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Perry Mason (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Perry Mason is an American legal drama
produced by Paisano Productions
that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS
. The title character
, portrayed by Raymond Burr
, is a fictional Los Angeles defense
attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner
. Many episodes are based on actual stories written by Gardner, others are based on characters created by him. At one time, the show was "television's most successful and longest-running lawyer series." Another series starring Monte Markham
as Mason ran from 1973 to 1974, and thirty made-for-TV movies aired from 1985 to 1995, with Burr returning as Mason in twenty-six of them.
In most episodes, the identity of the guilty party was discovered without an actual trial being held. Instead, this occurred at the preliminary hearing
stage, wherein the district attorney
was only required to produce enough evidence to convince the judge that the defendant should be bound over for trial (this spared the company the expense of twelve extras in a jury box). During this stage, other malefactors (blackmailers, frauds, forgers, etc.) were frequently forced into confessions by Perry's relentless and clever questioning, and the real killer was exposed. At this point, it is common for the camera to zoom in on the faces of the potentially guilty (visibly uncomfortable in their seats) as Perry slowly but surely moves to the climactic identification of the real murderer, who confesses, often to the accompaniment of a kettledrum-laden orchestral score, followed by a fadeout to black as the show went to commercial. In the closing scene (the epilogue), the characters often gather together, to discuss how the case was solved. Occasionally, Perry invites District Attorney Hamilton Burger and police Lt. Arthur Tragg to join them.
In a few episodes, Burger and Tragg are shown assisting Perry and Paul as they team up to catch the killer. In one episode, after Perry's client was convicted, Burger provided assistance to Perry which ultimately led to having the verdict reversed just as Perry's innocent client was being prepared for the gas chamber.
Barbara Hale
(known for being in a number of RKO Pictures
B grade
war films where she was menaced by leering Japanese captors) played Perry's confidential secretary, Della Street
, known as "Beautiful" by Detective Paul Drake, played by William Hopper
. Just when things were at their bleakest for Perry's client, Paul would often rush into the courtroom with an envelope, the contents of which an appreciative Perry ("Good work, Paul!") would use to turn the tables on the prosecution and carry the day in the nick of time.
Scattered throughout the run were episodes that would take place beyond Burger's jurisdiction and Perry, Della and Paul would wind up in another courthouse defending an accused murderer arrested and prosecuted by unfamiliar authorities rather than the police and D.A. of Los Angeles. In 1960, when William Talman, who played the part of Hamilton Burger
, was suspended for allegedly violating the morals clause in his contract, several assistant prosecutors were seen in court. Talman had attended a party at which he was charged with having engaged in indecent activities. He was later acquitted, and largely through the efforts of Raymond Burr
, Talman was reinstated to his position on the show.
William Talman played Mason's perennial adversary, District Attorney
Hamilton Burger, whose eyes bulged in anger and frustration each week as Mason defeated him yet again. Burger was noted for objecting to Mason's "courtroom theatrics and grandstanding" with the adjectives "incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial." Erle Stanley Gardner claimed that Raymond Burr originally auditioned for the role of Burger; Gardner said he intervened personally to ensure that Burr was picked to play Mason instead.
Ray Collins
played the part of the crusty, dedicated police lieutenant, Arthur Tragg, who often frustrated Mason. Collins' appearances diminished toward the end of the 1963–64 season (he was 67 when the series began and died in the summer of 1965), and he was assisted by Wesley Lau
as Lt. Andy Anderson, who took the position by himself until the end of the 1964–65 season. Thereafter, Richard Anderson
as Lt. Steve Drumm had the job. Several episodes took place outside the city of Los Angeles proper but still within the county (and Burger's jurisdiction), and often featured L.A. Sheriff's Department's Sergeant Ben Landro (Mort Mills
) fulfilling the police detective's functions. Others took place even further away, with both prosecutor and police played by guest actors. One, "The Case of a Place Called Midnight" (November 12, 1964), was set in West Germany and Switzerland and featured no series regular other than Burr (the previous episode, "The Case of the Bullied Bowler", had been filmed without an ailing Burr, and this one reflected the excuse given there for Mason's absence).
