Perry Mason

Without a doubt,the series "Perry Mason" was the granddaddy of all lawyer shows and even after 40 years since its debut it is still highly watchably and still highly rated as one of the top courtroom drama shows of all time. Raymond Burr was a true genius as the lawyer who would go to any length to protect his cilents from a certain fate and he always had a detective sense to find out who was the killer or who was trying to blackmail someone. Perry Mason was part lawyer/part detective/part sleuth. The show was based on the books about the character by Earl Stanley Gardner and for the astounding nine seasons that it ran on CBS-TV (1957-1966),it still holds up today. Even some college law professors used some of the episodes as teaching material as a learning technique for up and coming lawyers.

As for the rest of the show,the formula was very simple:(1)The first half of the show tells the story of the events leading up to the murder and the preliminary investigation of the crime and the facts leading up to the case in question and clues of where and what may have occurred. (2)The second half dealt with the subsequent trial,where Mason exposes the truth in the courtroom.

Sometimes the plots were very complex at times,but mostly were written with style and class and it is the only show where the writers treated the viewer with intelligence. The actors were very good especially within certain scenes where Mason has a battle of wits with District Attorney Burger. However it was done with style and had stunning black and white photography to make it more interesting. However,out of all the episodes their was one episode that was shown in color(and it hasn't been seen since TBS shown it during the 90's) where brought out more of the characters and more of the courtroom setting as well. As far as the show is concern,it is a milestone in the history of television. Catch some of the episodes on the Hallmark channel.

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.

For nine seasons and over 250 episodes Perry Mason ruled the television roost, it was the ratings flagship for CBS. Saturday nights at 7:30 this show was a viewing requirement in my household.

The show had a built in audience from the start with the millions of mystery fans who loved Erle Stanley Gardner's criminal defense attorney who always defended the innocent and never lost a case. Those parameters for the television series had to be respected. But also the right actor had to be found to play Mason.

One of the highest pieces of praise I ever read was Erle Stanley Gardner himself saying that Raymond Burr completely fitted his concept of the character he created. When you've got that kind of endorsement as well as the ratings to back it up, I'm sure the show could have run forever.

A really solid group of character players made up the cast here. Take a look at the credits on the pages here for Burr, Barbara Hale as Della Street, William Talman as District Attorney Hamilton Burger, William Hopper as Perry's private detective Paul Drake and Ray Collins as Police Lieutenant Tragg seem like they appeared in some of the best movies ever before going to series television.

Collins began experiencing health problems and first Wesley Lau and later Richard Anderson took the load from him. When Collins died in 1965 Anderson was the official cop for the series last year.

So indelible an impression this cast made on viewers minds that when CBS sought to revive Perry Mason in the middle seventies with a younger cast, the public viewed other stations in droves. Even with Collins, Hopper, and Talman all gone at that point, no one would accept their replacements.

The writers given the constraints of an hour television show managed to respect Erle Stanley Gardner's parameters and did a beautiful job with each and every episode.

This is what a good television series is all about.

"Perry Mason" was not only a great legal drama, but it was also a great whodunnit. Perry Mason's detective skills would serve him well in gathering evidence to prove his client's innocence. Also, the casting of Raymond Burr finally gave him his defining role after years of playing heavies. And let's not forget the supporting cast. Barbara Hale as Della Street, Perry's faithful secretary, William Hopper as Paul Drake, the able bodied gumshoe, William Tallman, as his nemesis district attorney Hamilton Burger and Ray Collins, as the always dogged Lieutenant Arthur Tragg.

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.