Beyond Paradise : The Life of Ramon Novarro

by Andre Soares

• ISBN13: 9780312282318
• ISBN10: 0312282311
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2002-12-10
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Summary

Ramon Novarro was for years one of the top lead actors in Hollywood - the first Latin-American performer to become a Hollywood superstar. Born Ramoacute;n Samaniego to a prominent Mexican family, Novarro arrived in Hollywood in 1916 as a refugee from the civil wars that rocked Mexico in the early 20th century. By the mid-1920s, he had become one of MGM's most important leading men, going on to star in a series of now classic films including The Student Prince, Mata Hari, and the original version of Ben-Hur. He shared the screen with the era's most important leading ladies such as Greta Garbo, Myrna Loy, Joan Crawford, and Norma Shearer and become Rudolph Valentino's main rival in the "Latin Lover" category. But despite his considerable professional accomplishments, Novarro's most enduring claim to fame is his tragic death - his bloodied corpse was found in his house on Halloween 1968 in what has become one of the most infamous scandals in the vast lore of Hollywood. Novarro was a life-long bachelor who had carefully cultivated his image as a man deeply devoted to his family and to his religious convictions. His murder shattered that image as it was revealed to the general public that the dashing screen hero had been not only homosexual, but had been killed by two young male hustlers. Since then, his death has achieved near mythic proportions. Increasingly outlandish stories have become accepted as truth, obscuring Novarro's notable professional legacy. Beyond Paradisepresents for the first time a full picture of the man who made motion picture history - from his amazing rise to stardom to the destructive conflicts faced by this traditional Catholic Mexican man who was also a gay film star. Compellingly told and impressively researched - including original interviews with Novarro's surviving friends, family, co-workers and the two men convicted of his murder - Beyond Paradise provides a unique insight into the groundbreaking life and career of one of the most important early Hollywood stars - a man whose myth continues to fascinate today.

Author Biography

AndrT Soares was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and currently operates a translation business working for numerous major American corporations. He is the author of several screenplays and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Anthony Slide
Preface	xiii
Mexican Roots	1	(11)
Arrival in Paradise	12	(14)
Ramon's Columbus	26	(15)
Ascendant Star	41	(25)
``How Fate Works''	66	(15)
Harrowing Triumph	81	(22)
A Certain Young Man	103	(23)
Crossroads	126	(20)
The Singer of Durango	146	(31)
Fade-Out	177	(30)
Illusion of Happiness	207	(23)
Comeback and Farewells	230	(18)
The Last Years	248	(24)
Death in the Hollywood Hills	272	(7)
The Trial	279	(14)
Epilogue	293	(5)
Afterword	298	(9)
Notes	307	(60)
Filmography	367	(12)
Select TV Appearances	379	(1)
Select Stage Appearances	380	(2)
Bibliography	382	(5)
Acknowledgments	387	(4)
Index	391