Among the actors appearing as judges were John Gallaudet, S. John Launer (the father of Dale Launer
, who wrote My Cousin Vinny
), Bill Zuckert
and Kenneth MacDonald
, well-known for his appearances as a villain in Three Stooges
shorts. Connie Cezon
, who had a recurring role as Gertrude "Gertie" Lade, Perry's receptionist, had also appeared in a number of Three Stooges short films. After the series ended, several of the actors who played different character roles during the series found roles working for Jack Webb
in the 1967–70 Dragnet
series. Author Erle Stanley Gardner
played the judge in the last episode of the original series.
The series also set a precedent for future mystery series in being the first detective show to feature either a tape or chalk outline to mark the spot where the murder victim's body had been found. This first appeared in the episode "The Case of the Perjured Parrot." However, Gardner used this idea in a much earlier book, Double Or Quits (1941) written under his pen name of A. A. Fair.
The theme music
, "Park Avenue Beat", by Fred Steiner
, is one of television's most recognizable themes. When asked why Perry Mason won every case, Burr said, "But madam, you see only the cases I try on Saturday."
All but one of the episodes in the series were filmed in black and white. The episode "The Case of the Twice-Told Twist", an episode heavily influenced by Charles Dickens
's Oliver Twist
, was filmed in color. (Dickens did not receive screen credit.) In the episode, Perry's car, a then-current model Lincoln Continental
, was stripped down to the frame in a parking lot next to the Angels Flight
incline railway by a ring of car strippers who had cajoled a teenager into going along.
In the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings of Sonia Sotomayor
, Supreme Court
nominee, during questioning by Senator Al Franken
, Sotomayor said that watching the series had made her want to grow up to be a prosecutor. Franken noted that the prosecutor lost all the cases on the series but one. Subsequent research by CNN found that the prosecutor won three cases rather than just one.
Mason also loses a civil case at the beginning of The Case of the Dead Ringer, partly due to being framed for witness tampering. Mason and his staff then spend the rest of the episode trying to prove his innocence. They eventually do, and -- although this is not stated explicitly -- the verdict of the civil case is presumably either overturned or declared a mistrial. In a July 15, 2009 interview on National Public Radio's program All Things Considered
, Barbara Hale claimed that all of Mason's lost cases were declared mistrials off the air.
, the Hall of Justice
building (now being converted to condos) and the Los Angeles County Court House. All these buildings are still standing.
Mason's office was "Brent Building Suite 904." Although his office is apparently located downtown, his office phone number is MAdison 5-1190 (625–1190). The MAdison or 62 exchange covers Hollywood and Huntington Park
.
, running for many years on local television stations, TBS and on the Hallmark Channel
. It is still shown in local markets as well as the Me-TV network, and is distributed by CBS Television Distribution
, originally CBS Films, Viacom Enterprises
, Paramount Domestic Television
and CBS Paramount Domestic Television
.
CBS posted full 60-minute episodes on its website from the first and second seasons for viewing.
In Portland, Oregon
, Perry Mason is enshrined as part of that city's television culture — KPTV
has carried syndicated repeats of the show in its schedule since 1966, and at 12 Noon since 1970 (except for a brief period in 1974–1975, when it was on at 12:30 PM).
) has released the first 5 seasons of Perry Mason on DVD in Region 1. Each season has been released in 2-volume sets because each season of Perry Mason contains considerably more material than a modern TV series. The first season of Perry Mason featured 39 episodes, Season 3 had 26 episodes, and all other seasons had either 28 or 30 episodes; this compares with 22 for a typical modern series. In addition, Perry Mason episodes are 53 minutes long, as opposed to a typical running time of 43 minutes for a modern 1-hour TV show release. Season 6, volume 1 was released on October 4, 2011. Season 6, volume 2 will be released on November 22, 2011.
The DVDs contain the original full-length version of each episode, while re-runs broadcast in syndication have been edited down to allow for more time for commercials.
In Region 2, Paramount Home Entertainment
has released the first two seasons on DVD in the UK.
