The Torture of Ramon Novarro

Ramon Novarro was a heart throb in the 1920's and 1930's. He became a star after the release of the film "Scaramouche" in 1923. He was Valentino's biggest competitor. Through out the silent and early sound period he was a major Hollywood star. Novarro had one problem in the eyes of the moguls though, he was gay. MGM's Louis B. Mayer went as far as suggesting a "lavender" marriage to keep his secret a secret. Novarro turned him down! During Hollywood's hey day there were many gay stars who bowed to the pressure to marry for their careers but Novarro was not one of them. He lived his life as openly as he could but was still internally tortured; he was a devote Catholic and  homosexual. This  problem along with the intense pressure of his career along with the aging process turned him to alcohol. By the end of the 1940's his drinking had taken a toll on his professional and personal lives. His roles were smaller and further in between. Novarro tried his hand at television and had moderate success but still didn't give him the success he once had. Novarro in the height of his career owned a grand home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright but in the 1960's it was sold and Novarro moved to a smaller home on Lauren Canyon Blvd. Here he tried to keep his career together as well as his life. He spent much of his time drinking and ordering liquor delivered to his home. He also had the number of a pimp who would send young men to his home. One of the young men he had delivered was a man named Paul Ferguson. He had been a semi-regular visitor to Novarro's home.  
On October 30, 1968 Novarro's assistant entered the home to find there was a mess and empty liquor bottles and full ash trays. Novarro didn't smoke. He looked around and wasn't able to locate Novarro until he entered a second floor bedroom. There he discovered Novarro's body.
Ramon Novarro was not only dead but the evidence showed that he had also been tortured. It was a brutal torture. Because of the police investigation Paul Ferguson (age 22) and his younger brother Tom Ferguson (age19) were arrested for the torture and murder of Ramon Novarro. They went there for a sexual tryst and believed that Novarro had a large amount of cash in his home. He did not. Ramon Novarro was nearly broke. Both brothers were eventually found guilty of their crimes and sentenced to long prison terms.

Ramon Novarro's long kept secret was out.