Finding aid of the Allan R. Ellenberger Collection on Ramon Novarro

Michael P. Palmer
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
Phone: (213) 741-0094
Fax: (213) 741-0220
Email: askone@onearchives.org
URL: http://www.onearchives.org
© 2008
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. All rights reserved.

Finding aid of the Allan R. Ellenberger Collection on Ramon Novarro

Collection number: Coll2008-050

ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives

Los Angeles, California
Processed by:
Michael P. Palmer
Date Completed:
August 20, 2008
Encoded by:
Michael P. Palmer
© 2008 ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. All rights reserved.
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.


Descriptive Summary

Title: Allan R. Ellenberger collection on Ramon Novarro
Dates: circa 1900-2002.
Bulk Dates: 1922-1968.
Collection number: Coll2008-050
Creator: Ellenberger, Allan R., 1956-
Collection Size: 9 archive cartons + 1 shoebox + 1 oversize box 4.0 linear feet
Repository: ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives.
Los Angeles, California 90007
Abstract: Correspondence, drafts, research notes, photographs, audiotaped interviews, newspaper and film magazine clippings, videotapes, and miscellaneous graphic materials produced and collected by Allan R. Ellenberger in the course of researching his biography of film actor and silent screen romantic idol Ramon Novarro (1899-1968), published in 1999 as Ramon Novarro; A Biography of the Silent Film Idol, 1899-1968; With a Filmography .
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Access

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.

Publication Rights

Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the physical owner. Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).

Preferred Citation

Allan R. Ellenberger collection on Ramon Novarro, Coll2008-050, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Acquisition Information

Date and method of acquisition unknown.

Processing Information

Formerly boxes 103-354, 103-355, and 103-359. Collection processed by Michael P. Palmer, August 20, 2008.
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Biography

Ramon Novarro was born Jose Ramon Gil Samaniego in Durango, Mexico, on February 6, 1899, the second son of a wealthy dentist. He evidenced an interest in acting and singing early in his life, and in 1915, with the grudging consent of his parents, moved to Los Angeles with his brother Mariano to pursue a music career. To support himself, he took jobs as a model and singing waiter. In 1917 he broke into films as an extra; he further developed his acting skills with a stint in vaudeville. The first film in which he received billing was Mr. Barnes of New York, directed by Victor Schertzinger and released in June 1922; however, the role that launched his career was the character of Rupert of Hentzau in The Prisoner of Zenda, directed by Rex Ingram and released in July 1922. Ingram, who had first directed Novarro as an extra in the 1921 film The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which starred Rudolph Valentino, became Novarro's mentor, directing him in his next three next films: the romantic drama Trifling Women (1922), the melodrama Where the Pavement Ends (1923), and the historical romance Scaramouche (1923). By the end of 1922, Novarro's studio, Metro (later to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), was touting Novarro as the next Valentino. Novarro reached the pinnacle of his career in the title role in the monumental production of Ben-Hur, directed by Fred Niblo and released on December 30, 1925, although he gave a better performance the following year in Ernst Lubitsch's The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg. With Valentino's death in 1926, Novarro became the leading romantic idol of Hollywood silent films, although his fame never quite matched that of his predecessor. Although Novarro had a high-pitched speaking voice, his career survived the transition to sound, and his later films increasingly took advantage of his musical training and pleasant singing voice. He also worked behind the camera, directing the Spanish and French versions of Call of the Flesh (1930) in which he also starred. Novarro continued playing romantic leads into the early 1930s, starring opposite Greta Garbo in Mata Hari (1931), Myrna Loy in The Barbarian (1933), and Jeanette MacDonald in The Cat and the Fiddle (1934). Age began to take its toll, however, despite his desperate attempt to look youthful in his early talkies. He left Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1935, and later became a parody of his earlier self in such films as The Sheik Steps Out (1937). His last starring role in an English-language film was in A Desperate Adventure (1938). He starred in two foreign-language films, in 1940 and 1944, and between 1949 and 1960 appeared in character parts in five films. In the 1950s and 1960s, he also appeared in character parts in several television series, including Walt Disney Presents (1958), Combat (1964 and 1965), Dr. Kildare (1964), Bonanza (1965), The Wild Wild West (1967), and High Chaparral (1968). He also appeared in theater, including ten performances of A Royal Exchange, at His Majesty's Theatre, London, in 1935, and two preview performances of Infidel Caesar, on Broadway, in 1962.
Novarro was less pretentious than Valentino, and the natural style to his acting distinguished him from other young actors. Contemporary critics praised the ease and charm of his performances. Novarro's homosexuality, although zealously guarded from the film-going public (which was treated to rumors linking Novarro romantically to both Greta Garbo and Myrna Loy), was a fairly open secret in Hollywood. Although his boyish looks did not adversely affect the critical estimation of his talent during his heyday as a star, retrospectively some film historians find him almost too beautiful to be taken seriously, and he has consequently been perceived as a decidedly effeminate performer. Indeed, Novarro's homosexuality and androgynous beauty have profoundly affected the estimation of his talent by some critics, who argue that his sexuality influenced his acting style.
On October 31, 1968, Novarro was found dead in his Hollywood Hills home, beaten to death by one of two hustlers who had come to his house the previous evening.
Sources:
1. Allan R. Ellenberger, Ramon Novarro; A Biography of the Silent Film Idol, 1899-1968; With a Filmography (Jefferson, NC, 1999).
2. André Soares, Beyond Paradise; The Life of Ramon Novarro (New York, 2002).
3. Peter J. Holliday, " Ramon Novarro", http://www.glbtq.com/arts/novarro_r.html  , accessed August 18, 2008.

Scope and Content of Collection

This collection consists of correspondence, drafts, research notes, photographs, audiotaped interviews, newspaper and film magazine clippings, videotapes, and miscellaneous graphic materials produced and collected by Allan R. Ellenberger in the course of researching his biography of film actor and silent screen romantic idol Ramon Novarro (1899-1968), published in 1999 as Ramon Novarro; A Biography of the Silent Film Idol, 1899-1968; With a Filmography . The materials include original and photocopy correspondence with several of Novarro's family and friends, including his brother José and his early dance-partner Lina Basquette; audiotapes of interviews with family and friends, including his brother and his co-star Anita Page; copies of his death certificate, autopsy, and will; and an incomplete eyewitness account by Jim Kepner of the trial of his accused murderers. The documents also include extensive chronological and subject files with photocopies of, and original clippings from, Los Angeles newspapers, film magazines, and secondary sources detailing his rise to fame in the 1920s, each of his films, his slide to obscurity in the 1930s and 1940s, his attempted comeback in film and television in the 1950s and 1960s, and his brutal murder and the subsequent trial of his accused murderers in 1968 and 1969. The photographs include contemporary prints of studio publicity shots and film stills, as well as scans of personal and family photographs. The collection also contains videotapes of several of Novarro's films and television appearances, as well as a small collection of graphics, several fan magazines from 1919 to 1941, and sheet music for three songs Novarro sang in his films.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Gay motion picture actors--Biography
Motion picture actors and actresses--United States--Biography
Novarro, Ramon, 1899-1968


Box 1 : 1-11

Series 1.  Writings and Correspondence 1991-1997

Physical Description: 11 folders.

Series Scope and Content

This series contains drafts of, and excerpts from, Ellenberger's biography of Novarro, published in 1999; reviews of the book in the gay press; and drafts of an article Ellenberger published in the early 1990s in an unidentified newsletter, Shadowland. The series also contains Ellenberger's correspondence relating to his research. The correspondence includes requests for information made by Ellenberger to the FBI and the Department of the Navy under the Freedom of Information Act; the information Ellenberger eventually received was redacted from 6 pages to a single sentence. The majority of Letters Out are initial requests for information. The Letters In include several original letters from Freda Novello and photocopy letters from Lina Basquette, Novarro's dance-partner during his earliest years in Los Angeles; however, although other letters refer to correspondence from Anita Page, no letters from her are now in the collection. Several Letters In also refer to the Ramon Novarro Film Club that Ellenberger ran from approximately 1992 to 1995 in conjunction with his research; other materials relating to this organization can be found among the subject files in Series 2: Research Notes and Files (see below).