In Region 4, Paramount Home Entertainment
has released the first two seasons on DVD in Australia/New Zealand. These releases are similar to the Region 1 releases whereby each season has been released in two volume sets.
and Brett Somers
, The New Adventures of Perry Mason only lasted half a season.
resurrected the Mason character in a series of television movie
s for NBC
beginning in 1985. Hargrove was able to bring back the two then-surviving major stars, Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale (reprising their roles as Mason and Della Street, respectively) for the first telefilm, Perry Mason Returns, in which Mason resigns his position as an appellate court
judge to defend Street on murder charge. William Katt
, Hale's real-life son, was cast as private investigator Paul Drake, Jr., the son of private investigator Paul Drake played by William Hopper in the original television series. Katt appeared in the first nine movies, after which he left and was replaced by William R. Moses
as Ken Malansky, a law student who works with Mason investigating his cases. In Moses' first appearance as Malansky, Perry defended him on a murder charge. Fred Steiner
's theme music was re-recorded by famed mystery music composer Dick DeBenedictis
; Steiner himself arranged the theme at DeBenedictis's request.
A total of 30 movies were made between 1985 and 1995, with Burr starring in 26. After Burr died in 1993, Paul Sorvino
and Hal Holbrook
starred in the final four episodes titled A Perry Mason Mystery.
Perry Mason Mysteries (1993)
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
produced by Paisano Productions
Paisano Productions
Paisano Productions was a Los Angeles, California-based company established in 1957 and owned by mystery writer Erle Stanley Gardner.Paisano was named after Gardner's ranch, Rancho del Paisano southeast of Los Angeles near Temecula, California, United States where he settled in 1937....
that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. The title character
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
, portrayed by Raymond Burr
Raymond Burr
Raymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
, is a fictional Los Angeles defense
Defense (legal)
In civil proceedings and criminal prosecutions under the common law, a defendant may raise a defense in an attempt to avoid criminal or civil liability...
attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner was an American lawyer and author of detective stories, best known for the Perry Mason series, he also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J...
. Many episodes are based on actual stories written by Gardner, others are based on characters created by him. At one time, the show was "television's most successful and longest-running lawyer series." Another series starring Monte Markham
Monte Markham
Monte Markham is an American actor. During his career, Markham has appeared in film, in television, and on Broadway.Markham was born in Manatee County, Florida, the son of Millie Content and Jesse Edward Markham, Sr., who was a merchant.Of his television roles, Markham is perhaps most famous for...
as Mason ran from 1973 to 1974, and thirty made-for-TV movies aired from 1985 to 1995, with Burr returning as Mason in twenty-six of them.
Synopsis
Each episode's format is essentially the same: the first half of the show usually depicts the prospective murder victim as being deserving of homicide, often with Perry's client publicly threatening to kill the victim; the body is found (often by Perry and his investigator, Paul Drake, who through circumstance happen to stumble upon the body) surrounded by clues pointing to Perry's client. Perry's client is charged with murder, but (in the second-half courtroom setting) Perry establishes his client's innocence by dramatically demonstrating the guilt of another character. The murderer nearly always breaks down and confesses to the crime in the courtroom – if not on the witness stand, then in the arms of the bailiff, who blocks the murderer's effort to escape into the hallway.In most episodes, the identity of the guilty party was discovered without an actual trial being held. Instead, this occurred at the preliminary hearing
Preliminary hearing
Within some criminal justice systems, a preliminary hearing is a proceeding, after a criminal complaint has been filed by the prosecutor, to determine whether there is enough evidence to require a trial...
stage, wherein the district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
was only required to produce enough evidence to convince the judge that the defendant should be bound over for trial (this spared the company the expense of twelve extras in a jury box). During this stage, other malefactors (blackmailers, frauds, forgers, etc.) were frequently forced into confessions by Perry's relentless and clever questioning, and the real killer was exposed. At this point, it is common for the camera to zoom in on the faces of the potentially guilty (visibly uncomfortable in their seats) as Perry slowly but surely moves to the climactic identification of the real murderer, who confesses, often to the accompaniment of a kettledrum-laden orchestral score, followed by a fadeout to black as the show went to commercial. In the closing scene (the epilogue), the characters often gather together, to discuss how the case was solved. Occasionally, Perry invites District Attorney Hamilton Burger and police Lt. Arthur Tragg to join them.
