THE SON OF THE SHEIK (1926) – Having had more flops than hits in recent years, Valentino jumped at the chance to try reviving his box office mojo by playing both father and son in this sequel to his mammoth hit The Sheik.
Agnes Ayres returned as the Sheik’s wife Diane, and in old age makeup she and Rudy reprised their roles from the 1921 film. Via split-screen technology, Valentino’s aged Sheik interacted with his son, also named Ahmed.
The younger Ahmed falls in love with a dancing girl named Yasmin (Vilma Banky), who acts as the honeypot to lure wealthy suckers into her father’s web of con artist scams. The attraction is mutual, and Ahmed and Yasmin begin regular rendezvous at desert ruins near the city of Touggort, where she dances and her father’s gang pulls off their cons.
Ghabah the Moor, to whom Yasmin was promised by her father, is furious at this betrayal, but he and the international grifters realize who Ahmed’s father is. During the next assignation between Yasmin and Ahmed, Ghabah leads the gang in abducting the young man.
They relay a ransom demand to the Sheik and rough up his captive son, who mistakenly believes that Yasmin intentionally set him up. Will our hero survive? Will he learn that Yasmin is innocent? And will the villains be overcome? You know the answer to those questions in this 69-minute film.
*** Valentino died shortly after this film’s release at age 31. The mourning frenzy of his female fans and the chaos at his funeral are legendary. Actress Pola Negri’s exploitation of Rudolph’s death makes Courtney Love look dignified.
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Logged, thank you sir!
I have never heard about the movie “Son of the Sheik” before but found your post a pleasure to read.
I appreciate it!
My brother was that type of guy that girls would see him and invite him to park his car in their garage.
Ha! Interesting euphemism!
I saw a documentary on Valentino and, of course, the funeral. John Lennon had nothing on him.
Yes indeed. Plus the cross-country train trip with Valentino’s body really dragged things out.
Valentino is such a storied name. Didn’t know anything about his background.
I’m a silent movie geek so I love sharing these things.
You never really think of Valentino’s flops! But if you’re in the business long enough you’re going to have a few ‘so bad they’re fun’ films!
Ha! Yeah, especially his early shorts when he was a mustachioed villain!
I watched “The Sheik.” I could see why women went gaga over the guy.
Hey, even Susanna Hoffs dreamed about “kissing Valentino by a crystal blue Italian stream.”