Arrangement

By subject.
Box 1 : 1-6

Writings circa 1992-1997

Physical Description: 6 folders.
Box 1 : 1-3

Ravishing Ramon: The Life & Death of Ramon Novarro . 4th draft November 1997

Physical Description: 3 folders.
Box 1 : 4

Drafts & Excerpts circa 1993-1997

Box 1 : 5

Reviews 1999

Box 1 : 6

Article for Shadowlands circa 1992-1993

Box 1 : 7-11

Correspondence 1991-circa 1997

Physical Description: 5 folders.
Box 1 : 7

Addresses circa 1991-1997

Box 1 : 8

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests 1991-1992

Box 1 : 9

Letters In (chronological) June 1991-October 1996

Box 1 : 10

Letters Out (alphabetical) June 1991-January 1995

Box 1 : 11

Samaniego, José A. 1994

Box 1 : 12-14 ; 2 : 1-35 ; 3 : 1-41 ; 4 : 1-53 ; 5 : 1-14 ; 6 : 1-10 (Oversize) ; 7 : 1-5 (Oversize); 11 : 10 (Oversize)

Series 2.  Research Notes and Files 1916-1998

Physical Description: 2.1 linear feet.

Series Scope and Content

This series consists of Ellenberger's typed and handwritten research notes, and the materials he collected in the course of his research on Ramon Novarro. The Notes include catalogues and correspondence with dealers of film memorabilia, related primarily to photographs of Novarro, some of which can be identified in Series 3: Photographs (see below). The research materials consist primarily of photocopies, acquired largely from the Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, of clippings from Los Angeles newspapers and of articles in contemporary film magazines, such as Photoplay and Motion Picture Magazine; a small number of clippings are originals. When the collection was opened for processing in July 2008, only a small part of the materials were found to be organized, in subject files: the majority of the documents, most in multiple copies, were packed in boxes, without folders and in roughly chronological order. The existing subject files were retained with the addition of a subject file for each of Novarro's films; the remaining materials were arranged chronologically, with obvious duplicates removed. The bulk of the materials in the Chronological Files dates from 1922 through 1934, the years of Novarro's stardom at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; materials from the 1940s and 1950s relate primarily to his arrests for drunk driving; materials from the 1950s and 1960s relate to his television appearances in character roles; and the materials from 1968 and 1969 relate to his death and the trial of his murderers. The bulk of the materials in the Subject Files relates to Novarro's various films, in particular Ben-Hur (1925), which cemented Novarro's status as Valentino's chief rival. The files contain photocopies of contemporary news reports and gossip, reviews, secondary accounts, publicity shots and stills. The files also contain a small number of original clippings, in fragile condition because of the acidic paper on which most film magazines were published in the 1920s and 1930s. The Subject Files also include secondary accounts of his career and his death; studio biographies; copies of his death certificate, autopsy, will and a small number of personal letters; interviews Novarro gave in the popular and film industry press; an incomplete copy of Jim Kepner's eyewitness report of the trial of his accused murderers, Paul and Tom Ferguson; the history of the houses he owned; the British Ramon Navarro Film Club and the society of the same name Ellenberger founded and operated in the early 1990s; and the murder trial of his cousin Jacques Samaniego.
Box 1 : 12-14 ; 6 : 1-2 (Oversize)

Notes circa 1990-1998

Physical Description: 5 folders.
Box 1 : 12

Bibliography circa 1998

Box 1 : 13

Chronology circa 1992

Box 1 : 14

Collectibles & Memorabilia 1992

Box 6 : 1-2 (Oversize)

