The Chic Of Sheik.

Italian immigrant Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Piero Filiberto Guglielmi hit town in the late teens with anything but a bang. But by 1921 the world fell under the Rudolph Valentino spell with his starring appearance in "The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse". That same year he was elevated to the class of Living Immortal in "The Sheik".

In the history of the cinematic arts it's hard to come up with another marriage of actor and role that was such an utter game changer. Suddenly, Sheik was chic. And it was every where:

Sexy young men were now called 'Sheiks' their girlfriends were 'Shebas'.

Those smart young men carried and used the protection of Sheik Condoms.


The hit song of the day was "The Sheik Of Araby" my favorite version of which (below) is by The Beatles!




And to this day even teenagers here know about Valentino and "The Sheik", at least if they go to Hollywood High!




It's time we end this examination with a little gratuitous yum-yum: