Perry Mason (1957–1966)

A master attorney works difficult criminal cases for his clients.

Creator:

Erle Stanley Gardner

Stars:

Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper

Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Raymond Burr	...	Perry Mason (271 episodes, 1957-1966)
Barbara Hale	...	Della Street (271 episodes, 1957-1966)
William Hopper	...	Paul Drake (271 episodes, 1957-1966)
Ray Collins	...	Lt. Arthur Tragg (236 episodes, 1957-1965)
William Talman	...	Hamilton Burger (228 episodes, 1957-1966)

Storyline

Perry Mason is an attorney who specializes in defending seemingly indefensible cases. With the aid of his secretary Della Street and investigator Paul Drake, he often finds that by digging deeply into the facts, startling facts can be revealed. Often relying on his outstanding courtroom skills, he often tricks or traps people into unwittingly admitting their guilt.

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Plot Keywords:

courtroom | secretary | perry mason | two word title | name in title | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 September 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Perry Mason yllättää

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Paisano Productions, TCF Television Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (271 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Perry's car, in the first season was a black 1957 Ford Skyliner. The Skyliner was a low volume car that had the first retractable hard top in a mass market American auto. Ford sold them in low volume from 1957 to 1959.

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Goofs

In "Case of the Grinning Gorilla", you can see the flesh underneath the eyes of the actor portraying the gorilla, especially in the close-ups.

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Quotes

Della Street: [a simple question] What do you know about art?
Paul Drake: [astonished] Me? I don't even know what I like!

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Connections

Followed by Perry Mason: The Case of the Musical Murder (1989)

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Soundtracks

"Park Avenue Beat"
(uncredited)
Written by Fred Steiner
(series theme)

User Reviews

Excellent!

More than 40 years since the series debut, Perry Mason is still a classic, and is highly watchable today without seeming dated. The first half of the show tells the story of the events leading up to the murder and the preliminary investigation of the crime, while the second half of the hour dealt with the subsequent trial, where Mason exposed the truth in the courtroom. The plots were quite complex at times, but the writers also treated viewers with intelligence. The acting was superb by all, and even the bit players do an excellent job. Probably my favorite character was private detective Paul Drake, whom apparently could dig up any fact no matter how obscure within a short period of time. Much better than the 2 hour movies produced in the 1980s and early 90s, Perry Mason will always be a classic in the history of television.