In a few episodes, Burger and Tragg are shown assisting Perry and Paul as they team up to catch the killer. In one episode, after Perry's client was convicted, Burger provided assistance to Perry which ultimately led to having the verdict reversed just as Perry's innocent client was being prepared for the gas chamber.
Barbara Hale
Barbara Hale
Barbara Hale is an American actress best known for her role as legal secretary Della Street on more than 250 episodes of the long-running Perry Mason television series and later reprising the role in dozens of made-for-TV movies....
(known for being in a number of RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
B grade
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
war films where she was menaced by leering Japanese captors) played Perry's confidential secretary, Della Street
Della Street
Della Street was the fictional secretary of Perry Mason in the long-running series of novels, films, and radio and television programs featuring the fictional defense attorney created by Erle Stanley Gardner.-Description:...
, known as "Beautiful" by Detective Paul Drake, played by William Hopper
William Hopper
William Hopper, born DeWolf Hopper, Jr. was an American actor. He is best-remembered for playing Paul Drake on television's Perry Mason.-Early life:...
. Just when things were at their bleakest for Perry's client, Paul would often rush into the courtroom with an envelope, the contents of which an appreciative Perry ("Good work, Paul!") would use to turn the tables on the prosecution and carry the day in the nick of time.
Scattered throughout the run were episodes that would take place beyond Burger's jurisdiction and Perry, Della and Paul would wind up in another courthouse defending an accused murderer arrested and prosecuted by unfamiliar authorities rather than the police and D.A. of Los Angeles. In 1960, when William Talman, who played the part of Hamilton Burger
Hamilton Burger
Hamilton Burger is the fictional Los Angeles district attorney who is the nemesis of Perry Mason in the long-running series of novels, films, and radio and television programs featuring the fictional defense attorney created by Erle Stanley Gardner...
, was suspended for allegedly violating the morals clause in his contract, several assistant prosecutors were seen in court. Talman had attended a party at which he was charged with having engaged in indecent activities. He was later acquitted, and largely through the efforts of Raymond Burr
Raymond Burr
Raymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
, Talman was reinstated to his position on the show.
William Talman played Mason's perennial adversary, District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Hamilton Burger, whose eyes bulged in anger and frustration each week as Mason defeated him yet again. Burger was noted for objecting to Mason's "courtroom theatrics and grandstanding" with the adjectives "incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial." Erle Stanley Gardner claimed that Raymond Burr originally auditioned for the role of Burger; Gardner said he intervened personally to ensure that Burr was picked to play Mason instead.
Ray Collins
Ray Collins (actor)
Ray Bidwell Collins was an American actor in film, stage, radio, and television. One of Collins' best remembered roles was that of Lt. Arthur Tragg in the long-running series Perry Mason.- Biography :...
played the part of the crusty, dedicated police lieutenant, Arthur Tragg, who often frustrated Mason. Collins' appearances diminished toward the end of the 1963–64 season (he was 67 when the series began and died in the summer of 1965), and he was assisted by Wesley Lau
Wesley Lau
Wesley Lau was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Wesley Lau was born and raised in Sheboygan, Wisconsin...
as Lt. Andy Anderson, who took the position by himself until the end of the 1964–65 season. Thereafter, Richard Anderson
Richard Anderson
Richard Norman Anderson is an American actor in film and television, known to TV audiences as Steve Austin's and Jaime Sommers' boss, Oscar Goldman, in both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman TV series and their three subsequent TV movies: The Return of the Six-Million-Dollar Man...
as Lt. Steve Drumm had the job. Several episodes took place outside the city of Los Angeles proper but still within the county (and Burger's jurisdiction), and often featured L.A. Sheriff's Department's Sergeant Ben Landro (Mort Mills
Mort Mills
Mort Mills was an American film and television actor who had roles in over 200 movies and television episodes. He was often the town lawman or the local bad guy in many popular westerns of the 1950s and 1960s. From 1957-1959 he had a recurring co-starring role as Marshal Frank Tallman in Man...
