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Photograph by Chad Pilster
Unmasked: Ray Spafford, boxer turned stuntman turned jeweler.
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Public Citizen
A Multifaceted, Mustachioed Marvel
The recollections of former Masked Marvel Ray Spafford sparkle like diamonds
By Sarah Gaffney
When Mae West invited him to come out to California and see her some time, college student Ray Spafford had no idea how the seductive summons would change his life.
It was the early '30s, and the Wisconsin-bred boxer and wrestler had been asked to escort the curvy starlet around town during her two-week tour of Madison. West reportedly liked her men big and strong; at 6-foot-2 and 280 pounds, Spafford was a perfect fit.
"She didn't swear, she didn't smoke, and she didn't drink," recalls Spafford, who makes his home in downtown Campbell. "She was an absolute lady."
So, was the blond bombshell his girlfriend? The 86-year-old grins at the memory and replies, "For two weeks she was!"
Spafford has lived a life as diverse as the menagerie of collectibles that speckle the front yard of his Alice Avenue home. After leaving the family farm at 13, he worked as a lumberjack, cat skinner, hunter, fisherman, boxer, wrestler, portrait photographer, jeweler, Hollywood stuntman, antique dealer--and as the Masked Marvel.
As a young man, Spafford boxed and wrestled for money. Because his strict Swedish family was opposed to fighting, he fought behind a black mask and dubbed himself the Masked Marvel.
"They didn't like to have me wrassle," explains Spafford. "I think my grandfather--at 6-foot-9--I think the only time he clenched his hand was to hold something. They weren't a fighting family."
When he eventually headed west to take up Miss West on her offer, he discovered that stunt work for the studios was easy money, too. The legendary star connected Spafford with Columbia and Metro Goldwyn Mayer studios, where for several years he worked as a stuntman and cowboy in westerns, most notably Rory Calhoun movies.
"They said, 'well, you'll pick up another $500 in two days,' " says Spafford, describing the studios' offers.
The multi-talented Spafford also earned a reputation designing jewelry for the stars. The diamond aficionado Liberace approached Spafford about creating a custom ring to wear for his performances. "He said, 'I know that you make them, but would you make one for me the way that I want it?' " says Spafford, who sports a bolo tie fashioned from a $20 gold coin encrusted with 13 diamonds and 13 gold nuggets. "I said, 'Any way that you want it.' "
So, one afternoon the Italian entertainer sat down with the Swedish jeweler and put pen to paper, carefully drawing a rectangle.
"He says, 'I want three 1-carats, three 1-carats, three 1-carats, three 1-carats and that's it,' " recalls Spafford, who searched the diamond markets of Israel, New York and Los Angeles to create the flawless 12-carat sparkler.
When Spafford delivered the ring to Liberace's Palm Springs mansion, the piano man was ready to pay--in cash.
When Liberace asked for the cost, Spafford replied, "The stones and the making was $32,000 and I want a thousand dollars for myself. So he says 'fine' and he reaches into a drawer and counted me out 33 thousand-dollar bills," says Spafford, still amazed at the transaction. "In today's market, a flawless 1-carat is worth $21,000. I'd like to know who has that ring now."
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Campbell, California
