Beyond Paradise: The Life of Ramon Novarro - Hardcover

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One of the most popular leading men of the 1920s, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer player Novarro had a dark secret: he was gay. The Mexican-born star of such lushly romantic films as The Student Prince and The Pagan, as well as the worldwide sensation Ben-Hur, he tried to walk the fine line between concealing his homosexuality and refusing to play the Hollywood game (including a sham marriage) for the sake of appearances. A sensitive actor, he soon rose above the "Latin lover" stereotype and entered talking pictures with his stardom intact, especially in demand for roles featuring his pleasant singing voice. (He had hoped to be an opera singer.) Although his accent was not intrusive, his fame declined after a few years of poor roles, and he was forced to look to lesser studios and foreign countries to extend his career. In the early 1950s, Novarro returned to Hollywood for a few character roles and then was largely relegated to a life of wealthy retirement until his sordid 1968 murder by two hustlers. With this carefully researched, well-balanced, and intelligently written book, screenwriter Soares has probably produced the definitive Novarro biography. Recommended for all libraries.
Roy Liebman, California State Univ., Los Angeles
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Mexican heartthrob Ramon Novarro (1899-1968) was one of early Hollywood's leading romancers. He got his big break in 1923's Scaramouche, went on to play the title role in 1925's Ben-Hur and later appeared with Greta Garbo in 1932's Mata Hari. However, despite these sizeable roles, today Novarro is chiefly remembered for how he died: he was beaten to death by two thieves. Now screenwriter and translator Andre Soares offers the thoroughly researched biography Beyond Paradise: The Life of Roman Novarro. Soares skillfully covers the actor's Mexican upbringing, his ascent to fame, his relationship with publicist and entertainment journalist Herbert Howe and the difficulties he encountered as a gay man. This is a straightforward and insightful account of one star's difficult life. 16-page photo insert not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

To the recent spate of books detailing the history of gays in Hollywood's golden age (e.g., William J. Mann's Behind the Screen [2001] and Diana McLellan's The Girls [2000]) comes a worthy addition, Soares' chronicle of one of the biggest silent stars, Ramon Novarro, whose fame was parabolic, soaring to a Douglas Fairbanks-like peak when he played the title role in Ben-Hur (1926) and peaking again with his grisly demise some 40 years after his first perihelion. In between, after sound dispelled the silents, his was largely a name from the past, a la Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, though he made the transition to talkies far better than fellow top-of-the-heap silent star John Gilbert. Still, his career spiraled down into cameo appearances and the like. By the time he was beaten to death by a couple of cruisers who may have intended only to steal some money, Novarro had been a customer of "escort services" for men for many years. However, Soares specifically accuses Hollywood sleazemonger Kenneth Anger of fabricating the lead "art-deco dildo" supposedly stuffed down the dead Novarro's throat. Dildo or no dildo, no Hollywood collection should be without a biography of Novarro, and Soares' story of this prototypical cinematic "Latin lover" fills the bill in excellent form. Mike Tribby
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