It was Halloween, and in the Hollywood Hills one of the screen's most handsome and beloved movie stars had been tortured for hours and murdered in his luxurious Laurel Canyon home.
Ramon Gil Samaniegos was born Feb. 6, 1899, in Durango, Mexico, the same town that six years later produced his gorgeous second cousin, actress Dolores Del Rio. Ramon's father was a prosperous dentist, and the privileged young Ramon was trained in classical piano and sang in his church choir.
In 1910, his family, which included his 12 younger siblings, became refugees of the Mexican revolution as they fled the raids of Pancho Villa and escaped to Los Angeles, leaving their elegant home and wealth behind. There, after his father died, charming Ramon, with his beautiful voice, supplemented the family income as a singing waiter, and performed in vaudeville. He worked in a grocery store, taught piano lessons, and ushered at a movie house. He was also a busboy at the elegant Alexandria Hotel, where he befriended Rodolfo Guglielmi, the future Rudolph Valentino, who was four years his senior.
Soon, Guglielmi was discovered by film casting agents, as was Samaniegos shortly thereafter.
In 1916, Ramon was given a small part in Cecil B. DeMille's Joan The Woman and began to find work in dozens of silent films. In 1921, his dancing ability helped to put him above scores of other extras when a dance director, Marion Morgan, whose vaudeville troupe Ramon performed in since 1919, suggested him for a novelty dance in A Small Town Idol ( 1921 ) . That same year, his friend Valentino had phenomenal success in The Sheik and captured the public's taste for Latin men. Ramon thrilled audiences and inspired in them an almost pathological devotion as he danced while clad in only a turban and loincloth. That charismatic performance led him to be picked to star in The Prisoner of Zenda ( 1922 ) . The director of that film, Rex Ingram, saw a great future for Ramon, put him under a personal contract, suggested he change his name, and gave him a role opposite the reigning beauty of the day, Barbara LaMarr, known as 'The Girl Who Is Too Beautiful,' in Trifling Woman ( 1923 ) . Films that followed include Where The Rainbow Ends ( 1923 ) , Scaramouche ( 1923 ) , and The Arab ( 1924 ) . Standing five-foot-ten, weighing 160, with luminous dark hair and sparkling eyes, Ramon became wildly popular.
He appeared in three more films in 1925, Thy Name Is Woman, The Red Lily, and The Midshipman. Then he starred as Judah in Ben-Hur ( 1925 ) , a beautiful, elaborate film with early Technicolor sequences. Ramon became the first Mexican movie star, working opposite some of the most glamorous actresses in the world, and earning a salary of $10,000 a week. Millions of people joined his fan clubs, and his studio sent a valentine to every woman who wrote him a fan letter. His friend Valentino, then the most famous male star in the world, died in 1926, as did the beautiful, drug-addicted actress Barbara LaMarr.
Other films starring Ramon include The Student Prince ( 1927 ) with Norma Shearer and Across To Singapore ( 1928 ) with Joan Crawford. He made his sound debut in Devil May Care ( 1929 ) with Dorothy Jordan. Next, he opened his mouth only to sing in The Pagan ( 1929 ) with Renee Adoree. Other sound films that followed include: Son of India ( 1931 ) , with Madge Evans, Mata Hari ( 1931 ) with Greta Garbo, The Son-Daughter ( 1932 ) , with Helen Hayes, The Barbarian ( 1933 ) with Myrna Loy, and The Cat And The Fiddle ( 1934 ) , with Jeanette McDonald.
Ramon admired George Hurell's photos of Los Angeles society, and hired him to help capture a more forceful, masculine side of his boyish, charming personality. Ramon was so pleased with the results, he showed them to all his famous friends in the film world, who helped propel Hurrell into fame.
