18. An Awkward Revelation About a Hollywood Heartthrob
Hollywood silent film era superstar Rudolph Valentino (1895 – 1926), also known as “The Latin Lover”, was a 1920s’ symbol of masculinity. He shot to fame with performances in silent film blockbusters such as The Sheik, and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. His sudden death at the young age of thirty-one resulted in mass hysteria among his female fans and solidified his iconic status. However, there was an awkward fact about the beloved actor that had been little known in his lifetime. Before he became a star, Valentino had probably been a male prostitute. He had worked as a dancer in what was known as “taxi dance clubs”. Such clubs were basically escorting services, where clients would come in, examine the club’s stable of dancers, and pay to dance with whichever one caught their eye.
Clients who got good vibes and liked their dance partner would negotiate a price with him or her, then pay the club an “exit fee” to leave with the dancer. Some taxi dance clubs were legitimate and innocent, but most were just straight-up escort services. In Valentino’s case, he was once arrested in a brothel before he became famous, so it is unlikely that his taxi dance club was the innocent kind. To put it in perspective, imagine if it was discovered that Brad Pitt had been a gigolo or male prostitute who had worked for an escort service. The paparazzi stampede would have caused an earthquake. The ensuing media and social media firestorm would probably have broken the internet, as the insatiable demand for salacious details produced a flood of stories.