Ramon Novarro was born in Mexico in 1899, but his family fled to the United States during the Mexican Revolution. Novarro did some extra work in silent films in Hollywood and slowly worked his way up through the ranks to featured roles. Eventually he became a star. A HUGE star. He is often compared to Valentino and has been called “Hollywood’s First Latin American Superstar.” Unlike a lot of silent film stars, Novarro was successful in the transition to talkies. He was, by all accounts, a great guy who was loved by friends, fans, and those with whom he worked in the film industry. Sadly, today he is virtually forgotten, except by classic film fans. And readers of Hollywood Babylon.
Novarro was gay, and, unlike many other gay actors in Hollywood, he never succumbed to a marriage of convenience for the sake of appearance. I mention this only because, if he is known today, it is because of his death, and, specifically, the salacious (and seemingly maliciously exaggerated) version of the crime as recounted by Kenneth Anger in Hollywood Babylon. The story of the crime is here, but, briefly, on October 30, 1968, two young male hustlers showed up at Novarro’s house. The 69-year old Novarro had frequently hired male prostitutes and, according to one story, he may have hired one of the men on a previous occasion. He invited the two in. The two (who were brothers) had heard a rumor that Novarro had thousands of dollars in cash hidden in the house (a rumor that wasn’t true). After an evening of drinking, the two spent several hours torturing Novarro, demanding he tell them where the cash was — the cash he didn’t have. Eventually Ramon Novarro died. The borthers were caught and tried for murder. They were found guilty, but, inexplicably, they served only a very short time in prison. After he was paroled for Novarro’s murder, the older brother (Paul Ferguson) served at least two prison sentences for rape. No one seems to know what happened to the younger brother. In John Rechy’s review of a Novarro biography, Rechy mentions that Paul Ferguson was in prison when the book was published, in 2002. Ferguson is now in his early 60s. For all I know he may still be in prison.
The reason I mention all this is because whilst perusing the Ramon Novarro message boards on IMDb after having watched my first Novarro move, I was shocked to discover that it appears that Paul Ferguson is posting there. When I realized who it was, it sent a chill through me. Imagine if Charles Manson were posting to a Sharon Tate message board somewhere, discussing the murder and disparaging the victim. I realize that this is the internet and anyone can purport to be anyone they want, but it seems likely that this is the actual murderer of Ramon Novarro, posting as himself, on IMDb.
Here are some of Paul Ferguson’s typo-ridden comments on IMDb (and, even more chilling than the fact that this is written by Paul Ferguson, the man who killed Ramon Novarro, is that the date of the comment is Oct. 30, 2007 — the 39th anniversary of the murder):
“Belive this; I know beyond all doubt neither of the two involved confessed to MURDER! They did admit what happened was a horrible and was a homicide but NOT a murder. YES ONE WAS A CHILD OF 17 and the actor – while a resonable talent – was indeed a 69 year old alcholic troll who preyed on underprivledge youth who were desperate for cash. In the trial there were over 100 checks written to various kids for sex. While I do feel badly for what happened that cold overcast night, I believe Assistant District Attorney James Ideman was the real criminal in that court room. His homophobic comments against Novarro are a matter of public record. As a result of this conviction – which occurred when Ronald Wilson Reagan was then governor of California – was appointed by President Ronald Wilson Reagan to a Federal Judgeship! Oh my, preppy [the poster to whom this comment is in response]. How nice it must be to live in the universe in which you do – where only those who are truly guilty are convicted (let alone charged) and that the legal system is perfect. Are you aware over 1500 person who have been executed by “We the people,” have been proven to have been innocent of the crimes they were charged and convicted of? do hope you will get your fact together and in a row before slamming (falsely) someone who knows all the details of what happened thus perpetrating the homophobia which ran roughshod over the entire case!”
In another comment, on the same day, he writes in reference to the Novarro biography reviewed by John Rechy (Beyond Paradise by Andre Soares):
“Also, if you did truly read the biography, I’m quite surprised you have not yet recognized…”
(Those ellipses really creep me out.) He then ends:
“Respectfully submitted, Pau1Fer9uson.”
In a comment a year earlier he wrote:
“It was a simple homicide, not a murder, and those involved in this death served their time.”
“Pau1Fer9uson” has posted a biography of himself here on IMDb.
“Born 1946 in Selma Alabama, Paul Ferguson taught himself to read by matching words on shopping lists with the items they represented. From then on his admiration for writing and writers was immense. By age five, he was writing and illustrating stories for his younger siblings. In 5th grade his story, The Forgiveness, concerning the life of Judas after hanging himself, left no dry eye in the house, including Sister Theresa’s after his first public reading. The story has been rewritten over the years, and was last read publicly in 1964, for a group of Wyoming convicts, to the same tearful results.
Beginning in 1963, with screenwriter Jack Marlowe, Mr. Ferguson worked and studied with writers from Los Angeles to New York, many of whom are now long since dead. 1966 saw his first professional assignment as Native American Civil Rights reporter for American Native Weekly, in Chicago. The following year “Night of the Fatal Trap,” an episode of The Wild, Wild West, he co-wrote with Jack Marlowe was originally aired 24 December 1965. ABC bought an option for his original half-hour/hour comedy-drama, Sweet Dream in 1968, but a prison sentence nixed the deal, and the network let the option expire.
Mr. Ferguson began writing articles for the award winning San Quentin News and quickly achieved the position of editor, then soon was hired to write, produce, direct, and announce a nightly half-hour radio news program aired 7 nights a week, from 1972 until his release in 1975 from San Quentin. 1973 saw him finally working for ABC, and Truman Capote for a 90 minute documentary on death row. He won his first P.E.N. Award in the 1974 best short fiction category for Dream No Dreams, and was named PEOPLE magazine’s Writer To Watch. The story has been published in 29 languages and in at least 50 countries. He developed and taught college level creative writing courses at San Quentin and studied under Gordon Lish, future editor of ESQUIRE magazine, among others. Upon release, Mr. Ferguson was commissioned by the Shaw Coal Company in Home, PA, to compile reports on the effects of strip mining on the environment and what could be done about it. He then was hired as an administrative assistant, where he stayed until the company was forced to shut down due to EPA violations his report had uncovered. Writing article on subjects based on what the market was demanding, he worked his way back to Alabama from California. His last newspaper appearance was in 1983 with Shipwrecked for The Selma Times Journal. He continued writing short stories and two filmographies on B Westerns. He also self-published “The Adventures of Bar-D,” a 180 page novella which sold 9,500 copies by word of mouth alone. Since 1989, Mr. Ferguson has written everyday, completing dozens of short stories, essays, plays, screenplays, articles, a nonfiction book The Rape of the Red Ryder on corruption within the Missouri Judicial System., and a novel, Contrary to Belief. He has won the P.E.N. Award four times: 1974 for fiction, Dream No Dreams 2000; for the essay, “The Horror,” 2004 for “The Dog,” a poem and 2002 best drama, Everything That’s Cool. Currently Mr. Ferguson is working on his sophomore novel, All Creatures Tremble, and served as an adviser for a week long Channel Four (UK) news special on US prison abuse worldwide and domestically, being produced by John Kelly. The above mentioned news special was aired on 2 March in Britain.”
(Interestingly, he mentions a stint at San Quentin, but neglects to say what sent him there.)
He posted as recently as a month ago.
He and his brother served only seven years for torturing and murdering Ramon Novarro.
Only one person seems to have realized just who IMDb poster “Pau1Fer9uson” is.
This is really, really creepy.





