The superbly classy Ramon had his sensational modernistic Lloyd Wright Hollywood mansion decorated in the style of the late 1920s. The sophisticated tubular aluminum furniture by designer Warren McArthur was found throughout the house, which boasted gorgeous geometric motif carpets, and Art Deco statues. Chromium-plated beads hanging against opaque black fabric created diningroom walls.
Throughout his career, the highly religious Ramon often declared his aspirations to enter a monastery. Though very wealthy due to his intelligent investments in real estate, Ramon still clung to the outer fringes of show business.
Late in his career, he appeared as a character actor in a variety of movies, which include We Were Strangers ( 1949 ) , The Big Steal ( 1949 ) , The Outriders ( 1950 ) , and Crisis ( 1950 ) . Ramon had a propensity for alcohol abuse, had more than a few car accidents, and was arrested several times for drunk driving. In 1962 he spent two weeks in jail. His final film appearance was in Heller In Pink Tights ( 1960 ) , which starred Sophia Loren and Anthony Quinn. Ramon appeared on various television shows including Bonanza, Rawhide, and Dr. Kildare. His fan clubs were still in existence, which caused him to remark, 'When they swoon over me now, someone has to help them get up.'
In 1968, Ramon was living in retirement in a smaller home in Laurel Canyon. Through an escort service, he began seeing Paul Ferguson, a 22-year-old street hustler who moved to Los Angeles from Chicago. After a few weeks, Paul's 17-year-old brother Tom arrived. They both mistakenly believed Ramon had $5,000 stashed in his home. One night they arrived determined to steal the money. The ever-gracious Ramon welcomed them, played the piano, sang and drank with them, and had a tryst with Paul. Afterwards, the pair beat and tortured the 69-year-old Ramon, during which Tom made a 40-minute phone call to his girlfriend in Chicago, who heard ghastly screams coming through the wire. Later, after a terrific and fierce struggle, the elegant star choked to death on his own blood. The brothers ripped apart the house, destroying cherished mementos and pictures as they searched in vain for the money they desired.
The men were caught and tried. Paul blamed Tom, hoping that he would not be tried as an adult. He was. Each blamed the other for the murder, and both received life sentences. However, due to California's legal system, both brothers somehow were released. They were later both returned to jail for other, separate crimes, and are still reportedly serving time.
It is unfortunate that Ramon Novarro, who created so much beauty and enjoyed such tremendous success, is often remembered only for his demise and the unfounded rumor of the way a gift from Valentino was supposedly used as a weapon. He was a star of a lost Hollywood, a man who created ethereal images and visions that seemed they could only be drawn from wonderful dreams of lives we all desire to lead.
Sources The Movie Stars by Richard Griffith. Architectural Digest, April 1994; Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger; The Great Movie Stars-The Golden Years by David Shipman; Ramon Novarro Web sites.
Steve Starr is the author of Picture Perfect-Art Deco Photo Frames 1926-1946, published by Rizzoli International Publications, 1991. A designer, artist, writer, and chronicler of movie stars, he is the owner of Steve Starr Studios, specializing in Art Deco artifacts and photo frames, and celebrating its 38th anniversary in 2005. His collection of more than 950 gorgeous, original Art Deco frames is filled with images of Hollywood's most elegant stars.
Visit www.SteveStarrStudios.com, where you can see images of beautiful stars, learn about the studio, and read other STARRLIGHT stories. Phone 773-463-8017. You are welcome to e-mail Steve at sssChicago@Ameritech.net, and can visit the Steve Starr Satellite Studio at the Edgewater Antique Mall, 6314 N. Broadway, Chicago, 773-262-2525.
Photo of Steve Starr June 25, 2002, by Albert Aguilar
An exhibition of 100 glamorous stars who contributed to movie musicals of the 1930s and 1940s appear in a selection of Steve Starr's magnificent Art Deco photo frames at the Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St., Chicago, on the 8th floor, just below the Winter Garden, through June 1, 2005. Admission is free. For further information call the Library Center at 312-747-4850 or the Steve Starr Studios at 773-463-8017.
