Re this popular statement about the desired looks of a handsome man, what general shade of skin complextion is the desirable “dark” in this context? Also why was this a desirable thing in a lot more overtly racist society of the early to mid part of the 1900’s. Is it Italian and/or Spanish men they are referring to like Rudolph Valentino?
Also, what is the origin of this statement?
I always thought it “dark” meant mysterious or exotic. I have no idea if that’s correct. I’m not sure where the phrase originated.
Dark would be a nice tan - women should be pale because they are delicate creatures who live inside the house, but men should be MANLY and go outside and get tanned.
The popular “Latin lover” type would also fit the bill.
Really? I always thought it was referring to complextion. I learned something new!
I always thought it meant dark hair. Not necessarily complexion; a tanned man with blond hair could not be “tall, dark, and handsome” but a pale-skinned man with black hair could be. So could a tanned man with black hair.
I’m with missbunny, I always thought it meant dark hair/dark eyes.
Yes, dark, mysterious eyes.
I too always thought “dark” referred to hair color…in which case I fufill two of the criteria. Need to work on the “handsome” part, though. 
It means dark haired. “Towheads” and “gingers” were deemed boyish looking in comparison.
Same here. Cary Grant fit the “tall, dark, and handsome” bill.
It’s a typo from the fifties. The phrase was originally “tall, dork, and handsome”. It referred to the proto-geeks at the Tech Model Railroad Club at MIT. Even then some prescient observers sensed the coming cultural changes that would be brought by the rise of computing and networking.
This cultural prediction was sidetracked during the Great Youth Rebellion of the 1960s, with the rise in the US of ‘Black Power’. The typo took on a life of its own, and is now the most-remembered variant.
(Seriously, I also thought it meant dark-skinned (in a NW-Europe context, in other words “Latin” or “Greek”.)
Previous thread on this subject: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=239368
See especially posts #7 & #13
I also always took this to refer primarily to hair/eye color, with complexion being secondary. I think it’s meant to contrast with the traditional Western idea of a beautiful woman (or cute child) being a blue-eyed blonde.
Another vote for dark hair, dark eyes.
tall, brunet, and handsome, is what i always thought.
It also fits in with the demon-lover archetype.