Research Notes circa 1990-1993

Physical Description: 2 folders.
Box 2 : 1-35 ; 3 : 1-7 ; 6 : 3-4 (Oversize)

Chronological Files 1916, 1922-1947, 1949-1953, 1955-1960, 1962-1965, 1968-1969

Physical Description: 0.6 linear foot.
Box 2 : 1

1916

Box 2 : 2

1922

Box 2 : 3

1923

Box 2 : 4

1924

Box 6 : 3 (Oversize)

1925

Box 6 : 4 (Oversize)

1926

Box 2 : 5

1927

Box 2 : 6

1928

Box 2 : 7

1929

Box 2 : 8

1930

Box 2 : 9

1931

Box 2 : 10

1932

Box 2 : 11

1933

Box 2 : 12

1934

Box 2 : 13

1935

Box 2 : 14

1936

Box 2 : 15

1937

Box 2 : 16

1938

Box 2 : 17

1939

Box 2 : 18

1940

Box 2 : 19

1941

Box 2 : 20

1942

Box 2 : 21

1943

Box 2 : 22

1944

Box 2 : 23

1945

Box 2 : 24

1946

Box 2 : 25

1947

Box 2 : 26

1949

Box 2 : 27

1950

Box 2 : 28

1951

Box 2 : 29

1952

Box 2 : 30

1953

Box 2 : 31

1955

Box 2 : 32

1956

Box 2 : 33

1957

Box 2 : 34

1958

Box 2 : 35

1959

Box 3 : 1

1960

Box 3 : 2

1962

Box 3 : 3

1963

Box 3 : 4

1964

Box 3 : 5

1965

Box 3 : 6

1968

Box 3 : 7

1969

Box 3 : 8-41 ; 4 : 1-53 ; 5 : 1-14 ; 6 : 5-10 (Oversize) ; 7 : 1-5 (Oversize) ; 11 : 10 (Oversize)

Subject Files 1917-circa 1997

Physical Description: 1.4 linear feet.
Box 3 : 8

Army Service 1942

Box 3 : 9

Arrests 1938-1962

Box 3 : 10

Automobiles 1925-1928

Box 3 : 11

Awards 1931, 1957

Box 3 : 12

Ben-Hur (1959) 1959

Box 3 : 13

Benefit Performances 1931

Box 3 : 14-16 ; 6: 5-6 (Oversize)

Biographies, Articles & Excerpts 1929-circa 1993

Physical Description: 5 folders.
Box 3 : 14

Harrison, Joel L. Bloody Wednesday: The True Story of the Ramon Novarro Murder 1978

Physical Description: Photocopy.
Box 6 : 5-6 (Oversize)

1929-circa 1993

Physical Description: 2 folders.
Box 3 : 15

French after 1968

Box 3 : 16

Spanish circa 1962

Box 6 : 7 (Oversize)

Biographies (Studio) 1949-1959

Box 3 : 17

Biographies of Others circa 1970-1990

Box 3 : 18

Box Office circa 1922-1950

Box 3 : 19

Career (Early) circa 1922-1931

Box 3 : 20

Career (MGM) 1923-1935

Box 3 : 21

Co-Stars circa 1922-1960

Box 3 : 22

Communist Probe 1934

Box 6 : 8 (Oversize)

Concerts & Travel 1928-1968

Box 3 : 23

Contract Negotiations 1928-1935

Box 3 : 24

Death Index 1931-1983

Box 3 : 25

Directors circa 1922-1960

Box 3 : 26

Embezzlement 1932

Box 3 : 27

Endorsements circa 1924-1928

Box 3 : 28

Fan Magazines (unidentified). Clippings circa 1922-1935

Box 3 : 29

Film Advertisements 1926-1937

Box 3 : 30

Film Reviews circa 1922-1950

Box 3 : 31

Film Roles Never Gotten 1925-1959

Box 3 : 32

Filmography circa 1980-1993

Box 3 : 33-41 ; 4 : 1-38; 6 : 9-10 (Oversize)

Films 1917-1960

Physical Description: 0.4 linear foot.
Box 3 : 33

Across to Singapore 1928

Box 3 : 34

Arab, The 1924

Box 3 : 35

Barbarian, The 1933

Box 6 : 9 (Oversize)

Ben-Hur (1925) 1923-1926

Box 3 : 36

Big Steal, The 1949

Box 3 : 37

Call of the Flesh 1930

Box 3 : 38

Cat and the Fiddle, The 1934

Box 3 : 39

Certain Young Man, A 1928

Box 3 : 40

Comédie du Bonheur, Le 1940

Box 3 : 41

Contra la corriente 1936

Box 4 : 1

Crisis 1950

Box 4 : 2

Daybreak 1931

Box 4 : 3

Desperate Adventure, A 1938

Box 4 : 4

Devil May Care 1929

Box 4 : 5

Flying Fleet, The 1929

Box 4 : 6

Flying Fleet, The. Icaros (Spanish-language novelization) 1929

Box 4 : 7

Forbidden Hours 1928

Box 4 : 8

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The 1921

Box 4 : 9

Goat, The 1918

Box 4 : 10

Heller in Pink Tights 1960

Box 4 : 11

Hostage, The 1917

Box 4 : 12

Huddle 1932

Box 4 : 13

In Gay Madrid 1930

Box 4 : 14

Laughing Boy 1934

Box 4 : 15

Little American, The 1917

Box 4 : 16

Lovers? 1927

Box 4 : 17

Lover's Oath, A 1925

Box 4 : 18

March of Time, The 1929

Box 4 : 19

Mata Hari 1931

Box 4 : 20

Midshipman, The 1925

Box 4 : 21

Mr. Barnes of New York 1922

Box 4 : 22

Night is Young, The 1935

Box 4 : 23

Outriders, The 1950

Box 4 : 24

Padre Ignacio (never completed) 1956-1957

Box 4 : 25

Pagan, The 1929

Box 4 : 26

Prisoner of Zenda, The 1922

Box 4 : 27

Red Lilly, The 1924

Box 4 : 28

Road to Romance, A 1927

Box 4 : 29

Scaramouche 1923

Box 4 : 30

Sheik Steps Out, The 1937

Box 4 : 31

Small Town Idol, A 1921

Box 4 : 32

Son-Daughter, The 1932

Box 4 : 33

Son of India 1931

Box 6 : 10 (Oversize)

Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, The 1927

Box 4 : 34

Thy Name Is Woman 1924

Box 4 : 35

Trifling Women 1922

Box 4 : 36

Virgen que forjó una patria, La 1944

Box 4 : 37

We Were Strangers 1949

Box 4 : 38

Where the Pavement Ends 1923

Box 4 : 39

Friends 1921-1922, circa 1992-1993

Box 4 : 40

Funeral 1968

Box 4 : 41

Halliburton, Richard circa 1930

Box 4 : 42

Health 1960

Box 4 : 43

Hurrell, George 1976

Box 4 : 44

Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) circa 1997

Box 11 : 10 (Oversize)

Interviews 1928-1965

Box 4 : 45

Later Life 1968

Box 4 : 46

Lawsuits 1931-1946

Box 4 : 47

Mexico 1923-1930

Box 4 : 48

Miscellaneous circa 1922-1991

Box 4 : 49-53 ; 7 : 1 (Oversize)

Murder & Trial 1968-1987

Physical Description: 6 folders.
Box 7 : 1 (Oversize)

Articles & Excerpts 1968-1987

Box 4 : 49

Autopsy 1968

Box 4 : 50

Ferguson, Paul & Tom 1968-1975

Box 4 : 51

Murder Investigation 1968-1969

Box 4 : 52

Murder Trial 1969

Box 4 : 53

Murder Trial (Jim Kepner's reports) 1969

Box 5 : 1

Name Change 1924

Box 5 : 2

Novarro, Ramon. Correspondence 1937-1946, 1965

Box 5 : 3

Obituaries 1968

Box 5 : 4

Popularity 1924-1929

Box 5 : 5

Quotes by Ramon Novarro 1927-1965

Box 5 : 6

Ramon Novarro Film Club (UK) 1954-1973

Box 7 : 2 (Oversize)

