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Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Seth Starr
Publisher: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $11.95
You Save: $13.00 (52%)
New (28) Used (12) from $11.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 134480
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
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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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 A bad read September 1, 2008
One of the all time worst book I have ever read. Nothing about him as a person. I did not get to know Raymond Burr. All it was about was his work, movies and t.v.
Why Does Starr Hate Burr? August 5, 2008
Michael Seth Starr's bio of Raymond Burr offers nothing new. Starr recounts well-known and better-told episodes from Burr's life with an almost snarling tone. Starr mercilessly criticizes Burr's weight, his perfectionism, his closeted life, and his oft-repeated stories used to cover his homosexuality. Not only are Starr's parenthetical asides and editorializing in bad taste, they ensure that his mediocre account will turn off any reader with the slightest fondness for his subject.
 He's Still Hiding July 26, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a workman-like account of Burr's life and career. Unfortunately, author Michael Starr relies almost exclusively on second-hand sources for his text-- newspapers, magazines, and other print material. There are few first-hand sources which could relate all-important private aspects of the celebrity's life and career. Thus what emerges is largely a portrait of the public man-- the beloved figure of television melodrama-- instead of the carefully guarded private one.
There is, however, one highly significant exception to this public account. Starr makes no bones about Burr's secret life as a gay man during the homophobic decades in which he became a revered public figure. Nor does Starr soft-peddle the many cover stories Burr concocted to hide his sexual orientation. This is the book's main virtue and should lay to rest the many stories and confusions about this controversial phase of the actor's personal life.
However, as a result of Starr's reliance on secondary sources, we can only guess at Burr's private emotions during the key Perry Mason period. For better or worse, his character came to stand for the American criminal justice system to much of the public. Yet the man himself could have been arrested in many parts of the country as a "deviate". The anxiety must have been difficult at times. Too bad author Starr could not give us an inside glimpse of a period when great success also meant great apprehension. Perhaps, by Ironside's more tolerant era, Burr could have "outed" himself without too great of a career risk. But likely the cover story of dead wives and child had become too embedded to undercut. Anyway, these fictitious stories continued to define the private man in the public's eye right up to the end.
Also, the book doesn't provide much of a handle on the actor's behind-the-scenes personality. We do get glimpses, but mainly we have to read between the lines to get anything like a life-size portrait. Perhaps, his friends and co-workers were unavailable for the kind of interview that would provide revealing anecdotes. Whatever the reason, there's a noticeable absence of detail. Starr's style is easy and readable, but he's also not above padding the text with synopses of key films in the actor's career. Just what the significance of these to the man himself escapes me. I wish the author had discussed his sources more forthrightly in a Foreward, which could have shed some light on important aspects of the narrative that follows. The absence of an informative Foreward, standard to this kind of biographical work, amounts to another significant defect. Thus, aside from tackling the most controversial aspect of the revered actor's life, the book stands as a considerable disappointment.
Good basic biography, but... July 12, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a good basic biography, and I really should've given it 3 1/2 stars. That is, the author did do quite a bit of research--and all the important invents in Raymond Burr's life are listed (I certainly learned a lot). In short, it does give a good basic chronological outline of Raymond Burr's life.
In addition, call me naive, but I was unaware that Raymond Burr was gay. And the friends & relatives who I talked to were also unaware that he was gay. Indeed, that was quite surprising to me--and it was only after reading this book that I am now starting to realize that he was indeed gay (so this author's book was definitely needed here).
Also, the same applies to the "obesity" issue. Here again, I was unaware as to the size of the problem (no pun intended). Indeed, I am 6--4"--and I weigh 260 lbs--which is way overweight (and I notice it on a daily basis). However, Raymond Burr was 6'-2" and weighed over 300 lbs at times during his life--and so that is indeed "gargantuan." This must've caused HUGE problems for him--both in his personal & professional lives.
Therefore, re the above items, I DO NOT feel that the author overemphasized those two points. Those are both HUGE issues. Indeed, I feel the author did not do enough to fully detail those issues--and to also explain how Raymond Burr overcame those daunting obstacles to success.
Also, it seems that the author did not interview anyone who was really close to Raymond Burr. That is, it seemed that most of the testimonials, descriptions, and opinions were from "3rd party" sources--e.g., people who were of some "distance" from Mr. Burr. This author's book would've been much better had he obtained information and/or descriptions of incidents from a close friend of Mr. Burr--or at least someone who was in Mr. Burr's "inner circle." Certainly, someone from his inner circle could've provided more accurate--as well as more interesting--information.
Also, the book was relatively thin--only 219 pages--with the pages being small & the print somewhat large (and also some blank pages were counted as pages). So, although the author did do a lot of work--and a lot of research--it is nonetheless clear that much more could've been done, if one was truly interested in detailing Mr. Burr's life.
Finally, the author's book does expose some of Raymond Burr's faults. I had always viewed him as a "larger than life" figure, but it is now becoming apparent to me that EVERYONE has faults--even the great ones. I was particularly concerned about the amount of lying that Mr. Burr engaged in. Some of the lies were rather harmless--such as pretending that he stayed in China, as well as falsified university attendances. And some lies were intended to cover up his gayness (e.g., making up non-existent marriages), so that was perhaps understandable as well. However, the lie about the non-existent child & tragic death of that child due to a horrible disease was simply inexcusable. Any parent who has lost a child will tell you that there is absolutely nothing funny about that. And so, trivializing a tragedy like that simply because you want to falsify your past is simply inexcusable. And, the same goes for his non-existent war record & non-existent injuries from that war. WWII was a very serious war--and many people (across the world) lost their lives due to that terrible war. Indeed, I had an uncle who died due to injuires sustained in WWII. So again, fighting for your country in WWII & getting injured because of it is something that should NOT be trivialized. I can only assume here that Mr. Burr thought that this lie would "draw the reporters off his scent" and/or improve his popularity with the public.
To conclude, as the book points out, it is somewhat strange that Raymond Burr played Perry Mason--a lawyer dedicated to extracting the truth from all situations--yet Mr. Burr was such an accomplished liar on the witness stand of his own life. So, if nothing else, I have to give this book credit for introducing REALITY into my view of Raymond Burr.
Out of Proportion... June 23, 2008
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
Raymond Burr was one of the most distinguished actors in television history. Although his early career was dominated by film work, he became identified with the small screen after playing the title character in Perry Mason. His work did much to bring credibility to a medium which was often seen as inferior to the silver screen.
Raymond Burr's homosexuality was an open secret in Hollywood when he died in 1993, and common knowledge shortly thereafter. There was no "scandal" when this information was revealed, mainly because Burr had led an honorable life which was marked by his generosity to those in need. That he was closeted while in a 35 year relationship with actor Robert Benevides is more a reflection on the era and the Hollywood mentality than on Burr himself. The author, Michael Seth Starr, does not seem interested in reflecting on those subjects, rather than the lengths to which Burr went to conceal his private life.
Starr seems obsessed with Burr's weight, arguably more than Burr or his fans ever were. Hardly a page goes by without mention of Burr's "corpulent girth" or "morbid" obesity. Not all gay men, closeted or otherwise, are body fascists, yet Starr's personal attitudes on the subject seem to pervade the book.
At times, the book is bogged down in irrelevant detail. Starr gives a blow-by-blow account of the plot of Rear Window and several other films. While it expands a slim book, it's not necessary. Really, what film fan, not to mention Burr fan, does not know the plot of Rear Window?
Since his death, Burr's many fans have wanted a definitive telling of his story. Hiding in Plain Sight isn't it.
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