"Perry Mason" (1957) TV series 1957-1966

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Creator:

Erle Stanley Gardner

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Release Date:

21 September 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

A master attorney works difficult criminal cases for his clients.

Plot Keywords:

Perry Mason | Courtroom | Secretary | Lawyer | Murder Confession

Awards:

Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Raymond Burr	...	Perry Mason / ... (271 episodes, 1957-1966)
William Hopper	...	Paul Drake / ... (254 episodes, 1957-1966)
Barbara Hale	...	Della Street (252 episodes, 1957-1966)
William Talman	...	Hamilton Burger / ... (207 episodes, 1957-1966)
Ray Collins	...	Lt. Tragg / ... (172 episodes, 1957-1965)

Runtime:

60 min | USA:60 min (271 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-18 (self applied) (DVD) (2008)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

Actor William Talman was actually fired from the series after a party at which he was a guest was raided by Hollywood police officers. Although he denied any wrongdoing, he was released from the show due to the morals clause in his contract. Although the cast and crew persuaded the network to rehire him, it damaged his acting career. He worked very infrequently as an actor after the incident.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the episode "Case of the Crying Comedian", actress Sue Ane Langdon is seen sitting at the bar, then she comes down the stairs and moments later is seen sitting at the bar again.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Deadly Mantis (#9.4)" (1997)

Perry Mason: Television film noire

The original "Perry Mason," in glorious black & white, is in the tradition of the great film noir films of the '40s and '50s. The cases have a poetic reality to them, clashing and understandable motives, psychology, and murder. Because the motives of all involved are understandable, there is not lacking a painful sympathy for those caught up in the circumstances described, even for the perpetrator. But there is a grim darkness to the program as well. The program gradually ran down during its life, so that, when it went off the air, it was probably time. The original 1957-1958 season was the best, with the most intricate plots and with Perry Mason a wiseguy thorn in the side of the police. The cast is perfect, and even the score fits perfectly this brooding and ironic look at life and fate.