Not since Orpheus was murdered by maenads has there been such mass hysteria as that resulting from the sudden death of Rudolph Valentino at age 31. Dubbed “The Great Kisser,†Valentino was “Hero of the Flappers,†the matinee idol in a string of silent movie hits. He introduced the Apache dance in 1919’s The Eyes of Youth, the tango in 1921’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and the flamenco in 1922’s Blood and Sand. His two turbulent marriages were fodder for Photoplay readers, with his masculinity regularly critiqued and lampooned in newsprint. Nevertheless, no one expected his death to create the international sensation that left hundreds of people injured and caused suicides around the world.
Not since Orpheus was murdered by maenads has there been such mass hysteria as that resulting from the sudden death of Rudolph Valentino at age 31. Dubbed “The Great Kisser,†Valentino was “Hero of the Flap...
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