What a variety of roles.
What a long and varied career.
It lasted almost from the beginning of “talkies” to nearly the 21st century (the early Nineties, to be more precise), comprising a total of more than 200 movie and tv credits.
The “Latin lover” was (and remains) a time-honored staple of Hollywood movies — Rudolph Valentino, Ramon Novarro, Fernando Lamas, Arturo deCordova, Ricardo Montalban and on and on — and very few have pulled it off with the humor and grace of our very busy Quiz hero, Cesar Romero.
Although he he was perfectly suited to the part — Romero was a tall (6-feet-3 inches), suave-looking Dude who moved as gracefully as the dancer he once was — he felt the Latin stereotype was something of a career curse, preventing him from elevating himself to front ranked stardom.
The irony is that native New Yorker Romero is hardly the first name that comes to mind now when the term Latin lover is invoked. That may well be due, in our ethnically-obsessed times, to parental ancestry of his parents. His mother was Cuban, his father was Italian.
In any event, Romero rendered the stereotype academic since the breathe and depth of his work defies easy description.
Ok, let’s see how much you know of him and his amazing career. As usual, questions today and answers tomorrow.
1) Question: Romero was a talented dancer as well as actor, who carved out a niches costarring in musicals at 20th Century Fox. He is well remembered for his four movies opposite Fox’s biggest star of the Forties. Who is she? a) Carole Landis; b) Alice Faye; c) Betty Grable; or d) Sonja Henie.
2) Question: Romero was a favorite of Frank Sinatra’s who was instrumental in the casting Cesar in which of the singer’s movies? a) 1956’s Around the World in Eighty Days; b) 1960’s Ocean’s 11; 1960’s Pepe and d) 1965’s Marriage On The Rocks.
3) Question: In addition to Fox musicals, Romero was a staple of the studio’s some six B-movie series devoted to which of the following? a) The Cisco Kid; b) Covered Wagon Days; c) Hopalong Cassidy; or d) The Three Mesquiteers.
4) Question: Romero galvanized tv audiences in the 1960’s playing which one of these characters? a) Flash Gordon; b) The Green Hornet; c) the Joker on Batman; or d) Godzilla.
5) Question: Romero was one of the few Hollywood personalities who served in World War II, and actually experienced combat. a) True; or b) False.
CESAR ROMERO… don’t all rush to COMMENT…
So first let’s get the quiz out of the way…
1) C and he also did four films with Carole Landis if memory serves.
2) B
3) A
4) C
5) B – He served in the U.S. Coast Guard
With someone as popular and iconic as CESAR ROMERO you’d think just as Joe & Frank were hopeful of, that there would be a whole slew of COMMENTS…
But anyway, like so many in HOLLYWOOD then and now, Cesar was bi-sexual.
He was also a deeply closeted gay man to his fans. When he was interviewed by author Boze Hadleigh, Romero gave a revealing, often comic account of what life was like in the Golden Age of Hollywood for a closeted gay man (in Romero’s instance, also Catholic and Latino). Because he was “out” to all his entertainment industry colleagues, it was often stated that Romero’s homosexuality was Hollywood’s worst kept secret. That interview is included in Hadleigh’s book, Hollywood Gays.
Ever charming and discreet, Cesar Romero earned the reputation as the quintessential “confirmed bachelor,” although Hollywood insiders knew all about his long-term relationship with Tyrone Power, Gene Raymond and other actors of screen and stage. As an interesting aside, Romero’s Hollywood social nickname was “Butch.” I’m not making this up.
Cesar Romero was born to wealthy parents in New York City in 1907. His Italian-born father had made a fortune as an importer/exporter of sugar refining machinery, and his Cuban mother was a concert singer. Romero’s first job after attending Collegiate and Riverdale County Schools was as a ballroom dancer, and for years he served as the dancer/escort of major stars such as Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Carmen Miranda, Lucille Ball and Ginger Rogers. Romero first appeared on Broadway in Lady Do (1927), and his first film role was in The Shadow Laughs (1933).
His life was a full-out pursuit of superficial social events such as art exhibit openings, movie premiers and fashion shows. At the time there was a running joke that Romero would attend the “opening of a napkin.” He was uniquely equipped for this lifestyle, since he was handsome, tall (6-ft. 2-in.), suave, wealthy, witty and a real fashion plate. His wardrobe contained more than 30 tuxedos, 200 sport coats and 500 tailored suits. He practically lived at the Ambassador Hotel’s Coconut Grove nightclub (Los Angeles), dancing and flirting the night away. Romero’s signature trimmed moustache was so identified with his persona that he refused to shave it off for his TV role as the Joker in the Batman series. Makeup artists grudgingly applied the heavy white facial makeup on top of his moustache.
But straight or gay, CESAR ROMERO had a lot of class, and was indeed so good in so many diverse roles over a very long career.
Romero died of a pneumonia-related blood clot on New Years Day in 1994 in Santa Monica, California, just six weeks shy of his 87th birthday. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: at 1719 Vine St. (for television) and at 6615 Hollywood Blvd. (for motion pictures).