|
Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr | 
| Author: Michael Seth Starr
Publisher: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $15.45
You Save: $9.50 (38%)
New (18) Used (2) from $15.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 8733
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 268
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 1557836949
Dewey Decimal Number: 790
EAN: 9781557836946
ASIN: 1557836949
Publication Date: April 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The complete story of the actor's career, including his secret gay life. Raymond Burr (1917-1993) was an enigma. A film noir star regularly known for his villainous roles in movies like Rear Window, he delighted millions of viewers each week with the top-rated shows Perry Mason and Ironside, which ran virtually uninterrupted for 20 years. But Burr was leading a secret gay life at a time in Hollywood when such a lifestyle was akin to career suicide. He invented a tragic biography for himself in which he was mythologized as a heartbroken husband and father. There was even an invented affair with a teenage Natalie Wood, 21 years his junior. He fought for truth as Perry Mason and Robert T. Ironside, yet he couldn't admit his own deception. Burr met his partner, struggling actor Robert Benevides, on the set of Perry Mason, and they remained together for over 35 years until Burr's death. Together, they built a business empire, traveled the world, and shared their passion for orchids and fine wine - keeping the true nature of their relationship a secret from all but their closest friends - a secret revealed here for the first time in depth.
|
| Customer Reviews:
No Secret to Me May 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Starr, Michael Seth. "Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr", Applause, 2008.
No Secret to Me
Amos Lassen
Michael Seth Starr has written the "complete" story of actor Raymond Burr's career which includes his "secret" gay life. However I am not so sure his gay life was such a secret. Burr was a frequent visitor to New Orleans when I was out and about and we all knew him and saw him in the gay bars so it was no surprise to me. In other places he may have covered his steps but in New Orleans he was just another face. With that said let's have a look at the book.
Burr was a film noir star as well as a television personality. His two shows, "Perry Mason" and "Ironside" were hits and received high ratings and we saw Burr on our small screens for a twenty year stretch. At the time he was popular being gay was a career ender so he had to keep his secret life out of the headlines or he would have committed career suicide. Burr manages to have a convenient life story ready which covered his lifestyle by claiming to be a "heartbroken husband and father" and there were rumors of an affair with Natalie Wood who was two decades younger than him. Here was a man who, on our TV screens, fought for truth but was not honest about who he really was. He lived with another man, an actor by the name of Robert Benevides and they shared their lives for thirty-five years, attempting to keep their secret away from everyone but their inner circle of friends.
The book is a quick and easy read but for me had really nothing new to say. Burr's sexual escapades are barely dealt with and there is mention of one affair that really was not explicit. Starr does, however, do a fine job of reporting Burr's life in an easy, readable style but the title on the book leads the reader to believe that he is going to get some really hot and juicy information which is not there. It is fun to read about how Burr tried to his sexuality but that is only part of the story. Burr does come across as a kind, loving and generous man but I had the feeling of "so what"? Does anyone really care?
good news, bad news May 10, 2008
Throughout an otherwise informative and well-written book, Starr keeps hammering home two points over and over. He was gay: we get it. He was fat: we get it. Thanks to the tabloids and my own eyes, I already knew he was gay and fat. I'm over it.
Still, the book is interesting due to well-researched info about his workaholic acting schedule (before, during and after the Perry Mason years), and his tireless generosity toward his fans and overseas troops. For whatever faults one might find, Mr. Burr is a man I wish I had known.
Starr has chosen a good subject for a bio, and spent considerable time on it; but the excessive mentions of Burr's sexual preference, fabricated life story and girth really needed a good editor. The repetition became tiresome.
Plus a few minor factual errors take away from the author's credibility. For example, Andy Griffith's "Matlock" series never aired on CBS.
 fascinating life May 6, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I knew very little about "Perry Mason" but love that era of TV. Also "Rear Window" is my favorite Hitchcock film and Burr is so menacing in that. The author is very thorough in covering the story of this Canadian born (did not know that) and his career route through stage acting, into films and then into his famous TV roles. His efforts to hide his sexuality is amusing, especially considering the times, but is only a part of this famed actor's saga. Recommended for fans of TV and film who want a glimpse of behind the scenes life in Hollywood in the 40's. 50's and 60's.
 Disappointing.... April 30, 2008
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
I received the book yesterday and read it comfortably in two hours. The book really has nothing new or insightful about the life of one of my favorite all time actors, Raymond Burr. In a nutshell, he was only married once to Isabella Ward for a very short period of time, and the other two wives and son he claimed to have were bogus, designed to be able to tell the public and columnists, "I don't talk about that," when they pressed for info which might reveal his homosexuality. One tryst is mentioned which is nothing more than a supposed one night stand with another man, a bartender/female impersonator Raymond met...nothing shocking or particularly interesting. The bottom line is Raymond Burr was a loving, kind, generous and giving man. I would love to read a book/memoir by Barbara Hale, a true friend, or Robert Benevides, Raymond's significant other for his entire lifetime, who shared his home and life including the beautiful vineyard in California; that would be worth buying and reading...not this book. Such a disappointment and waste of time. Save your money.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
