Was the character paul drake gay
Screening: Hiding in Plain Sight: The Case of Gay Life
Screening
Hiding in Plain Sight: The Case of Gay Life
Wednesday, May 8 at 6:30 pm
Michelson Theater, 721 Broadway, 6th Floor
Perry Mason (1957–1966, CBS-TV) is acknowledged for its formulaic plots—attorney Mason (Raymond Burr) defends an innocent client and forces the concrete murderer to reveal in a courtroom finale. With its stylish noir filming, outdoor locations, and deep background characterizations, the series arguably also featured a prescient queer subtext. Burr was a gay man who led a covert life, but on the show, Mason is consistently coupled with his investigator, Paul Drake (William Hopper), in peaceful, sometimes domestic contexts—especially notable in the episode we’ll screen: The Case of the Borrowed Baby (1962). 50 min. With commentary by Drake Stutesman, Adjunct Professor of Cinema Studies (TSOA) and Costume Studies (Steinhardt), NYU.
Co-sponsored by NYU’s Department of Cinema Studies and Grey Art Gallery.
Free of charge, no reservations, capacity limited, and subject to switch. Photo ID required for entrance to NYU buildings.
Offered in conjunction with Art After Stonewall, 1969-1989, on
Actor Raymond Burr was a regular TV presence for almost 20 years, first as crusading lawyer Perry Mason and then as wheelchair-bound detective Robert Ironside.
He was a household name for millions of fans, but in the era before blogs and tabloid magazines nobody knew very much about his private life.
"There had always been rumors about him," Michael Seth Starr, creator of the modern Burr biography, "Hiding In Plain Sight" told The ShowBuzz. "He was in television from 1957 to 1977 almost non-stop. You knew his characters, but you didn't really know anything about him personally. He was an representative and also a terrific actor."
According to the book, Burr was gay, but kept his orientation a secret by maintaining an elaborate back story that included a lifeless wife and infant.
"He always was a very secret man anyway, and he would never, ever, ever speak his personal life," said Starr. "He would always just say 'we don't talk about that' or he might go into one of the stories about the 'dead ex-wives.' It must have been quite a burden carrying that around and thinking that if your 'secret' gets out your career could get ruined."
Starr is not the first to inform that Burr was gay. A&am
As Paul Drake, Hopper was a cynic, a more grizzled presence built to balance Perry Mason's serious intellect. He was the Dr. McCoyto Perry Mason's Spock. For those unfamiliar with the series, "Perry Mason" was about a Los Angeles defense lawyer, played brilliantly by Raymond Burr, who was always careful to inspect the clients he was hired to defend. Typically, innocent people came to Mason, and he was always curious about the details of their case. Mason would always tackle off against the L.A. District AttorneyHamilton Burger (William Talman), who never won a case against him.
See full article at Slash Film
Classic episodes of Perry Masonhave been irresistible to me for about 25 years now, since high school. Its predictability was part of its appeal, strangely enough. Episode after episode, the famed Los Angeles attorney, his secretary, Della Street, and private eye Paul Drake would appear to the aid of someone falsely accused of murder. Forty-five minutes' worth of cool cars, Mad Menwardrobes and fresh-off-the-bus-from-Kansas starlets later, Mason would extract the truth from the real culprit.
Indeed, Perry Mason was all about justice, no matter how damning the evidence seemed, or how little money the defendant had. In rotate, actor Raymond Burr became synonymous with justice with his iconic portrayal of Earl Stanley Gardner's epic character.
Offscreen, Burr's generosity and humanitarianism was commanding, and well-known. His beneficiaries included countless law students and numerous needy children. He had the strongest of work ethics, and was reportedly widely admired by Perry Mason'scast and crew. Barbara Hale (Ms. Street), for one, remained loyal to Burr until his death.
I write about Perry Masontoday becau
Created by Earle Stanley Gardner, in 1933, Perry Mason appeared in over 80 novels and limited stories, becoming one of the best-known fictional characters of all time. Show adaptions began almost immediately, in 1934. A radio series began in 1943.
The iconic tv series began in 1957, and ran for nine seasons. Years later, tv movies began to air, three or four per year, thirty in all (1985-93).
In the original series, there were five main characters:
1. Perry, played by busy personality actor Raymond Burr. Burr was gay, but invented a heterosexual back story for himself, and refused to be seen in public with lover Robert Benevides. He never came out to the linger of the cast; they knew, sort of, but they didn't know.
2. His secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale), with w