17 Feb 1923 – An Analysis of the Stars

Beauty saith an ancient and as yet undiscovered proverb is the bunk. Rudolph Valentino than whom there is not one more soul-stirring, is not handsome in the strictest sense of the word. The back of his head is to straight up and down. Unless the camera gets him at just the right angle, his nose is too broad for beauty. Yet he is the idol of femine America. Ask a half dozen women why they find Valentino charming, and you will receive different responses. For example, one Los Angeles woman says “I think Valentino is perfectly fascinating. He looks as if you couldn’t believe a word he said to you”. “Those gorgeous eyes” another will say. Dark and enigmatic, like dull coals smouldering, yet ready to leap suddenly into passionate flame, they are undoubtedly part of his lure. His swash-buckling swagger and courtly bow so stiff and different from other American men, are other Valentino points. But probably his most potent charm, most responsible for his vogue, is his irresistable mingling of naivete and sophistication. Sometimes he looks exactly like a small boy who is being abused, so that every woman instinctively wants to pat his shiny black head and comfort him. Yet she knows perfectly well that he is not a small boy and that it would be rather like patting dynamite. Which of course, makes him very interesting.