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

Richard Anderson appeared in two episodes ("Case of the Accosted Accountant" and "Case of the Paper Bullets") as different characters before taking on the role of Lt. Steve Drumm in the final season.

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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 A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle (1994)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

COMPACT, CLASSY, AND A WINNER.....

Perry Mason is one of the finest shows (courtroom or otherwise) that was ever made. A memorable cast, great scripts, and always a surprise in the courtroom. I watched the shows for years and years in re-runs. Being blessed with a poor memory, I could usually be depended on to forget the final outcome of the trials. There were quite a few shows and guest starts to keep track of. One "highlight" of my life was to get onto a murder trial jury myself during some of my more intense Perry Mason years.

The thing that separated 'Perry' from other shows was it's compactness. It was all story. Personal relationships were hinted at, but took up little time on the screen. If some errand needed to be run, Paul Drake (the detective) would appear with the information in the next scene. Nor car chases, no fistfights, and no love interest in every episode. JUST STORY. I've heard this is one reason Raymond Burr gave up the show. The show was so dependant on him in just about every scene that he had to live on the studio lot in a trailer during filming (and that was most of the year).

In contrast, later 'Perry Mason' attempts HAD the aforementioned elements. There were car chases, fist fights, and Paul Drake Jr. was allowed much screen time for these and to win over the girl too. We got to see all the painstaking effort to get the information his dad just seemed to pull out of the air.

It was good to see Perry back, and I did watch. The 'newer' shows paled by comparison to the all-time classic original. But, it's tough for anything to live up to our memories.....

PS- I even sang along to the very recognize-able theme with lyrics of my own.......