) fulfilling the police detective's functions. Others took place even further away, with both prosecutor and police played by guest actors. One, "The Case of a Place Called Midnight" (November 12, 1964), was set in West Germany and Switzerland and featured no series regular other than Burr (the previous episode, "The Case of the Bullied Bowler", had been filmed without an ailing Burr, and this one reflected the excuse given there for Mason's absence).
Among the actors appearing as judges were John Gallaudet, S. John Launer (the father of Dale Launer
Dale Launer
Dale Launer is an American comedy screenwriter. His best known films include Ruthless People, Blind Date, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and My Cousin Vinny....
, who wrote My Cousin Vinny
My Cousin Vinny
My Cousin Vinny is a 1992 American comedy film written and produced by Dale Launer, directed by Jonathan Lynn and starring Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei, Mitchell Whitfield, Lane Smith, Bruce McGill and Fred Gwynne...
), Bill Zuckert
Bill Zuckert
Bill Zuckert was an American actor. He began his career in 1941 in radio and lent his voice to hundreds of dramas over the next two decades. He served in World War II as a member of the naval construction unit Seabees...
and Kenneth MacDonald
Kenneth MacDonald (American actor)
Kenneth MacDonald was an American film actor. Born in Portland, Indiana, MacDonald made more than 220 film and television appearances between 1931 and 1970.-Career:...
, well-known for his appearances as a villain in Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
shorts. Connie Cezon
Connie Cezon
Connie Cezon was an American film actress. Born in Oakland, California, Cezon made over 30 film and television appearances between 1951 and 1966.-Movies and TV:...
, who had a recurring role as Gertrude "Gertie" Lade, Perry's receptionist, had also appeared in a number of Three Stooges short films. After the series ended, several of the actors who played different character roles during the series found roles working for Jack Webb
Jack Webb
John Randolph "Jack" Webb , also known by the pseudonym John Randolph, was an American actor, television producer, director and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sergeant Joe Friday in the radio and television series Dragnet...
in the 1967–70 Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
series. Author Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner was an American lawyer and author of detective stories, best known for the Perry Mason series, he also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J...
played the judge in the last episode of the original series.
The series also set a precedent for future mystery series in being the first detective show to feature either a tape or chalk outline to mark the spot where the murder victim's body had been found. This first appeared in the episode "The Case of the Perjured Parrot." However, Gardner used this idea in a much earlier book, Double Or Quits (1941) written under his pen name of A. A. Fair.
The theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
, "Park Avenue Beat", by Fred Steiner
Fred Steiner
Fred Steiner was an American composer, conductor, orchestrator, film historian and arranger for television, radio and film. Steiner wrote the theme music for The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Perry Mason and The Bullwinkle Show...
, is one of television's most recognizable themes. When asked why Perry Mason won every case, Burr said, "But madam, you see only the cases I try on Saturday."
All but one of the episodes in the series were filmed in black and white. The episode "The Case of the Twice-Told Twist", an episode heavily influenced by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
's Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
, was filmed in color. (Dickens did not receive screen credit.) In the episode, Perry's car, a then-current model Lincoln Continental
Lincoln Continental
The Lincoln Continental is an automobile which was produced by the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company from 1939 to 1948 and again from 1956 to 2002...
, was stripped down to the frame in a parking lot next to the Angels Flight
Angels Flight
Angels Flight is a landmark funicular railway in the Bunker Hill district of Downtown Los Angeles, California. It has two funicular cars, Sinai and Olivet ....
incline railway by a ring of car strippers who had cajoled a teenager into going along.
In the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings of Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court nomination
On May 26, 2009, President Barack Obama announced his selection of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, to replace retiring Justice David Souter. Sotomayor's nomination was formally submitted to the United States Senate on June 1, 2009, when the...
, Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
nominee, during questioning by Senator Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
, Sotomayor said that watching the series had made her want to grow up to be a prosecutor. Franken noted that the prosecutor lost all the cases on the series but one. Subsequent research by CNN found that the prosecutor won three cases rather than just one.
May the record reflect that Perry Mason did lose three cases of almost 300 --- a record any lawyer would envy, especially since he got one of his losses reversed on appeal. His losses were: The Case of the Witless Witness, The Case of the Deadly Verdict, and The Case of the Terrified Typist.
Mason also loses a civil case at the beginning of The Case of the Dead Ringer, partly due to being framed for witness tampering. Mason and his staff then spend the rest of the episode trying to prove his innocence. They eventually do, and -- although this is not stated explicitly -- the verdict of the civil case is presumably either overturned or declared a mistrial. In a July 15, 2009 interview on National Public Radio's program All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
, Barbara Hale claimed that all of Mason's lost cases were declared mistrials off the air.
Characters
- Perry MasonPerry MasonPerry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
— defense attorney (played by Raymond BurrRaymond BurrRaymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
) - Della StreetDella StreetDella Street was the fictional secretary of Perry Mason in the long-running series of novels, films, and radio and television programs featuring the fictional defense attorney created by Erle Stanley Gardner.-Description:...
— Mason's confidential secretary (played by Barbara HaleBarbara HaleBarbara Hale is an American actress best known for her role as legal secretary Della Street on more than 250 episodes of the long-running Perry Mason television series and later reprising the role in dozens of made-for-TV movies....
) - Paul Drake — private investigator (played by William HopperWilliam HopperWilliam Hopper, born DeWolf Hopper, Jr. was an American actor. He is best-remembered for playing Paul Drake on television's Perry Mason.-Early life:...
) - Hamilton BurgerHamilton BurgerHamilton Burger is the fictional Los Angeles district attorney who is the nemesis of Perry Mason in the long-running series of novels, films, and radio and television programs featuring the fictional defense attorney created by Erle Stanley Gardner...
— District Attorney (played by William Talman) - Lieutenant Arthur Tragg — Police homicide investigator (played by Ray CollinsRay Collins (actor)Ray Bidwell Collins was an American actor in film, stage, radio, and television. One of Collins' best remembered roles was that of Lt. Arthur Tragg in the long-running series Perry Mason.- Biography :...
) - Lieutenant Andy Anderson — Another police homicide investigator (played by Wesley LauWesley LauWesley Lau was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Wesley Lau was born and raised in Sheboygan, Wisconsin...
) - Lieutenant Steve Drumm — Yet another police homicide investigator (played by Richard AndersonRichard AndersonRichard Norman Anderson is an American actor in film and television, known to TV audiences as Steve Austin's and Jaime Sommers' boss, Oscar Goldman, in both The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman TV series and their three subsequent TV movies: The Return of the Six-Million-Dollar Man...
) - Dr. Hoxie — "Autopsy surgeon" (medical examiner) (played by Michael FoxMichael Fox (American actor)Michael Fox was an American character actor who was in numerous movies and television roles. Some of his most famous recurring roles were as various autopsy physicians in Perry Mason, as Coroner George McLeod in Burke's Law, as Amos Fedders in Falcon Crest and as Saul Feinberg in The Bold and the...
) - Sgt. Brice — (played by Lee Miller)
- Gertie — Mason's frequently mentioned but not too often seen receptionist (played by Connie CezonConnie CezonConnie Cezon was an American film actress. Born in Oakland, California, Cezon made over 30 film and television appearances between 1951 and 1966.-Movies and TV:...
)
Setting
The series was set in Los Angeles, California, and often included real-life street names. In the early years of the series, filming would be done on location in and around Culver City and a few downtown locales. In one episode, Drake gets out of a car on Wilshire Boulevard and goes into an apartment building; in the distant background, the lights and cameras from the set filming of an episode of Peter Gunn are visible. There are numerous sweep shots of the iconic Los Angeles City HallCivic Center, Los Angeles, California
The Civic Center neighborhood of Los Angeles, California is the administrative core of the City of Los Angeles and a complex of city, state, and federal government offices, buildings, and courthouses.-Location:...
