VILMA BANKY: Fun Facts

Vilma Banky, performed in Hungarian, Austrian and French movies between 1920 and 1925. In Hollywood she was billed as the "The Hungarian Rhapsody". By the mid 1920s she was Goldwyn's biggest money maker. Her best known works were with Rudolph Valentino: In The Eagle (1925) and in The Son of the Sheik (1926). Her first talking movie was This Is Heaven (1929). She toured the U.S. in "Cherries Are Ripe" with her husband Rod La Rocque. In 1930 she went with him to Germany to make her last film.

FUN FACTS:
Was an avid golfer who was still playing well into her 80s.

Her wedding to actor Rod La Rocque was considered one of the most extravagant of all Hollywood parties at the time.

Banky spoke no English when first discovered .

Rudolph Valentino picked Vilma Banky as his leading lady in what would be his final film "The Son Of The Sheik".

Rudolph Valentino "Son of the Sheik" (1926)

"The Son of the Sheik" (1926) is a silent romantic drama starring the legendary Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Banky. Directed by George Fitzmaurice and adapted from the novel by Edith Maude Hull, this film is a sequel to "The Sheik" (1921), and it casts Valentino in the dual role of the now older Sheik and his son Ahmed. The latter falls in love with dancing girl Yasmin, played by Vilma Banky, the daughter of Andre, a renegade Frenchman and leader of a group of thieves. After meeting with Yasmin secretely one night, Ahmed is captured by her father's group of thieves and held for ransom and tortured for not revealing the name of his father and other information. After being freed by his men, Ahmed, believing that Yasmin has betrayed him, carries her away to his desert tent, and rapes her (not shown, but suggested by wide-eyed close ups). His father Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan orders him to release the girl. Ahmed begins feeling pangs of remorse for his treatment of Yasmin, especially when he learns she is innocent of all wrongdoing. Ahmed tries to win back Yasmin, but she now wants nothing to do with him.

"The Son of the Sheik" might seem ridiculous to modern audiences, and in many ways it is. However, this film has something, and this something could be described as romanticism. Even though it deals with torture, lying, betrayal, rape, revenge and murder, it absorbs these harsh terms like it has created its own world. "The Son of the Sheik" is less a woman's fantasy or cheap romantic fiction than "The Sheik." It is an action adventure film with romance. It gave Valentino more to do than just look exotic in costumes and makeup. In addition to stirring chases and nocturnal rides across the moonlit desert, there are fights with swords, knives, and fists. Valentino is alive and moving. The film also features many lingering shots and close-ups of Valentino and Banky kissing, nuzzling, and murmuring to each other. Both lovers are attractive and enjoyable to watch. Banky shows great chemistry with Valentino and dances magnificently. Valentino gives a solid performance in his dual role as the hero and as his father. While the film was being made, Valentino was in his prime. No one associated with the film, including its star, could have possibly thought of "The Son of the Sheik" as his swan song. "The Son of the Sheik" was very good entertainment with wide audience appeal. The premiere at Grauman's Million Dollar Theatre was one of Hollywood's most glamorous affairs. A month after the opening of "The Son of the Sheik" in New York City, Valentino died. Thirty thousand of his adoring fans tried to view the body at Broadway and 66th Street. On August 23, 1926, the day of the funeral, there were 100,000 in the streets. Over eighty years after his death, Valentino is still a magic name. As with Marilyn Monroe and James Dean after him, early death ensured his legend. Valentino was not the only Latin Lover of his time-he was simply the most loved.
SON OF SHEIK (1926)

" THE WINNING OF BARBARA WORTH" (1926) Gary Cooper

"The Winning of Barbara Worth" (1926) is a silent western that stars Ronald Colman, Gary Cooper, and Vilma Banky. Directed by Henry King and based on the novel by Harold Bell Wright, this film is one of the great epic westerns of the silent era. The story begins with a wife burying her husband in the desert as her little girl looks on. Another wagon arrives soon after and the girl, Barbara, is saved from the terrible dust storm. However, it is too late for the mother. A man named Jefferson Worth rescues the little orphan and she becomes his adopted daughter. Fifteen years later, Barbara Worth, played by Vilma Banky, is now a young beautiful woman living with her father in the small desert town of Rubio City. Mr. Worth's dream is to bring water to the desert through irrigation. Rich land developer, James Greenfield, plans to fulfill everyone's dream by making the barren land into a paradise.

Engineer Willard Holmes, played by Ronald Colman, is hired by Greenfield to help bring water to the desert. Unfortunately, trouble lies ahead. Barbara is loved by her childhood sweetheart, Abe Lee, played by Gary Cooper. Willard falls for Barbara and a bitter rivalry develops between him and Abe. Since both men are exceedingly handsome, who will win the heart of Barbara Worth? In the meantime, Greenfield fires all the workers before the dam is properly reinforced, and in protest Worth has his men establish a new town on a mesa. However, he finds he cannot meet his payroll because of Greenfield's blockade. When the people realize they cannot be paid, they want to burn down the town. They are ready to lynch Worth and his daughter, Barbara. From that point on it is a race against time as Willard and Abe try to get the payroll to the townspeople. The climax of the film involves the breaking of the dam and the flooding of the entire area. The ending is very surprising. Although it was a landmark film in its own right, "The Winning of Barbara Worth" is best known for launching Gary Cooper's career. This film gave western stuntman and bit player Cooper his first featured role. Cooper's good looks and natural style of acting were immediately noticed by audiences and critics alike. An outstanding performance was given by Gary Cooper as well as Ronald Colman and Vilma Banky. The cinematography is breathtaking with beautiful use of light and shadow. The images of wagons and people and horses moving against a background of yellow-tinted desert looks stunning. The special effects were impressive for its time especially the flooding of the Colorado River. "The Winning of Barbara Worth" is not only a high quality production by Samuel Goldwyn, but it also blends romance and drama into an engrossing western epic.

* It is interesting to note that "The Winning of Barbara Worth" was filmed in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada.