LONELY (REMEMBERING RAMON NOVARRO)

I'm always trying to devise blog posts that will amaze and enthrall you (he says with acute sarcasm).
Today I'm presenting Ramon Novarro singing!!

I can hear your gasps of enthralled astonishment.

This is my latest YouTube video (best viewed full-screen)


When I was a wayward youth slumming through the sleazy streets of Hollywood, I had an intense fascination with movie stars of the silent film era. I was especially intrigued by silent stars who were associated with scandals, mysteries, or murder/suicides (and many of them were).

I was extremely intrigued when I heard about the murder saga of Mexican-born  Ramon Novarro (1899-1968) - - a Hollywood superstar golden boy of the silent era, whose popularity catapulted when he starred in the 1925 blockbuster Ben Hur (which I personally think is far superior to the 1959 remake with Charlton Heston)

Novarro's popularity began to wane with the arrival of the talkies - - mostly because Hollywood film-makers were becoming more interested in featuring all-American Clark Gable types rather than outdated Lothario Latin lovers.

 Ramon Novarro and Dorothy Janis in The Pagan (1929)

one my favorite Novarro films

Novarro could sing and was a decent pianist, but his charming Mexican accent did little to enhance his screen presence in the rapidly-advancing talking movies. He continued getting some bit parts in films, and later did theater and sporadic appearances on Television. 

 Across to Singapore (1928)

with Joan Crawford

By the 1960's Novarro's career had completely fizzled and booze (and loneliness) became his constant companion. His fate was sealed on Halloween Eve, 1968, when he invited two male hustlers to his Laurel Canyon mansion. 

In his heyday, it was a well-known Hollywood secret that Novarro was gay, but his private life was well-maintained and there were never any scandals. As he aged and began drinking heavily he became much more reckless.

The two hustlers who arrived on Halloween were brothers, Tom and Paul Ferguson. They considered themselves to be "straight", but frequently had gay sex for money (Paul even appeared nude in several gay magazines).

 Murderer Paul Ferguson

in a vintage beefcake photo

circa 1964

After an evening of heavy drinking and indulging in sex with Novarro, there was an extremely violent altercation during which Novarro (age 69) was tortured for hours and then savagely beaten to death.

The Ferguson brothers were tried and convicted, but their "life-sentences"  ended up with surprisingly quick paroles. Tom Ferguson was (if I remember correctly) paroled in seven years. He eventually committed suicide - slashing his own throat in a Motel 6.

Paul Ferguson, now nearly 70, is back in prison (in Missouri), serving a 30-year sentence for rape.

When I was a freelance writer, I published four articles about Ramon Novarro. I mainly did this to reignite interest in his largely forgotten acting career. While doing research on Novarro, I saw the house where he was murdered and talked with several people who knew the actor. I also corresponded with James Ideman, the prosecutor at the Novarro murder trial. 

After my two-part feature article appeared in Classic Images (I think it was in March, 1992) I got a letter from Allan Ellenberger, who later wrote a biography on Novarro (first published in 2000).

 

Some of my articles

Classic Images and The Male Insider