Ramon Novarro Film Club (Ellenberger) 1992-1995

Box 5 : 7

Ranch 1955

Box 5 : 8

Real Estate 1945

Box 5 : 9

Residences 1930-1992

Box 5 : 10

Samaniego Family 1984-circa 1993

Box 5 : 11

Samaniego Family. Death Certificates 1940-1988

Box 5 : 12

Samaniego, Jacques. Murder Trial 1930-1931

Box 5 : 13

Sound Recordings 1935-1950

Box 7 : 3 (Oversize)

Stage Career 1921-1962

Box 5 : 14

Teatro Intimo 1933

Box 7 : 4 (Oversize)

Television Career 1952-1970

Box 7 : 5 (Oversize)

Will 1965-1968

Box 7 : 6 (Oversize) ; 8 : 1-22

Series 3.  Photographs circa 1900-1968

Physical Description: 0.25 linear foot.

Series Scope and Content

This series contains personal photographs of Novarro and publicity shots and stills from several of his films. The majority of the photographs are contemporary prints or postcards produced by Novarro's studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; however, a number of images, including most of those reproduced in Ellenberger's book, are reproduced from scans. The personal photographs, dating from the 1940s, were acquired by Ellenberger from Novarro's friend Edward Zubbrick. The series also contains a folder of photocopies of photographs published in secondary sources. The images in this folder are private or generic studio publicity shots: photocopies of stills from individual films are placed with other materials relating to those films among the subject files in Series 2: Research Notes and Files (see above).

Arrangement

By subject.
Box 8 : 1

Personal/Studio Publicity circa 1902-1968

Box 8 : 2

Ferguson, Paul & Tim 1968-1969

Box 8 : 3-20

Films 1918-1938

Physical Description: 18 folders.
Box 8 : 3

Arab, The 1924

Box 8 : 4

Barbarian, The 1933

Box 8 : 5

Ben-Hur 1925

Box 8 : 6

Desperate Adventure, A 1938

Box 8 : 7

Devil May Care 1929

Box 8 : 8

Goat, The 1918

Box 8 : 9

Huddle 1932

Box 8 : 10

Mata Hari 1931

Box 8 : 11

Night is Young, The 1935

Box 8 : 12

Pagan, The 1929

Box 8 : 13

Prisoner of Zenda, The 1922

Box 8 : 14

Red Lilly, The 1924

Box 8 : 15

Sheik Steps Out, The 1937

Box 8 : 16

Son of India 1931

Box 8 : 17

Son-Daughter, The 1932

Box 8 : 18

Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, The 1927

Box 8 : 19

Thy Name Is Woman 1924

Box 8 : 20

Trifling Women 1922

Box 8 : 21

Stage Career 1962

Box 8 : 22

Television Career 1965

Box 7 : 6 (Oversize)

Photocopies of Photographs circa 1900-1968

Box 10 : 1-25

Series 4.  Interviews 1992-1994

Physical Description: 25 audiocassettes.

Series Scope and Content

This series contains audiotapes of interviews Ellenberger carried out between 1992 and 1994 in the course of researching his book with Novarro's friends, co-stars, and relatives. The most extensive interviews are with Novarro's brother, Jos‚ Samaniego; Anita Page, his co-star in The Flying Fleet (1929); his friends Allan Graener and the "celebrity warlock" Samson De Brier; and Jim Kepner, who covered the trial of Novarro's murderers for the gay press. Several audiotapes contain more than one interview; the following container list gives the name of every person interviewed and the number of the tape on which the interview appears.

