Heroes and Heroines Two kinds of women look up adoringly at two kinds of 1920s heroes. A wholesome image is seen on the left in a 1927 cover of People’s Popular Monthly magazine. The outdoor girl, smartly turned out in her raccoon coat and pennant, flatters a naive college football hero. On the right, Vilma Banky kneels imploringly before the hypnotic gaze of the movies’ greatest heartthrob, Rudolph Valentino. Magazine: Picture Research Consultants & Archives; Poster: Mary Evans/FEATURE PICTURES INC/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection.