Raymond Burr them the "Barbara Hale Orchid" after his "Perry Mason" costar. Burr and Benevides cultivated Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and grapes for Port wine, as well as orchids, at Burr's farmland holdings in Sonoma County, California. In 1965, Burr purchased Naitauba, a island in Fiji, rich in seashells. There, he and Benevides oversaw the raising of copra (coconut meat) and cattle, as well as orchids. Burr planned to retire there permanently. However, medical problems made that impossible and he sold the property in 1983. Burr was a well-known philanthropist. He gave enormous sums of money, including his salaries from the Perry Mason
Raymond Burr "Pat Novak for Hire" (1949), and in "Dragnet" (1949–50) he played Joe Friday's boss, Ed Backstrand, chief of detectives. Burr worked on other Los Angeles-based series including "Suspense", "Screen Directors Playhouse", "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar", "Family Theater", "Hallmark Playhouse" and "Hallmark Hall of Fame". He performed in five episodes of the experimental dramatic radio anthology series "CBS Radio Workshop", and had what is arguably his best radio role in "The Silent Witness" (1957), in which his is the only voice. In 1956 Burr was the star of CBS Radio's "Fort Laramie", an adult Western drama produced, written and directed by