Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr

by Michael Seth Starr
Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr

by Michael Seth Starr

Paperback

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Overview

(Applause Books). Now in paperback, the complete story of the actor's career, including his secret gay life. Raymond Burr (1917-1993) was an enigma. A film noir regular known for his villainous roles in movies like Rear Window , he eventually became one of the most popular stars in television history as the lead actor on two top-rated dramas, Perry Mason and Ironside , which between them ran virtually uninterrupted for 20 years. But Raymond Burr was leading a secret gay life at a time in Hollywood when exposure would have been career suicide. To protect his secret, Burr fabricated a tragic past for himself as a grieving husband and father. He claimed to have been twice widowed he said his first wife had died in a plane crash, and his second marriage had ended with his wife's early death from cancer. And there was also a dead son 10-year-old Michael, who lost his battle with leukemia. Neither of the wives nor Michael ever existed. But that didn't stop these lies from being perpetuated again and again, even in Burr's New York Times obituary. Hiding in Plain Sight examines the totality of Raymond Burr's career and his personal life, including his 35 years with partner Robert Benevides. The author interviewed over 30 people who knew or worked with Burr, including Angela Lansbury, Barbara Hale, Robert Wagner, Gale Storm, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781423473718
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date: 09/01/2009
Series: Applause Books
Pages: 312
Sales rank: 112,926
Product dimensions: 5.70(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Michael Seth Starr (River Vale, NJ) has covered television at the New York Post for thirteen years. He has written biographies of Peter Sellers, Art Carney, Joey Bishop, and Bobby Darin, and has appeared on The Today Show, The Early Show, Good Morning America, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Entertainment Tonight, and Access Hollywood.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments     ix
A Burr in the Saddle     1
California Dreamin'     17
An Old Wives' Tale     27
(Un)true Romance     47
Enter Perry Mason     81
Howdy, Partner: A Little R&R     99
A Confidential Matter     113
Your Slip Is Showing     135
It's a Jungle Out There     147
Raymond and the Misses     177
Redux and Cover     187
Twilight in the Vineyard     203
Where There's a Will ...     213
Raymond Burr Credits     221
Author Interviews     229
Notes     231
Selected Bibliography     249
Index     255
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