In 1913 an 18 year old emigrated from Italy to the United States. Within a few years, he had achieved worldwide fame as movie star Rudolph Valentino.



All too soon after having risen to stardom, Valentino's life ended. At age 31, Valentino died of a perforated ulcer. About 100,000 people attended his funeral. Thousands more lined the streets, many sobbing hysterically. After Valentino's death, The Son of the Sheik, in which Valentino played two leading roles, drew large audiences.

How did movies influence their viewers?

While Valentino may have been one of the first Hollywood stars worshipped by fans, none of them heard him speak in his movie roles. The Jazz Singer, the first movie to feature sound, was released a year after his death in October 1927. It signaled the end of the silent film era. The new films were known as "talkies." The Jazz Singer set box office records even though only 500 theaters in the United States were wired for sound when the film was released. Eager audiences waited in long lines to see and hear the talkie. It featured stage singer Al Jolson uttering his signature line, "You ain't heard nothin' yet." By 1929, approximately 9,000 of the nation's 20,000 theaters boasted sound facilities.


The extraordinary popularity of the movies inspired the construction of lavish theaters. For the price of admission, rich and poor alike could be transported from their daily cares. In Columbus, Ohio, the Palace Theatre was modeled after the Versailles Palace outside Paris. At night, theater marquis glistened with huge colored electric lights. In some cities, movie palaces had exotic names, such as the Riviera, the Tivoli, and the Rialto. Even in small towns, the movie theater was often the fanciest building around.

One commentator called movies "a distinctly American institution" because at the movies "there are no separations of classes … the rich rub elbows with the poor." Fancy movie theaters offered their clients a taste of the glamorous life they saw in the movies. Many theaters provided free baby-sitting. Full-length mirrors afforded patrons a view of themselves surrounded by the elegance of chandeliers and fountains. A screening of a two-hour movie often included a live orchestral performance and stage show.

Credits: Model T © Bettmann/Corbis; Iron Advertisement The Granger Collection, New York; Rudolph Valentino © Archive Photos/Picturequest; Scene from "The Jazz Singer" © Culver Pictures; RKO Palace Theatre Pictures of the RKO Palace Theatre in downtown Columbus, Ohio courtesy of theatre historian Phil Sheridan, author of "Those Wonderful Old Downtown Theatres", Volumes 1, 2, 3.

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