Raymond Burr: Hollywood's Master Of Deceit

Hollywood star Raymond Burr deserves three different biographies: One for things that are true, one for things that might be true, and one for things that were bald-faced lies. The problem is, it's hard to say which parts are false and which are true.

[Factinate]

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[caroles]

When I was working with battered women in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Raymond Burr came out to support our cause.

[rickmassey]

Perry Mason was the best show on television...and still in 2024 it's better than 95% of broadcast television .

[sarahalbers]

I had Raymond Burr on my flight from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. He was very polite and friendly, rare trait in many celebrities. He was still very handsome and large, but he wore it well.
I still watch Perry Mason, it has stood the test of time.

[mykemech]

I am relieved that the only lies from him were to protect himself, and not because he was a bad person.

[davespiess]

I can't believe you didn't mention Rear Window, a great film...and Raymond Burr was great in it!

[edggullion]

I read the book, Hiding in Plain Sight also. I don't care if Ray was a homosexual or not, nor do I care about smearing this generous, big-hearted man.

[drmichaelshea]

I started watching Perry Mason with my brother and grandmother on Saturday nights at age 8. Now I’m 74 and still love those old B&W shows. TV was actually entertaining then. Raymond Burr is still a favorite to this day.

[telescope]

Mr. Burr also had a photographic memory. My dad met him briefly while working as an X-Ray Tech at Mt. Sinai (now Cedars-Sinai) hospital in Beverly Hills. Later, he ran into Mr. Burr again while working Security at Hollywood-Burbank Airport (Bob Hope Airport). Burr walked up to him, shook his hand and said "Hello, Mr. (surname)". This was more than a decade after their first meeting.

[dorothyruh]

I adored Raymond Burr from an early age watching him as Perry Mason every weekend with my grandmother. He reminded me of my father and to this day I have one of his last photos and the last photo of my father and they are very nearly identical. The problem wasn’t his lies, it was the societal attitudes of the time. I don’t give a damn what other people do in their bedroom, it’s none of my business and it does not define their lives and their contributions to the world.

[henry]

Raymond Burr was not only a fine actor, he also a fine human being, in the way he came to the rescue of William Talman (Burger) and Ray Collins (Lt. Tragg).

Let me start with William Talman... he (with a lot of other people) was at a party at a house in West Hollywood, there was drug use going on in another part of the house that he was unaware of, the police did a raid on the place and was arrested with 7 other people. Hours after Talman entered a not-guilty plea to misdemeanor narcotics (Pot) charges, CBS fired him on March 18th, 1960. You may have wondered about his sudden disappearance from Perry Mason during season 3 and was replaced by a series of different Assistant DA's. In June of that year, Judge Adolph Alexander threw out the charges against Talman and the other 7 arrested, citing lack of proof. CBS would not rehire him even though the charges were dropped. Raymond Burr, along with the executive producer Gail Patrick Jackson, went to bat for Talman with CBS to get him back. CBS refused, but eventually relented when the creator of Perry Mason, Erle Stanley Gardner, spoke out. Talman returned to Perry Mason in season 4.

Next, Ray Collins... a veteran actor, Collins appeared in Citizen Kane as Kane's political rival. Collins was one of the original actors when Perry Mason began in 1957. It is said that Collins took a young Raymond Burr under his wings and coached him during the early years of the series. By 1960 however, Collins found his physical health declining and his memory waning, problems in the next few years brought an end to his career at age 73 ( Collins was already 68 when he started out in Perry Mason). His last appearance was October 1963. Unable to work and with medical bills piling up, Collins was in a bad way. Raymond Burr stepped in and not only paid all of Collin's outstanding bills, he took care of Collins's medical expenses from there on out. Collins passed away in 1965 from Emphysema at age 75.

Collins name was also kept in the show credits even though he was no longer appearing. Burr insisted that Collins remain in the credits because, in the early years of the series, Burr felt that Collins had helped to make Perry Mason. Not sure, but, I assume Burr was referring to the coaching he received from Collins, as well as his portrayal of Lt. Tragg.

So, who gives a flip about his "secret".

[nanettecormier]

Perry Mason was one of my all-time favorites! Raymond Burr was a wonderful actor and I was even proud that he had been born a Canadian! I'm also glad he found love and happiness.

[nancygoo]

He was a versatile actor! I enjoyed his work. I'm glad he could share his life with someone he loved!

[Richard-brv]

Raymond Burr was absolutely scary in the movie Rear Window

[Dac]

I was taught from an early age that the most important things about people were how they did their jobs and how they conducted themselves as persons. What they chose to do with their personal lives was strictly their own business. Race, religion, gender, sexual preferences, etc all were irrelevant in this regard. Raymond Burr was known to be a kind and upstanding law-abiding human being who was universally liked and well-respected and was great at his profession. Really, does anything else matter?

[agvising]

He was also a great benefactor, gave his prized, orchid collection, and a set of greenhouses to Sonoma State University. I had only met him and Benvinedes in 1990, they were great to work with at his estate at Lake Sonona in Healdsburg. He also gave an everlasting trust for writing and acting studies visiting professors.
.

[cabadger]

It's great to know that despite the lies, Raymond Burr had such a rewarding life: true love, a successful career, and the chance to express his generosity to the causes he cared about.

I was kinda surprised you didn't mention "Rear Window". Between Hitchcock's talent for creating suspense and Burr's acting talent, the scenes he was in made the movie one of Hitch's best. (I was so worried about that puppy that by the time Grace went up to his apartment, I was a basket case (excuse the pun).

[jonelfilipek]

Many of the Perry Mason movies in the late 80s and early 90s were filmed in Denver. During that time, Mr. Burr made a very generous donation to Denver Public Schools for the establishment of the Denver School of the Arts, which is still running successfully today. Many students in Denver owe him a debt of gratitude.

[jmbrinck]

Another fact about this generous, talented and very funny man: with no press or fanfare he made numerous USO trips to Viet Nam and Korea to support the American troops.

[comicsgod]

Just shows what a great actor and benevolent man he was. And Earle Stanley Gardner chose Raymond Burr.