R.I.P. Paul Burke

Sad to report Hollywood has lost another 60s actor, Paul Burke. Click here to read Variety's obituary.

I was never a big fan of his and felt on the big screen he came off wooden while his female co-stars went over the top. This helped though make Valley of the Dolls and Once You Kiss a Stranger camp classics. In the former, he is the hot shot entertainment lawyer who falls for good girl turned pill popping model Barbara Parkins as Ann Wells before being enticed away from her by booze-swilling, pill popping bitchy diva Patty Duke as Neely O'Hara. By the time he realizes his mistake, a cleaned-up Ann wants nothing to do with him.






In Once You Kiss a Stranger, he is the stoic golfer hero pulled into a bizarre reciprocal murder scheme by psycho heiress, Carol Lynley. You can read more about this pairing in a future article to be published in the print edition of Cinema Retro Magazine. About 8 years later this duo teamed up again on Fantasy Island in "Lady of the Evening." Carol played a call girl on vacation who falls in love with good guy Burke.