, the Hall of Justice
Hall of Justice
A Hall of Justice is an occasional term for a city's police headquarters, and exists in cities across the United States. In some cases, the facility may also house courts as well as jails...
building (now being converted to condos) and the Los Angeles County Court House. All these buildings are still standing.
Mason's office was "Brent Building Suite 904." Although his office is apparently located downtown, his office phone number is MAdison 5-1190 (625–1190). The MAdison or 62 exchange covers Hollywood and Huntington Park
Huntington Park, California
Huntington Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 58,114, down from 61,348 at the 2000 census.- History :...
.
Syndication
The original series was a staple in syndicationTelevision syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
, running for many years on local television stations, TBS and on the Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
. It is still shown in local markets as well as the Me-TV network, and is distributed by CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
, originally CBS Films, Viacom Enterprises
Viacom Enterprises
Viacom Enterprises was a television distribution company formed in 1971 as the successor to CBS Enterprises, and spun off in 1973 due to now-repealed FCC bylaws prohibiting networks from syndicating their own shows....
, Paramount Domestic Television
Paramount Domestic Television
Paramount Domestic Television was the television distribution arm of American television production company Paramount Television, once the TV arm of Paramount Pictures...
and CBS Paramount Domestic Television
CBS Paramount Domestic Television
CBS Paramount Domestic Television was an American television distribution company/production that was formed on January 17, 2006 and owned by CBS Corporation...
.
CBS posted full 60-minute episodes on its website from the first and second seasons for viewing.
In Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Perry Mason is enshrined as part of that city's television culture — KPTV
KPTV
KPTV is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the Portland, Oregon market, which includes most of the state of Oregon and portions of Southwest Washington. KPTV is owned by the Meredith Corporation in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate KPDX , with its studios located in Beaverton and...
has carried syndicated repeats of the show in its schedule since 1966, and at 12 Noon since 1970 (except for a brief period in 1974–1975, when it was on at 12:30 PM).
DVD releases
CBS DVD (distributed by ParamountParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
) has released the first 5 seasons of Perry Mason on DVD in Region 1. Each season has been released in 2-volume sets because each season of Perry Mason contains considerably more material than a modern TV series. The first season of Perry Mason featured 39 episodes, Season 3 had 26 episodes, and all other seasons had either 28 or 30 episodes; this compares with 22 for a typical modern series. In addition, Perry Mason episodes are 53 minutes long, as opposed to a typical running time of 43 minutes for a modern 1-hour TV show release. Season 6, volume 1 was released on October 4, 2011. Season 6, volume 2 will be released on November 22, 2011.
The DVDs contain the original full-length version of each episode, while re-runs broadcast in syndication have been edited down to allow for more time for commercials.
In Region 2, Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
has released the first two seasons on DVD in the UK.
In Region 4, Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
has released the first two seasons on DVD in Australia/New Zealand. These releases are similar to the Region 1 releases whereby each season has been released in two volume sets.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release dates |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1, Volume 1 | 19 | July 11, 2006 |
| Season 1, Volume 2 | 20 | November 21, 2006 |
| Season 2, Volume 1 | 15 | June 19, 2007 |
| Season 2, Volume 2 | 15 | November 13, 2007 |
| Season 3, Volume 1 | 12 | August 19, 2008 |
| Season 3, Volume 2 | 14 | December 2, 2008 |
| Season 4, Volume 1 | 14 | June 9, 2009 |
| Season 4, Volume 2 | 12 | December 8, 2009 |
| Season 5, Volume 1 | 12 | April 20, 2010 |
| Season 5, Volume 2 | 15 | November 16, 2010 |
| Season 6, Volume 1 | 14 | October 4, 2011 |
| Season 6, Volume 2 | 14 | November 22, 2011 |
Series revival
An unsuccessful attempt to re-create the series was made in 1973. Starring Monte MarkhamMonte Markham
Monte Markham is an American actor. During his career, Markham has appeared in film, in television, and on Broadway.Markham was born in Manatee County, Florida, the son of Millie Content and Jesse Edward Markham, Sr., who was a merchant.Of his television roles, Markham is perhaps most famous for...
and Brett Somers
Brett Somers
Brett Somers was a American actress, singer, and comedienne who was born in Canada and raised in Maine...
