Hiding In Plain Sight (a biography on Raymond Burr)

[Kane]

I don't know if it has ever been mentioned here, but last year a book about the original UM host was published. It is a biography called Hiding In Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr. It was written by Starr Michael. Although I have never read it, I am aware that the book discusses a secret that Raymond Burr kept from the public: He was gay.

He married a woman named Isabella Ward in 1947, but the marriage ended in divorce five years later. Also, Burr claimed that he'd had two additional wives and a son, all of whom were deceased. However, the son and two other wives never existed; it was a false claim that Burr made to cover up the truth about his orientation.

I have to admit that Raymond Burr never struck me as gay. He never came across as effeminate or anything like that. Obviously, he was careful in not making his homosexuality obvious, especially during a time when it was not possible to be openly gay and still have a career. If any of Raymond's colleagues were aware that he was gay, chances are they refused to acknowledge it, most likely out of respect for his privacy.

[TracyLynnS]

Sounds like it's probably true. imdb.com says that Raymond Burr left his entire estate of $32 Million (back in '93) to his longtime companion Robert Benevides. The two of them cultivated orchids and developed 1,500 new orchids to add to the world wide catalogue. (Sounds like the stereotypical "gay" thing to do.)

But he also worked as a ranch hand and a deputy sherrif, which are more stereotypical "macho" things.

I think it's kinda weird to make up fake dead wives and kid though. Even to cover up homosexuality, which wouldn't have been accepted back then. I thought that most gay stars of that era just married some random woman as a cover, and that was it.

[Kane]

Originally Posted by TracyLynnS

I think it's kinda weird to make up fake dead wives and kid though. Even to cover up homosexuality, which wouldn't have been accepted back then. I thought that most gay stars of that era just married some random woman as a cover, and that was it.

That's often the case, but not always. For example, the late Paul Lynde never married. Instead, when it came to the subject of his lifelong bachelorhood, he would often claim that his high school sweetheart had broken his heart, which was meant to imply that he was still too hurt to re-enter the dating scene. But he would also offer other stories, such as the claim that he was so used to living alone that it made him selfish.

Going back to Raymond Burr, I agree that it's weird to fabricate a story of a deceased son and two deceased wives, knowing that he had already been married once. He could have just claimed that, after the divorce, he simply never fell in love again. That would have been very believable, especially since some people don't handle divorce as well as others. In other words, some people never recover from a divorce to the point where they begin dating again.

[TracyLynnS]

Oh yeah, I forgot about Paul Lynde. That guy was so funny, though, the people of his day should have just given him a pass. (Not THAT kind of a pass! lol)

Heck, I can remember watching Ellen Degeneres' show, "Ellen" all the time and it was funny as heck because we all knew she was gay, but she would throw in hilarious little jokes and remarks about it in the show that made the audience feel like they were in on the "big secret".

But when she and her character finally came out, on the show, it practically ruined her career, and that was in the 90s. Now she's an "easy, breezy, beautiful Cover Girl" for cover girl makeup. But then, so is Queen Latifah, but I don't think she's actually publicly admitted her orientation.