We all have different likes and dislikes in this world. Take Peeps, for example. Every year at Easter, those Peeps fly off the shelves and into the mouths of adorning followers. Yet, on the other side of the line are the haters. Yes, the Peeps Haters. They’ve formed groups on Facebook. They are united in their cause for discrediting the purpose of the Peep.
A perfect example of how some of us like a thing. And others dislike that same thing.
The same might be said for Perry Mason.
Here in our little home, almost nightly, we watch an episode of “Perry,” as we call it. We’ve seen every season a couple of times over. Yet. We can’t get enough of the mystery-solving attorney played by Raymond Burr and his band of merry court jesters, including Della Street, Paul Drake, Hamilton Burger, and Lt. Tragg.
We love our Perry. I can’t explain it, really. Oftentimes, the plots are see-through, and the acting is so bad it can be laughable at times. But it is the perfect storm that makes it work, the way Perry gets the guilty player to confess, every single time, under the pressure of his harrowing interrogation.
If I were a Peeps lover, it would be the equivalent of Easter every day of the week.
I only bring this up because today, May 21, 1917, is Raymond Burr’s birthday. In many ways, I feel sorry for him because Burr was a troubled product of our society. I know I’ve written it about it before, but I’ll say it again.
He was forced to live a lie much of his life for the simple reason that he was gay. This is one verdict he could not overturn.
I would no more ask a heterosexual person to quit being heterosexual than I would gladly eat a carton of Peeps.
There is nothing wrong with being gay.
It is a completely normal human characteristic, like having brown hair, or being short-waisted, or having long toes.
Trust me. If I could have chosen to be a heterosexual, my life would have been monumentally easier than trying to live as a gay person in a cruel society.
Regardless. That is what Raymond Burr faced as a handsome young actor.
He began acting when he was 12 years old, performing in church plays. From there, he did radio, then to Broadway, and eventually found his way to TV in the early 1950s. He got his role as Perry Mason in 1956.
But. Along the way, the studios and his publicists told him to keep his persona in the Hollywood way. They lied. He lied. He even married actress Isabella Ward in 1948. The marriage ended quickly in a divorce. His publicists created stories about marriages and more.
Eventually, in 1960, Burr met Robert Benevides, an actor, and Korean War veteran. They met on the set of Perry Mason. Soon, they became life partners. They did sweet things together, like owning and operating an orchid business and also a vineyard in California’s Dry Creek Valley.
They were “domestic partners” until Burr’s death in 1993. Burr bequeathed his entire estate to Benevides. But good old Raymond kept it “officially” a secret. He did not reveal his homosexuality during his lifetime. However, it was reported in the press upon his death.
More than anything, Raymond Burr was a well-known philanthropist. He cared about people and gave enormous sums of money to charities. This would include his salaries from the Perry Mason movies. He was also known for sharing his wealth with friends and taking care of those around him. He sponsored 26 foster children through the Save The Children program, many with the greatest medical needs. Among other things.
I can assure you. There was nothing wrong with this gay man.
Mostly, I’d like to thank Raymond Burr for all his giving and kindness. And especially for all his crime-solving episodes as Perry Mason.
And that’s the truth. The whole truth. And nothing but the truth.
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“For it is in giving that we receive.”
― St. Francis of Assisi
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“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” —Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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“This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.” —Dalai Lama
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The jury is in. Or is it? Either way. I confess.
