Raymond Burr: A Film, Radio and Television Biography (McFarland Classics) [Paperback]

Ona L. Hill (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786408332 | ISBN-13: 978-0786408337 | Publication Date: November 1999

Best known for his television "Perry Mason" and "Ironside," Burr had a career spanning over fifty years. His life is meticulously documented here, including movie roles in such Hollywood productions as Rear Window and Key to the City, and other work in television is provided. Also discussed are his family, Fiji Island home, work in Canadian films, and trips to Korea and Vietnam to entertain American troops. The appendices include a complete episode guide to the "Perry Mason" series.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"a fine job" -- Classic Images

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786408332
• ISBN-13: 978-0786408337
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,596,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Expected, June 7, 2002

By 

Henry E. Burrell (Woodridge, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raymond Burr: A Film, Radio and Television Biography (McFarland Classics) (Paperback)

As a big Perry Mason fan, I have been looking for a bio of Raymond Burr for a while. This, unfortunately, is the only one that has, to date, been written. While it does a fairly good job of detailing the many areas in which Burr worked (from the theater to radio to orchid farming...yes, orchid farming), it does little to tell us about the actual man. The ending falls flat. Little is given on how Burr dies, just one brief paragraph that he does as the book closes. Burr's main piece of work, the "Perry Mason" series, is given little play. No insight whatsoever into why the series came about, how it developed, etc. This book, while semi-interesting reading, leaves me wanting more. Will someone please write a bio on Mr. Burr???

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Can't Recommend This for Burr Fans, September 5, 2008

By 

Red Oak Kid "Red Oak Kid" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raymond Burr: A Film, Radio and Television Biography (McFarland Classics) (Paperback)

Being a fan of Raymond Burr and being interested in his career, I was very happy when I received this book as a gift. Unfortunately, after reading it, I cannot recommend that anyone spend their money on it.

It is a very poorly written hodge podge of fan magazine pap and poorly constructed chapters.

Here are a few examples that jumped out at me as I read it.

It says that during 1940-44, Raymond was busy acting in plays and trying to get into the movies. It says in 1944 he was under contract with RKO to be in their version of "The Robe". Then in the very next paragraph it says he was discharged from the Navy in 1946 after suffering schrapnel wounds at Okinawa. Huh? It's never explained how, when or where he got into the service or how he ended up on Okinawa.

It says at the 1960 Emmy awards where he won an Emmy for Perry Mason, his date was Barbara Stanwyck and that she cried on his shoulder when she won an Emmy for "The Big Valley. First of all, Burr did not win an Emmy in 1960 and secondly of all, The Big Valley was not on the air in 1960.

In the chapter concerning his trips to entertain the troops in Korea, there is a long story about when he was in Tokyo about to head for Korea, a woman asked him to deliver a message to her son in Korea on his birthday. According to this book, not only did Burr deliver the message but he took the young man and 10 of his buddies to the Coco Club in Saigon to celebrate. The problem is Saigon is in Vietnam.

The sad thing is, this book does have some little seen photos of Burr in his early days in Hollywood. But in the paperback edition they are so poorly reproduced that I still can't recommend the book even for the photographs.

I doubt if we will ever know the true story of Raymond Burr because he himself told so many conflicting and sometimes untrue stories about his early years.

But if you are looking for answers, this book will only confuse you more.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Raymond Burr: A Film, Radio, and Television Biography, May 28, 2009

By 

Kathyrn J Todd (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Raymond Burr: A Film, Radio and Television Biography (McFarland Classics) (Paperback)

I did and do find it very good. Has lots of facts about his career. I am finding myself looking at it often for information. Would recomment for those interested in RB's career.