Valentino, like James Dean, died while his career was just beginning to take off. Had he lived longer he may have retained his charismatic reputation. Or, as in the case of many others, it may have died under the weight of second rate movies. After all, he exploded on the screen with The Sheik, followed some years later by Son of the Sheik. One can almost see the writing on the wall with such follow ups as Nephew of the Sheik, Grandson of the Sheik, or, as is the current vogue to name sequels to successful movies, Sheik ll and Sheik lll. By the time Sheik 1V was released, audiences, even women, might have become tired of Rudy despite the smoldering eyes and bare chest. However, whatever his acting ability, Valentino recognized that some names simply dont generate the right sort of suggestibility. When he started his career in the entertainment industry as a tango dancer his name was Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaele Guglielmi. That was good enough for a taxi dancer a sort of ten-cents a dance guy who got paid by escortless good-time girls who wanted a good time but didnt have a guy to have it with. As a potential film star, though, Mr. Guglielmi wanted to have his name associated with something evocative of how he wanted to be perceived. What better name than Valentino, after that patron Saint of Lovers, Saint Valentine. Enter Valentino, the Latin Lover. That names are important can be attested to by the numberless sites on the Internet giving the meaning of names, their origin, what important and influentail people have been so named, and their past and current popularity. In a Baby Naming ceremony, some parents take the name seriously enough to actually explain to those present why the particular name was chosen, and how they expect it to effect the child whose Naming ceremony they're celebrating. |
