Gossip Friday: Valentino + Dempsey
From November 1931:
Someone asked Lionel Barrymore to describe Clark Gable. He answered promptly: “Rudolph Valentino made up as Jack Dempsey!
Dear Mr. Gable
Everything Clark Gable
4 Comments
Dan
I can kind of see the Dempsey comparison in terms of physical stature and presence, but frankly, I never saw the appeal of Valentino. He was a short and skinny man who was lead around by the women in his life. Granted he was very young, but still…the cameras did all the work for him. At least when someone like Clark was seen in person, people still saw that he had great presence, even without the cameras 🙂
Debby
I prefer Clark over Valentino. If you watch Clark, you see a man, a presence. When I see Valentino I don’t see those things.
Diana Nicholson
Are you kidding, Debbie!?
Valentino stood out among other male stars of the day in many ways, not least his screen vulnerability which, like Monroe’s, – enhanced his sexual appeal.
The “all round American male” image was put to the test and found lacking when Valentino graced the silver screen as many women testified by flocking to see his films, much to the perplexity of their husbands and boyfriends.
The top and bottom of it is that Valentino’s looks and style couldn’t be emulated or identified with by the average American male (view his off-screen news reel) and that really got under their skin! Their prejudices and jealousy were well supported by some journalists who thrived on sensationalism.
I suggest you read the memorial written by H. L. Mencken, a man not given to sentimentality, but a highly regarded journalist, who would never have given space to the likes of Gable.
Diana Nicholson.
Diana Nicholson
Dan, you haven’t a clue about Valentino’s appeal.
Short and skinny? NO!
Valentino’s physique was well proportioned and muscular whereas Gable’s over large head, lumpy features and short legs, certainly had no appeal for me. The camera can’t lie all the time.
The matcho image men think women like or ought to like was truly flattened when women flocked to see Valentino’s films.
Adding to his charisma Valentino never lost sight of the fact that women were not in love with him but the image of what he represented to them.
A self-effacing man who made no secret of his desire for a lasting relationship. That’s a real man,Dan.
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