This series consists of Ellenberger's typed and handwritten research notes, and the materials he collected in the course of his research on Ramon Novarro. The Notes include catalogues and correspondence with dealers of film memorabilia, related primarily to photographs of Novarro, some of which can be identified in Series 3: Photographs (see below). The research materials consist primarily of photocopies, acquired largely from the Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, of clippings from Los Angeles newspapers and of articles in contemporary film magazines, such as Photoplay and Motion Picture Magazine; a small number of clippings are originals. When the collection was opened for processing in July 2008, only a small part of the materials were found to be organized, in subject files: the majority of the documents, most in multiple copies, were packed in boxes, without folders and in roughly chronological order. The existing subject files were retained with the addition of a subject file for each of Novarro's films; the remaining materials were arranged chronologically, with obvious duplicates removed. The bulk of the materials in the Chronological Files dates from 1922 through 1934, the years of Novarro's stardom at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; materials from the 1940s and 1950s relate primarily to his arrests for drunk driving; materials from the 1950s and 1960s relate to his television appearances in character roles; and the materials from 1968 and 1969 relate to his death and the trial of his murderers. The bulk of the materials in the Subject Files relates to Novarro's various films, in particular Ben-Hur (1925), which cemented Novarro's status as Valentino's chief rival. The files contain photocopies of contemporary news reports and gossip, reviews, secondary accounts, publicity shots and stills. The files also contain a small number of original clippings, in fragile condition because of the acidic paper on which most film magazines were published in the 1920s and 1930s. The Subject Files also include secondary accounts of his career and his death; studio biographies; copies of his death certificate, autopsy, will and a small number of personal letters; interviews Novarro gave in the popular and film industry press; an incomplete copy of Jim Kepner's eyewitness report of the trial of his accused murderers, Paul and Tom Ferguson; the history of the houses he owned; the British Ramon Navarro Film Club and the society of the same name Ellenberger founded and operated in the early 1990s; and the murder trial of his cousin Jacques Samaniego.