Arrangement

Alphabetical by person interviewed.
Box 10 : 1

Bakewell, William no date

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 2

Brown, Forman no date

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 3

Cohn, J. J. no date

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 90 minutes.
Box 10 : 4

Cordova, Manuel September 18, 1992

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 5

De Brier, Samson October 4, 1992

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 90 minutes.
Box 10 : 6

De Brier, Samson October 4, 1992

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 1

De Brier, Samson February 1, 1993

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 7

Graener, Allan January 1993

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 8

Graener, Allan no date

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 90 minutes.
Box 10 : 1

Graener, Allan no date

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 9

Guillaroff, Sydney October 26, 1992

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 10

Hadley-Garcia, George September 17, 1992

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 90 minutes.
Box 10 : 11-12

Kepner, Jim October 12, 1992

Physical Description: 2 quarter-inch audiocassettes ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 7

Kepner, Jim January 1993

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 13

Kreuger, Miles November 18, 1993

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 45 minutes.
Box 10 : 14

Krueger, Kurt November 6, 1993

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 15

La Marr, Carvel October 2, 1992, October 19, 1992

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 1

Lamparski, Richard February 1, 1993

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 16

Lamparski, Richard no date

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 45 minutes.
Box 10 : 17

McAllister, Lon July 4, 1993

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 17

O'Donahue, Joseph J. July 7, 1993

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 18-19

Page, Anita August 20, 1993

Physical Description: 2 quarter-inch audiocassettes ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 4

Pierson, Dennis October 9, 1992

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 20

Samaniego, B. no date

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 21-22

Samaniego, José April 16, 1994

Physical Description: 2 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 90 minutes.
Box 10 : 23

Schessler, Ken January 19, 1993

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 14

Stenn, David August 31, 1993

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 45 minutes.
Box 10 : 20

Taaffe, Robert no date

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 60 minutes.
Box 10 : 24

Tovar, Lupita June 2, 1994

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette ; 90 minutes.
Box 10 : 25

Zubbrick, Edward July 24, 1993

Physical Description: 1 quarter-inch audiocassette.
Box 9 : 1-16 ; 10 : 26-3

Series 5.  Magnetic Media circa 1990-2002

Physical Description: 5 computer diskettes (3.5 inches), 1 DVD, 16 VHS videotapes.

Series Scope and Content

This series contains computer diskettes and videotapes. The diskettes, prepared by Ellenberger, contain the final text of his book and digital copies of informal and publicity photographs of Novarro and his homes, and of stills from several of his films. The DVD, prepared by ONE Archives staff, contains copies of all files on the diskettes with the exception of "rn-garbo-mata-hari.jpg" (photo diskette #1, box 10 : 28), which was corrupted and could not be recovered. The videotapes contain copies of several of Novarro's films and television roles. (The episode of Car 54 Where Are You? revolves around a character obsessed with Novarro, who, however, never appears.)

Arrangement

By type.
Box 10 : 26-31

Computer Diskettes 1990-2002, August 2008

Physical Description: 5 computer diskettes (3.5 inches), 1 DVD.
Box 10 : 26

Manuscript (final) June 1998-January 1999

Box 10 : 27

Pictures of Laurel Canyon Home January 2002

Box 10 : 28-29

Photos December 1998-January 2002

Physical Description: 2 computer diskettes.
Box 10 : 30

Pictures February 2000-January 2002

Box 10 : 31

DVD August 2008

Scope and Content Note

Copy, prepared by ONE Archives staff, of all materials on computer diskettes 10 : 26-30.
Box 9 : 1-16

