BLOODY WEDNESDAY

One book that I'm proud to have in my collection, if only because it is so scarce, is Bloody Wednesday: The True Story of the Ramon Novarro Murder by Joel L. Harrison.

The book was published in 1978 (ten years after the murder of Ramon Novarro) by Major Books of Canoga Park, California. (If anyone has any information regarding Major Books, I'd definitely be interested in learning more about them.) I've been unable to confirm whether they were a vanity publishing house. Regardless, and despite their name, all of the titles they published were printed in minimal runs. As a result, a few of their books are collector's items.

 

One of the more concise summaries of the circumstances of Novarro's death is found at http://investigation.discovery.com/investigation/hollywood-crimes/novarro/ramon-novarro.html, which says:

Ramon Novarro, the silent movie star of classic films such as Ben Hur and The Silver Chalice, kept many things to himself. Rudolph Valentino’s best friend's biggest secret was his preference for sex with men, especially young adult males.

Unfortunately, one of Novarro’s peccadilloes led to his murder.

On Oct. 30, 1968, Novarro invited over two brothers, Paul and Tom Ferguson, for a quiet evening at his estate in Studio City. He was hoping for a night of intimacy with one of the two young men. The Fergusons, on the other hand, were looking to fatten their bank accounts. Older brother Paul heard that Novarro kept a large amount of money hidden away in his mansion.

That night, Novarro and Paul Ferguson engaged in a sexual encounter. After the tryst was complete, Paul turned the tables on Novarro and demanded the actor’s secret stash. Novarro sheepishly admitted that he had no money on him. He offered to pay the Fergusons with a check. But the Fergusons knew Novarro was not broke. In fact, they knew he was quite wealthy. His money, however, was tied up in the bank and stock market. He was not fond of carrying cash.

The news did not sit well with Paul Ferguson. The 22-year-old hustler decided Novarro was lying so he began to beat the information out of the actor. For several hours, Ferguson tortured Novarro with a silver cane. He pummeled the 68-year-old former movie star on the back, stomach and groin areas with the makeshift weapon that left numerous black and blue bruises all over the actor’s body.

Though none of the cane blows proved to be fatal, Novarro eventually choked to death on his own blood.

During the beating, younger brother Tom Ferguson called his girlfriend in Chicago. He used Novarro’s telephone to make the call and spoke with her for nearly 40 minutes. The poor girl could hear Novarro’s pitiful screams in the background.

When police arrived, they stumbled upon a truly macabre scene. In Novarro’s bathroom, on the mirror, the phrase "Us girls are better than those fagits" [sic] was scrawled with a grease pencil. In addition, Paul Ferguson had been especially sadistic with the actor. Some claimed that Novarro had been beaten to death with a silver lead dildo given to him by Valentino. Other sources claimed the sex toy had been rammed up Novarro’s rectum. Still others say it was shoved down his throat.

After the cleanup, police were able to compile a list of phone calls made from Novarro’s home, including one to Chicago made on the day of the murder. Police contacted the number in Chicago and reached Tom Ferguson’s girlfriend. She told the officers about the frightening phone call she received from her boyfriend.

The police immediately arrested the Ferguson brothers. Both men’s fingerprints were discovered in several locations throughout the house. In addition, several witnesses came forward to testify that the men bragged about the murder.

The Ferguson brothers’ trial became a circus when Paul convinced Tom to admit to the murder. Paul believed Tom would not get the death penalty since his younger brother was only 17 at the time of the murder. Tom agreed to take the fall and confessed to committing the murders alone.

Tom quickly recanted his confession when prosecutors informed him they would seek his execution. Tom told the truth as to what really happened that night and both brothers were sentenced to life in prison.

The Ferguson brothers were paroled less than seven years later.