I knew it! I knew she was one of us! She didn't fool me.

It's strange that no journalist tried to confirm the existence of the two dead wives and dead sons. I guess if you had a good enough "lavender cover-up" you were left alone. But I've known for ages that Burr was gay. I can't remember how. If I recall correctly, there was some kind of sex scandal involving the actor who played the DA on Perry Mason. The scandal had something to do with a wild party where he stripped and shot pingpong balls out of his anus. Or something like that.

Ironsides, hardly! I'm sure Ray was loose as a goose back there, no ping pong balls popping outta that one.

Don't waste my time with these broken-down has beens! Most of them are as old as my elephants and twice as wrinkled!

Considering that the obits when he died talked about Burr's male long term partner. this isn't really a surprise.

Secret? Raymond Burr was my friend's neighbor in Northern California for many years and was very open. I thought everybody knew about it.

The DA, Hamilton Burr??? I always found him kinda magnetic!

Michael, get out your DVD of "A Star is Born" and go lok at the kinescope of the premiere at the Pantages theater in Hollywood. In it you'll find Burr with his beard du jour, plus the most drop-dead gorgeous sailr you've ever seen in your life. Obviously picked up a half hour earlier the kid's "deer-in-the-headlights" look as priceless ans Burr explains "I'm just showing this fine young man some of the glamour of Hollywood."

hey monica, back off ... you un-empathetic c*nt ... if everyone in society had the courage to live as openly as Ray as actually lived, even though it could have killed his career, then this silly story wouldn't be newsworthy, and you could spend your incredibly valuable time saving the world.

This isn't really "news". I thought the fact of his being gay was revealed at the time of his death.
He lived in Northern California (Sonoma) where he died. His entire estate went to his longtime companion, Robert Benevides.
What I found more interesting was finding out that he was an avid orchid cultivator. Cal Poly in Pomona now has the "Raymond Burr Orchid Collection".

I figured out Burr was gay while he was still alive and some magazine puff piece said he had a hideaway in the South Pacific and wasn't married. That set off internal ringing bells.

This revelation isn't new. Tell us who he slept with!

Back in the olden days (1940's, 50's, 60's even 70's), Hollywood stars were often given entire false identities...name changes, childhoods, families, etc and the press went along with it. Just like not reporting on JFK's dalliances which were an open secret. The story about the actor who played the DA Paul Drake was long covered up because he was the sun of powerful columnist Hedda Hopper.

Burr also had a home in Fiji where part of his orchid collection still resides. The place is now operated as a tourist attraction. It's a beautiful place and must have been a pleasant place to spend time away from the hustle of Hollywood.

Reporter: "What about Spike McKenzie, still the best trick cyclist in the business?"

Monica Rivers: "When he's sober, which isn't often."

How much did Barbara Hale(for Amana) - Della Street - know, and when did she know it?

Two dead wives and a dead son?! I know I'm always defending people's privacy, but this is just ridiculous. I love it.
Shouldn't someone who actually is a widower talk about how insensitive pretending to be one is, though? ;-)

Well, the seat on his wheelchair was leopard skin print. That should have been your first clue!

This is hardly a secret... back in the late 80s and early 90s when he was filming Perry Mason movies in Denver, everybody (well, every gay) in town knew he was there, and that he was 'family'. I'm only surprised it's taken this long for someone to write the book!

William Hopper played Paul Drake, Perry Mason's go-to private eye, and as far as I know was never arrested or involved in any kind of scandal (being Hedda Hopper's son being enough of a cross to bear no doubt).

William Talman played Hamilton Burger, the D.A., and he was the one arrested in 1960, and the story I heard is that he was at a nude pot party.

By the way, the Raymond Burr Vineyards in Sonoma is still open. Never been but his wine is supposed to be decent and his orchids are there, too.

He and his partner have a winery in Sonoma. His partner still lives there and they some darn good wine. Here's the link:

http://www.raymondburrvineyards.com/

Well FINALLY the mystery is explained! I attended the funeral for Raymond Burr's darling dead son Michael in the early 1950s at a piano bar in Silverlake (it was called The Other Side) and Raymond was there, three sheets to the wind. There was a petite white coffin on the bar, surrounded by banks of orchids. I took a peek inside and there was a stuffed monkey! Joan Crawford and Liberace were there and Connie Bennett started a poker game that lasted into the wee hours. The winner got the monkey.

Thank you finnlandia for clearing that up re Talman. I guess there were no sphincter-driven pingpong balls, tho.

The Late Tallulah Bankhead- That was hysterical. You are so bad! LOL*

Speaking of closeted actors from the 50's on, Will Geer (Grandpa on the Waltons) had a "Long-time" male companion. So Raymond Burr is one of several, lest we forget Rock Hudson.

Curious -- there was a scene in one of the earlier episodes of "The Waltons" that featured grizzled old Communist fruitcake Will Geer soaking (presumably naked) in a "hot spring" near Walton Mountain with Richard "John Boy" Thomas. A friend of mine was watching the episode with me and said, "Look at those two closeted fags sitting naked in a studio hot tube." He knew that "John Boy" was a closet case too.

Ever see the clip of him attending the premiere of A Star is Born? He brought a sailor and his mother. Bless his heart.

interesting biography out on Cary Grant....and Randolph Scott (famous western star) they lived together for years,attended socials,openings,etc,and were happy doing so...it was studio boss L.B.M. that finally forced the split...and headed Grant into a 'marriage". Scott bought a 'secret hideaway" in Montery,so the two could continue on...the book makes good reading.

I knew he was gay but somehow my husband thinks that he was married to 2 women at the same time and had 2 separate families.
Has anyone else ever heard this? If not do you know what actor he is talking about?

I got the answer. We both realized that he was talking about Charles Kuralt.It only took me one day of brain searching and then confirming on the net.

Barbara

Seems really bad that people spend time wondering, confirming etc that someone was gay or not. What's the point? I mean is your life really that empty that something like that would rock your world?

I do think psychologists could look into why for many people finding out someones sexuality or if they are gay or not sends massive endomorphins to their brains and they become intensely stimulated and giddy. Then if they find out the person is really just another straight person they get bored with that. I mean whats up with this phenomenon?

And that is the CIA, Pentagon, NSA, and FBI coverstory too! Actually Raymond Burr was only posing as grieving husband posing as a gay, posing to be a spy...when will you all understand nothing is what is seems in the world of The Transformers.

i had heard one season he battled stomach cancer i believe it was the season they had a few guest actors fill in i remember walter pigeon and bette davis to name2.
but more importantly who busted burger was it tragg or andy anderson

I last recall seeing him in 1959 driving his white Lincoln convertible. I have it on good authority that his mother and he met the sailor at Coffee Dans, prior to the Garland premiere. Burr was a coffee fiend, the caffein caused him to be continually "amped up".

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Laughing stock -- cattle with a sense of humor?