Videotapes 1929-1965

Physical Description: 16 VHS videotapes.
Box 9 : 1-14

Films 1929-1950

Physical Description: 14 VHS videotapes.
Box 9 : 1

Barbarian, The 1933

Box 9 : 2

Big Steal, The 1949

Box 9 : 3

Crisis 1950

Box 9 : 4

Desperate Adventure, A 1938

Box 9 : 5

Devil May Care 1929

Box 9 : 6

Huddle 1932

Box 9 : 7

In Gay Madrid 1930

Box 9 : 8

Laughing Boy 1934

Box 9 : 9

Night is Young, The 1935

Box 9 : 10

Outriders, The 1950

Box 9 : 11

Sheik Steps Out, The 1937

Box 9 : 12

Son-Daughter, The 1932

Box 9 : 13

Son of India 1931

Box 9 : 14

We Were Strangers 1949

Box 9 : 8, 15-16

Television 1961-1965

Physical Description: 2 VHS videotapes.
Box 9 : 15

Car 54 Where Are You?, "Love Finds Muldoon" (Episode 8) November 5, 1961

Box 9 : 15

Thriller, "La Strega" January 15, 1962

Box 9 : 8

Bonanza, "The Brass Box" September 26, 1965

Box 9 : 16

Combat, "The Finest Hour" December 21, 1965

Box 11 : 1-10 (Oversize)

Series 6.  Oversize 1924-1997

Physical Description: 10 folders.

Series Scope and Content

This series consists of oversize materials. It includes four film magazines, color photocopies of posters for The Road to Romance (1927) and Daybreak (1931); original (magazine) and photocopy publicity materials of a general nature and for Ben-Hur (1925) and its 1959 remake; materials from an undated (1990s) exhibit on Ben-Hur; several magazine interviews with Novarro; and sheet music for three songs sung by Novarro in his films.

Arrangement

Alphabetical by type.
Box 11 : 1-2 (Oversize)

Film Magazines 1926-1965

Box 11 : 1 (Oversize)

Movies Illustrated June 1965

Box 11 : 2 (Oversize)

French-language 1926-1941

Physical Description: 3 issues.
Box 11 : 2 (Oversize)

La Revue de Manon (Montréal, Canada) November 1, 1926

Box 11 : 2 (Oversize)

Cinémonde (Paris) May 22, 1930

Box 11 : 2 (Oversize)

Le Samedi (Montréal, Canada) April 26, 1941

Box 11 : 3 (Oversize)

Film Posters 1927, 1931

Physical Description: 2 color photocopies ; 11.5 x 13 inches.
Box 11 : 3 (Oversize)

Road to Romance, The 1927

Physical Description: 1 color photocopy ; 11.5 x 13 inches.
Box 11 : 3 (Oversize)

Daybreak 1931

Physical Description: 1 color photocopy ; 11.5 x 13 inches.
Box 11 : 4-6 (Oversize)

Films 1924-1959

Physical Description: 3 folders.
Box 11 : 4 (Oversize)

Ben-Hur (1925). Exhibit Materials (reproductions) 1924-1926

Physical Description: 4 items.
Box 11 : 5 (Oversize)

Ben-Hur (1925). Publicity Photograph (magazine) 1925

Box 11 : 6 (Oversize)

Ben-Hur (1959). Publicity Photograph (Ramon Novarro & Charlton Heston 1959

Box 11 : 10 (Oversize)

Interviews (magazines) 1928-1965

Box 11 : 7 (Oversize)

Photograph. Gilbert Roland and Ramon Novarro circa 1930

Scope and Content Note

Cover of Frontiers, volume 15, issue 23 (March 21, 1997).
Box 11 : 8 (Oversize)

Publicity Photograph (magazine) circa 1930

Box 11 : 9 (Oversize)

Sheet Music 1930-1935

Box 11 : 9 (Oversize)

"Into My Heart" 1930

Scope and Content Note

Lyric by Roy Turk, music by Fred Ahlert. From In Gay Madrid.
Box 11 : 9 (Oversize)

"Love Songs of the Nile" 1933

Scope and Content Note

Lyric by Arthur Freed, melody by Nacio Herb Brown. From The Barbarian.
Box 11 : 9 (Oversize)

"When I Grow Too Old To Dream 1935

Scope and Content Note

Lyric by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Sigmund Romberg. From The Night Is Young.