Paul Burke Was A Wild One!
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DoloresHaze-1 — 16 years ago(January 13, 2010 08:51 PM)
Yes I totally agree! People are not completely good or completely evil. In addition to that there are many stages in life, and people do slow down in old age. The few interviews I've read with Burke portray a thoughtful man who wanted to live life to the fullest. Unfortunately, womanizing, gambling and substance abuse could fall into that category. At any rate, he apparently overcame his addictions to live to a ripe old age much loved by his grandchildren. Again, I cannot stress enough that Carol White herself was a terrible alcoholic and drug abuser as well as being a - well - I guess there is no comparable word for "womanizer" - manizer?? A good amount of her autobiography is devoted to unsavory details about Burke, though how she could remember anything of her life is amazing considering her addictions. At any rate, I love watching Paul Burke on Naked City - he inhabits the role. Another point: being a great actor does not necessarily make one a great human being. Just as an actor playing an evil character may not really be evil!
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peachy2 — 14 years ago(June 22, 2011 08:06 AM)
Some of the notes here show the truth of Burke's life when saying of how he was seen differently as an older man.
As biographer of Jack Kelly (& Robert Taylor), I can tell you from interviews w/folks who knew Burke very wellJack Kelly was a good friend, & intimates of his have stories to tellhe was a beloved friend by many for years upon years & I'm talking about women. The atmosphere in which these people lived, & the time in which they lived, offered them every opportunity at every turn. Some were able to simply dabble; others went off the deep end. None of that necessarily makes them a bad person or someone w/less of a need to be understood. It simply makes them human.
Jack Kelly, for example, drank heavily throughout his life. It wasn't his best point. He was married twice, & while the 1st marriage ended in divorce & the 2nd w/separation long before he died both women still love him dearly to this day. He had every opportunity at every turn, as did Burke. He gave in to alcohol, yet he was a one-woman man when he was in a relationshipso, some things got him & some things didn't.
What makes one person handle things differently than another in similar scenarios? Humanity. While I don't have a lot of Paul Burke in my upcoming book, I do mention him as his life relates to Jack Kelly's & Jack's 1st wife, May Wynn. Life is complicated, yes?!
Linda J. Alexander
Author, "A Maverick Life: The Jack Kelly Story" due out end of 2011
http://www.lindajalexander.net
http://www.authorsden.com/lindajalexander -
thecat-4 — 12 years ago(May 14, 2013 08:54 AM)
Hi, I was also surprised to read about his other exploits. But as cute as he was
that explained a few things. Does anyone know what happened to the left side of
his face just after he took the starring role from Robert Lansing? I am old enuf
to have watched it first run whenever I could. I'm happy to tune in to METV at
the charming hour of 3 am. I'm retired so I'm no longer a slave to an alarm clock. It's always bugged me about his face after I first saw it all those years
ago. I was even lucky enuf to have found the whole series on DVD so I can see
it whenever I want. It's too bad that he got too close to someone else's crap
& it ruined his career. I'm glad he was cleared even though Hollyweird turned
their back on him. -
!!!deleted!!! (5085627) — 12 years ago(February 01, 2014 11:17 AM)
Well put, peachy2. Paul could be a rogue, a cad, and a jerk to those in his life, and some of his choices and actions were questionable, to say the least, but he also had positive and endearing aspects to his personality and nature. And there's one thing about him on which everyone who knew Paul can agree: even at his worst he looked great naked, and he'd have been the first to say so! You have to give him that much.
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james_cella — 12 years ago(August 09, 2013 09:48 PM)
The book Fallen Stars by Julian Upton offers some insight about Carol's "much talked-about" obsession with the married, unsuitable, "playboy" Paul Burke; apparently she remained infatuated with him despite his telephoning her to wish her a happy new year . . . and to share the news that he was phoning from a bed with two hookers.
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cnicknz — 12 years ago(February 14, 2014 06:45 PM)
I always liked Burke, and learning about his indulgent, imperfect life makes him more interesting to me. Just last week I watched a TV movie made in the early sixties, Della, with Burke, Joan Crawford and Diane Baker. Joan was about as voracious in her sexual appetite as Paul apparently was and in one scene when he is shirtless, Joan berates him about strutting his maleness around to entice Baker. Now, I wonder if his sex appeal was getting to Crawford, and if they had a fling? She was much older, but still had a great figure, and hell, she was Crawford after all. Who could blame either of them if there was a bit of hanky panky?