Perry Mason (TV series)

Show name	Perry Mason
Caption	Raymond Burr as Perry Mason and Barbara Hale as Della Street
Format	Legal drama
Creator	Based on characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner
Developer	Paisano Productions
Executive producer	Gail Patrick JacksonThomas Cornwall Jackson
Producer	Ben BradyArt SeidArthur Marks
Starring	Raymond Burr Barbara Hale William Hopper William Talman Ray CollinsWesley LauRichard Anderson
Opentheme	"Park Avenue Beat" by Fred Steiner
Company	TCF Television Productions, Inc.Paisano ProductionsCBS Television Network
Distributor	CBS Television Distribution
Country	United States
Language	English
Camera	Single-camera
Runtime	45–48 minutes
Network	CBS
Picture format	Black-and-white
Audio format	Monaural
First aired
Last aired
Status	Ended
Num seasons	9
Num episodes	271
List episodes	List of Perry Mason episodes

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. 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 (see below).

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 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, symbolizing the defeat and oblivion meted out by Perry Mason. 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.

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." 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.

However, 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.

Characters

Perry Mason — defense attorney (played by Raymond Burr)

Della Street — Mason's confidential secretary (played by Barbara Hale)

Paul Drake — private investigator (played by William Hopper)

Hamilton Burger — District Attorney (played by William Talman)

Lieutenant Arthur Tragg — Police homicide investigator (played by Ray Collins)

Lieutenant Andy Anderson — Another police homicide investigator (played by Wesley Lau)

Lieutenant Steve Drumm — Yet another police homicide investigator (played by Richard Anderson)

Dr. Hoxie — "Autopsy surgeon" (medical examiner) (played by Michael Fox)

Sgt. Brice — (played by Lee Miller)

Gertie — Mason's frequently mentioned but not too often seen receptionist (played by Connie Cezon)

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 Hall, 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.

Episodes

Syndication

The original series was a staple in syndication, running for many years on local television stations, TBS and most recently on the Hallmark Channel. It is still shown in local markets 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).

DVD releases

CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount) 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.

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.

Series revival

An unsuccessful attempt to re-create the series was made in 1973. Starring Monte Markham and Brett Somers, The New Adventures of Perry Mason only lasted half a season.

Made-for-TV movies

Television producer Dean Hargrove resurrected the Mason character in a series of television movies 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 eight 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. The original theme music was re-recorded by famed mystery music composer Dick DeBenedictis, who would also compose the theme to Dean Hargrove's Matlock a year later.

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 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)

See also

Perry Mason syndrome

References

External links

Perry Mason Season 1 streaming episodes at CBS.com

Perry Mason Season 2 streaming episodes at CBS.com

Perry Mason TV Series Wiki

Perry Mason TV Showbook

Perry Mason's Page

Category:1957 television series debuts Category:1966 television series endings Category:1950s American television series Category:1960s American television series Category:American drama television series Category:Black-and-white television programs Category:CBS network shows Category:Crime television series Category:English-language television series Category:Legal television series Category:Television programs based on novels Category:Television shows set in California Category:Television series by CBS Paramount Television