Ramon Novarro, Idol of Film Fans Has His Say About Love

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 June 1928, Page 9

Ramon Novarro, Idol of Film Fans Has His Say About Love

HNE of the most —if not the most—romanticlooking stars in Hollywood declares that romance is dead. Ramon Novarro, whose beauty can be called by no other name, believes that it is woman who has sounded the knell to the age of chivalry. “Women are too hard, too practical, too shrewd, to take any interest in romance,” says the dark-eyed star. “Before this commercial, materialistic age girls put romance ahead of everything. If a boy and girl—or a man and woman —fell in love, they were willing to go through anything to cleave to one another. No danger was too great, no suffering was too intense, no' hardship too terrible to induce one to give the other up.

“But to-day if a girl and boy fall in love and the parents separate them, or there is perhaps not enough money to marry on, or his business takes him across the continent, or her career calls for the influence of a powerful gentleman with matrimonial intentions, do they love and suffer and struggle until they can be joined together? No! They may shed a tear or two, but they dry their eyes and say: ‘Oh. well, there are plenty of others! If we can’t have each other, we’ll take someone else.’ “Constancy is a lost virtue.” According to Ramon’s observation, a modern Jacob would not dream of serving months, much less 14 years, for his Rachel; and if he were so foolish, he’d probably discover Rachel at the end of the 14 years with a husband, a divorce or a full-grown career that couldn't be interfered with by a mere faithful lover. Ramon agrees with Edna St. Vincent Millay that:

All the loveliest things there be dome wrniply. so it scons to me.

“Our generation is sacrificing the real things for the false. Money, success, fame—we struggle for them, give up the best years of our lives for them; hope, worry and despair over them —for what? They are no part of us.

“We make money and put it in fi bank. It stays there, accumulating interest. It might as well not be there for all the good it is to us. Perham

we buy silver, polish it, serve the guests from it and rush it back to the bank. Does its presence add to our hospitality? We buy jewels which aro so valuable that our women put them in the bank and wear imitations, because the real diamonds or pearls or rubies are too great a temptation to thieves." Ramon Samaniegos (Novarro’s real name) has tried the simple life, for he was born in a Mexican village, where he and his father, mother and eleven brothers and sisters lived in a peaceful hacienda. Poverty did not touch them with its hideous fingers, but wealth was far from their door also. The church was a dominant feature of their lives. Family love brooded tenderly over them. Simple and natural pleasures and much music and singing brightened toil and study. He came to Hollywood while he was still in his teens and kept spirit and flesh together by teaching music and working as an extra in pictures. He joined the Marian Morgan dancers and did a succession of dances in other players’ films. He was an extra in Rudolph Valentino’s first big success, “The Four Horsemen.” The Marian Morgan dancers were

engaged to give a “Spanish Fandango all in pantomime at a Little Theatre one night. Ramon was cast in the male lead and appeared in costume, almost unbelievably beautiful. “Oh! and “Ah!” and -“Oh!” again, sighed the flappers who attended, i Perhaps the raptures of the flappers helped; more likely it was the ability and personality of the youth in the pantomime. At any rate, Rex Ingram, who had dropped in to please the management, went back stage to meet Ramon. “Come to the studio to-morrow for a screen test.” he said, and when Ramon had taken the test, Mr. Ingram cast him as Rupert of Hentzau in “The Prisoner of Zenda,” from 'which first rung the young actor climbed the ladder to the stars.

“The modern woman is not brave, because the things she does are done with no fear of consequences. She knows (hat she may transgress all the old-time rules-of deportment, do all manner of rash and reckless acts and nothing will happen,” observes Ramon.

“It is a boast of the modern woman that she can take care of herself. She knows everything. No man can teach her. She is cynical and selfish. She wants her own way.

“The trouble with us all in this romanccless age is that, we do not trust each other. We have lost faith in our fellow man and woman. Faith is the key to happiness. . “If a girl trusts a man—or a. man trusts a girl—nothing can spoil their relationship. . . . But we have so little faith.

“I say that women are hard and practical and inconstant, but I think it is only a reflection of this unromantic age. “In all great movements men have been the leaders, so I think that men will probably be the leaders still. But women will inspire them, so that women will be, as they have always been, the source of greatness. “I think that women are higher than men—they stand between God and man. Women know more than they realise, because being born women gives them an innate knowledge that is denied to men. When women make use of their marvellous gift they offer inspiration to philosophers. I think that women were meant to be idealised and that we shall resume that relationship.”