In the early 1920s, Ramon Novarro made history by becoming the first Latin American film star, with the release of Rex Ingram’s "The Prisoner of Zenda." The wildly eccentric Ingram, Metro’s foremost director and the man who had turned Rudolph Valentino into a star, transformed the inexperienced Ramón Samaniego into the charismatic heartthrob Ramon Novarro.

One of the screen’s Great Lovers, Novarro starred with some of the most popular actresses of the era, including Greta Garbo, Myrna Loy, Joan Crawford, and Norma Shearer. Besides Ingram, Novarro also worked with other first-rank directors, such as Ernst Lubitsch, W. S. Van Dyke, and Jacques Feyder. His most famous film, the 1925 "Ben-Hur," was the most colossal — and problem-plagued — undertaking by any studio to date. As a result of that picture, one of Hollywood’s most impressive blockbusters ever, Novarro’s fame reached phenomenal heights the world over.

There is a very strict set of four rules for this newsgroup:

1. You can talk about what you wish that is somehow related to Ramon Novarro and his era in Hollywood.

2. Foreign languages are allowed. English is the primary language, but asides in other languages are perfectly fine.

3. Any posted photo credited to a collector may not be reproduced without that individual's permission.

4. Jokes and different viewpoints are not only allowed but encouraged. However, respect is imperative. As Confucius used to say, Chat with your fellow Internet group members as you'd like to be chatted.

Membership is restricted so as to avoid spammers. In your "application," please explain in a few words why you'd like to join the Novarro list.