, The New Adventures of Perry Mason only lasted half a season.
Made-for-TV movies
Television producer Dean HargroveDean Hargrove
Dean Hargrove is an American television producer, writer, and director. He specializes in creating mystery series...
resurrected the Mason character in a series of television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
beginning in 1985. Hargrove was able to bring back the two then-surviving major stars, Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale (reprising their roles as Mason and Della Street, respectively) for the first telefilm, Perry Mason Returns, in which Mason resigns his position as an appellate court
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
judge to defend Street on murder charge. William Katt
William Katt
William Theodore Katt is an American film and television actor, best known as the star of The Greatest American Hero. He is also known for playing Tommy Ross, the ill-fated prom date of Carrie White in the film version of Carrie and Paul Drake Jr. in the Perry Mason TV movies...
, Hale's real-life son, was cast as private investigator Paul Drake, Jr., the son of private investigator Paul Drake played by William Hopper in the original television series. Katt appeared in the first nine movies, after which he left and was replaced by William R. Moses
William R. Moses
William Remington Moses is an American actor.-Early life:Moses was born in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of the late actress Marian McCargo and advertising executive Richard Cantrell Moses, Sr. who divorced in 1963. Marian remarried in 1970 to the late former Republican Congressman...
as Ken Malansky, a law student who works with Mason investigating his cases. In Moses' first appearance as Malansky, Perry defended him on a murder charge. Fred Steiner
Fred Steiner
Fred Steiner was an American composer, conductor, orchestrator, film historian and arranger for television, radio and film. Steiner wrote the theme music for The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Perry Mason and The Bullwinkle Show...
's theme music was re-recorded by famed mystery music composer Dick DeBenedictis
Dick DeBenedictis
Richard “Dick” DeBenedictis is an American composer noted for composing music for television shows including Perry Mason and its movies from 1985 until 1993, Police Story, Columbo, The Rockford Files, Hawaii Five-O, and Dean Hargrove's Matlock, and its spin offs Jake and the Fatman, and Diagnosis:...
; Steiner himself arranged the theme at DeBenedictis's request.
A total of 30 movies were made between 1985 and 1995, with Burr starring in 26. After Burr died in 1993, Paul Sorvino
Paul Sorvino
Paul Anthony Sorvino is an American actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law, and is possibly best known for his roles as Paulie Cicero, a portrayal of Paul Vario in the film Goodfellas and Sgt. Phil Cerreta on the police procedural and legal drama television series Law...
and Hal Holbrook
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an American actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for...
starred in the final four episodes titled A Perry Mason Mystery.
- Perry Mason Returns (1985) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun (1986) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Shooting Star (1986) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Murdered Madam (1987) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Lost Love (1987) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel (1987) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit (1987) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace (1988) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake (1988) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson (1989) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder (1989) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the All-Star Assassin (1989) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer (1990) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Defiant Daughter (1990) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception (1990) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Poisoned Pen (1990) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Fashion (1991) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Glass Coffin (1991) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Maligned Mobster (1991) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Ruthless Reporter (1991) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Fatal Framing (1992) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Heartbroken Bride (1992) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Reckless Romeo (1992) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal (1993) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host (1993) (TV)
- Perry Mason: The Case of the Killer Kiss (1993) (TV)
Perry Mason Mysteries (1993)
- A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Wicked Wives (1993) (TV) (starring Paul Sorvino)
- A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle (1994) (TV) (starring Hal Holbrook)
- A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Grimacing Governor (1994) (TV) (starring Hal Holbrook)
- A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Jealous Jokester (1995) (TV) (starring Hal Holbrook)
External links
- Perry Mason Season 1 streaming episodes at CBS.comCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
- Perry Mason Season 2 streaming episodes at CBS.com
- Perry Mason TV Series Wiki
- Perry Mason TV Showbook
- Perry Mason's Page