Showing posts with label gay biography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gay biography. Show all posts

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr Review

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr ReviewRaymond 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.Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr OverviewNow in paperback, the complete story of the actor's career, including his secret gay life. Raymond Burr (1917-1993) was an enigma. A film noir regular known for his villainous roles in movies like Rear Window, he eventually became one of the most popular stars in television history as the lead actor on two top-rated dramas, Perry Mason and Ironside, which between them ran virtually uninterrupted for 20 years. But Raymond Burr was leading a secret gay life at a time in Hollywood when exposure would have been career suicide. To protect his secret, Burr fabricated a tragic past for himself as a grieving husband and father. He claimed to have been twice widowed - he said his first wife had died in a plane crash, and his second marriage had ended with his wife's early death from cancer. And there was also a dead son - 10-year-old Michael, who lost his battle with leukemia. Neither of the wives nor Michael ever existed. But that didn't stop these lies from being perpetuated again and again, even in Burr's New York Times obituary. Hiding in Plain Sight examines the totality of Raymond Burr's career and his personal life, including his 35 years with partner Robert Benevides. The author interviewed over 30 people who knew or worked with Burr, including Angela Lansbury, Barbara Hale, Robert Wagner, Gale Storm, and more.

Want to learn more information about Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Sal Mineo: A Biography Review

Sal Mineo: A Biography
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Sal Mineo: A Biography? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Sal Mineo: A Biography. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Sal Mineo: A Biography ReviewJames Dean? YES. Sal Mineo? NO. I was never a huge fan of Sal's and really didn't get why he attracted much attention for anything other than his unfortunate and confusing death. One might say I was not in the target group for people buying this book. When I walked into the big box bookstore that I frequent when I am not on this site, I opened this book and read three random pages. From there I plunked down my $$$, took the book home, and read---read---read. When I don't take breaks I know what I am reading is great. And GREAT is what this book is from my pov.
Sal's story starts simply enough. The third of four kids from a warm but financially challenged family from the Bronx, Sal's mother enrolls Sal in a dance class to keep him off the mean streets that they call home. Sal has talent, hits the boards, and gets noticed. Eventually, he shares the stage with Yul Brynner and Gertrude Lawrence as one of the King's children in THE KING AND I. Brynner turns out to be an uncharacteristically good guy and mentors Sal. Movies come calling and after an uneventful start, Sal catches some luck and gets cast in Rebel Without A Cause. The rest is history, sort of. A quick study, Sal is an instinctive actor who works hard, strives to improve as an actor, and sees his star ascend through a series of mostly under appreciated movies and a short-lived recording career. Back on the home front, his mother mismanages his hefty earnings and spends it faster than he can earn it with the exception of a mandatory trust fund. When Sal turned 21, his trust fund matured. Because his mother had access to his assets, the proceeds from the trust was disipated quickly. Eventually Sal distances himself from his family and his relationship with them becomes impossible. The only family members who get off easy in this book are Sal's father and his younger sister. Sal apparently is an easy touch and has little skill re: financial management or career decisions. While he scores in EXODUS, his career continues to plummet as he matures. He is plagued by financial problems for the rest of his life and manages by taking on mediocre parts and tv appearances and living off his former celebrity.
By definition Mineo might be considered bi-sexual, but by pure number and preference he pursues a gay lifestyle which influences his behavior as well as career path to a certain extent. Fighting the tide, he pushes buttons and ventures into unfamiliar water as a producer/director trying to launch projects that invariably fail before they actually together. The typical blurb re: Mineo's professional status at the time of his death was that his career was on a recent upswing. After reading this book, I doubt that he would have recovered his former success or would have managed to reinvent himself.
His murder, as discussed by the author, doesn't seem to be easily explained. The pure viciousness of the attack and the wounds sustained are consistent with a hit and not a random act of violence.
This book was well-researched/written and yielded a lot of information compiled in chronological order. It is one of the best celebrity biographies that I've read and I highly recommend it.
SPOILER ALERT----
While this book is loaded with information and really digs deeply into Sal's life and mindset, it is also crammed with a lot of information relating to Sal's sexual relationships. Things that may have been alluded to previously are stated clearly and the names that pop up are revelatory to say the least. While actresses Tuesday Weld and Jill Hayworth pop up as girlfriends, his relationships with former teen idol Bobby Sherman and other current or past celebrities such as Don Johnson, Jay North (Dennis the Menace), David Cassidy, Jon Provost (Timmy of Lassie fame), border of the strange and, in some cases, frightening. Those interviewed for this book exhibited a lot of candor.Sal Mineo: A Biography Overview

Want to learn more information about Sal Mineo: A Biography?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...