made her a silent star and later she sang and danced in early musicals like Rio Rita (1929) and 42nd Street (1933). In Great Britain, she gained further fame on stage, radio, and television. In her long career, Bebe Daniels appeared in 230 films.
French postcard by Europe, no. 41. Publicity still for the French silent film L'Occident (Henri Fescourt, 1927, released 1928). The card makes publicity for the film's premiere screening at the Paris cinema Marivaux. Caption from La Petite Illustration, 398, 1928: "The hour of prayer of the tribe of Zerrath-Hama."
L'Occident/The West (1927) was based on the play by Henri Kistemaeckers (who also scripted the film), produced by Société des Cinéromans, and distributed by Pathé Consortium Cinéma. The leading actors were Lucien Dalsace, Claudia Victrix, and Jaque Catelain. The sets were by Robert Gys. The film premiered in France on 26 September 1928 at the Paris cinema Marivaux.
French postcard by Cinémagazine-Edition, no. 540. Photo: Franco Film. Léon Mathotin the French silent film Dans l'ombre du harem/In the Shadow of the Harem (Léon Mathot, André Liabel, 1928). The title on the postcard is slightly incorrect.
French actor and director Léon Mathot (1886-1968) became well-known for his role as Edmond Dantès in the French serial Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (Henri Pouctal, 1918). Mathot was one of the most popular stars of French silent film of the 1920s with such films as L'Empereur des pauvres (René Leprince, 1922) and Coeur fidèle (Jean Epstein, 1923). From 1927, he also became a film director, directing over 20 films.
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 4101/2, 1929-1930. Photo: Paramount. Adolphe Menjou in His Tiger Wife (Hobart Henley, 1928).
Suave and debonair American actor Adolphe Menjou (1890-1963) with his trademark waxy black moustache was one of Hollywood's most distinguished stars and one of America's 'Best Dressed Men'. He started as a matinée idol in the silent cinema in such classics as The Sheik (George Melford, 1920), Ernst Lubitsch's The Marriage Circle (1924). His sound films included Morocco (1931) with Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper, A Star is Born (1937), and Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1957) with Kirk Douglas. In 1931, he was nominated for an Oscar for The Front Page (1931).
German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 5935/2, 1930-1931. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Ramon Novarro in A Night in Cairo/ The Barbarian (Sam Wood, 1933).
Mexican-American actor Ramon Novarro (1899-1968) was a popular Latin Lover of the 1920s and early 1930s.
Dutch postcard, no. 484. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ramon Novarro and Myrna Loy in The Barbarian (Sam Wood, 1933).
Myrna Loy (1905-1993) was an American film, television, and stage actress. She was originally typecast in exotic roles, often as a vamp or a woman of Asian descent, but her career prospects improved greatly following her portrayal of Nora Charles in The Thin Man (W.S. Van Dyke, 1934). Suddenly she was 'Queen of the Movies' and remained so until the late 1940s.
British postcard in the Colourgraph Series, London, no. C. 338. Photo: Alexander Korda Productions. Sabu in The Thief of Baghdad (Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan, 1940).
British Indian actor Sabu (1924-1963) had 'a smile as broad as the Ganges and charm enough to lure the stripes off a tiger'. He became an instant star with the release of the British film Elephant Boy in 1937. His succession of tropical Technicolor treats delighted audiences before and during WW II.
Italian programme card for Il Cinema Ritrovata 2011. Photo: June Deprez and Conrad Veidt in The Thief of Bagdad (Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan, Alexander Korda, Zoltan Korda, William Cameron Menzies, 1940).
Spanish card, 1948. Photo: Universal. María Montez in Arabian Nights (John Rawlins, 1942).
Dominican film actress María Montez (1912-1951) gained fame and popularity as a tempestuous Latino beauty in Hollywood movies of the 1940s. In a series of exotic adventures filmed in Technicolor, she starred as Arabian princesses, jungle goddesses, and highborn gypsies, dressed in fanciful costumes and sparkling jewels. Over her career, ‘The Queen of Technicolor’ appeared in 26 films, of which five were made in Europe.
Spanish postcard by Archivo Bermejo, Barcelona. Photo: Universal. María Montez in Sudan (John Rawlins, 1945).
Small Italian collectors card, no. 291. Photo: Ivo Meldones. Totò in Totò sceicco/Toto the Sheik (Mario Mattoli, 1950).
Totò (1898–1967) was one of the most popular Italian film stars ever, nicknamed il principe della risata (the prince of laughter). He starred in about 100 films, many of which are still frequently broadcast on Italian television. Totò is an heir of the Commedia dell'Arte tradition and can be compared to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. His style and some of his recurring jokes and gestures are universally known in Italy.
Sources: Donna Hill (Library of Congress), Sophie Hammond (Inquiries), Hans J. Wollstein (AllMovie), Wikipedia (Dutch, German and English), and IMDb.