Perry Mason (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Perry Mason | |
|---|---|
 Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale. |
|
| Format | Legal drama |
| Starring | Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper, William Talman, Ray Collins Wesley Lau Richard Anderson |
| Opening theme | "Park Avenue Beat" by Fred Steiner |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of seasons | 9 |
| No. of episodes | 271 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Gail Patrick Jackson Thomas Cornwall Jackson |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Original run | September 21, 1957[1] – May 22, 1966[2] |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Perry Mason is an Emmy-winning American TV series that ran from 1957 to 1966. Perry Mason was played by actor Raymond Burr. The title character is a fictional defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner. The plot is essentially the same in each episode: Mason's client is put on trial for murder, but Mason is able to establish his client's innocence by dramatically demonstrating the guilt of another character.[3] The murderer nearly always breaks down and confesses to the crime in the courtroom, if not on the witness stand.
Barbara Hale played Perry's confidential secretary, Della Street, known as "Beautiful" by Detective Paul Drake, played by William Hopper.
William Talman played Mason's perennial adversary, District Attorney Hamilton Burger; Ray Collins played the part of the crusty, dedicated police lieutenant, Arthur Tragg, who often frustrated Mason. In later years of the series, Collins' age (he was 66 when the series began) caused him to appear less and less, and he was succeeded by Wesley Lau as Lt. Andy Anderson, and later Richard Anderson as Lt. Steve Drumm.
Among the actors appearing as judges were John Gallaudet, S. John Launer (He was the father of Dale Launer, who wrote My Cousin Vinny.), and Kenneth MacDonald, well-known for his appearances as a bad guy in Three Stooges shorts. Connie Cezon, who had a recurring role as Gertrude "Gertie" Lade, Perry's receptionist, had also appeared in a number of Three Stooges short films.
The show is "television's most successful and longest-running lawyer series."[4]. Another series ran from 1973-1974, and more than 25 made-for-TV movies aired from 1985 to 1993.
The series also set a precedent for other mystery series in that it was the first detective show to feature either a tape or chalk outline to mark the spot where the murder victim's body had been found.[citation needed] The first time this appeared was in the episode "The Case of the Perjured Parrot," which aired in 1958. However, Gardner used this idea in a much earlier book, Double Or Quits (1941) written under his pen name of A. A. Fair.[5]
The theme music, "Park Avenue Beat," by Fred Steiner, is one of television's most recognizable themes.[6]
When asked why Perry Mason won every case, Burr said "But madam, you only see the cases I try on Saturday."[4]
One episode during the final season ("The Case of the Twice-Told Twist", broadcast February 27, 1966), was filmed in color, while all the other episodes were in black and white. The episode begins with a kid in his late teens cajoled into going along with a ring of car thieves. Perry and Della take a trip up Angel's Flight in downtown Los Angeles, California, and return ten minutes later to find Perry's car stripped down to the frame.
Years later, a TV Guide interview stated[citation needed] that Raymond Burr was not the original choice for Mason, and that the producers were firmly against Burr, but they agreed to let him audition for Mason if he would also audition for Prosecuting Attorney Hamilton Burger. The part had originally been offered to Fred MacMurray, but MacMurray turned it down. As the story goes[citation needed], Mason's creator, Erle Stanley Gardner, happened to be sitting in on the auditions that day and excitedly shouted, "That's Perry Mason," upon seeing Burr. Gardner later made a cameo as a judge in the last episode of the original series, "The Case of the Final Fade-Out." (Coincidentally Burr had starred as a successful Prosecuting Attorney in the film version of An American Tragedy.)
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 now distributed by CBS Television Distribution - formerly CBS Paramount Domestic Television.
Contents |
[edit] Episodes
[edit] Series Facts
- Perry Mason's office phone number is MA 5-1190
- The series was set in Los Angeles, California, and often included real-life street names.
- In "The Case of the Sun-bather's Diary (Season 1 Episode 17 - Original Airdate: January 11, 1958)," Perry Mason places an ad in the paper, in order to find a stolen trailer for a client, which states: "WANTED - Used Biltmore Trailer, De Luxe Model. Will pay top dollar for one in excellent condition. Phone Perry Mason, MA 5-1190." Emphasis added.
- In "The Case of the Fugitive Nurse (Season 1 Episode 22 - Original Airdate: February 15, 1958)," Lieutenant Arthur Tragg offers Mrs. Morris "Madison 5, 1 1 9 0" as the number to Mr. Mason's office. Emphasis added.
- As per "The Case of the Fanciful Frail (Season 9 Episode 24 - Original Airdate: March 27, 1966)," Perry Mason's office was located at "Brent Building Suite 904" with a phone number of "MA 5-1190." Emphasis added.
[edit] DVD release
In July 2006, CBS Home Entertainment released the first 19 episodes on a five-disc set titled "Season 1, Volume 1." The remaining 20 episodes from the first season were released in November 2006 as "Season 1, Volume 2." 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.
There are two volumes because the first season of Perry Mason contains nearly twice the material of a modern TV series. Perry Mason episodes are 53 minutes long (as opposed to 43 minutes which is more typical of modern 1-hour TV show releases), and there are 39 episodes (compared to 22 for a typical modern series). It was also released as a single "complete season one" boxed set in November 2006. Season 2, Volume 1 was released in June, 2007, on four discs with 15 episodes and Season 2, Volume 2, which contained the remaining episodes from Season 2, was released on November 13, 2007. A special 4 disc "50th Anniversary" set (12 episodes) was released in April 2008.
The first half of the third season has been provisionally scheduled for release on August 19, 2008.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1, Volume 1 | 19 | July 11, 2006 |
| Season 1, Volume 2 | 20 | November 21, 2006 |
| Season 2, Volume 1 | 15 | June 19, 2007 |
| Season 2, Volume 2 | 15 | November 13, 2007 |
| 50th Anniversary Collection | 12 | April 8, 2008 |
| Season 3, Volume 1 | ? | August 19, 2008 |
[edit] Series revival
An unsuccessful attempt to recreate the series was made in 1973. Starring Monte Markham, The New Adventures of Perry Mason only lasted one season.[7]
[edit] Made-for-TV movies
Television producer Dean Hargrove resurrected the popular 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, now an appellate court judge, resigns his position to successfully defend his secretary, Della, on murder charges. William Katt, Hale's real-life son, was cast as the son of Paul Drake (William Hopper, the former private investigator in the original television series, who had died years earlier). 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, the last 4 did not star Raymond Burr as he had passed away.
[edit] References
- ^ Kelleher, Brian; Diana Merrill (1987). "Episode Guide - The First Season", The Perry Mason TV show book : the complete story of America's favorite television lawyer. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312006691. OCLC 15251393. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
- ^ Kelleher, Brian; Diana Merrill (1987). "Episode Guide - The Ninth Season", The Perry Mason TV show book : the complete story of America's favorite television lawyer. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312006691. OCLC 15251393. Retrieved on 2007-09-18.
- ^ Thomas Leitch, Perry Mason. Detroit: Wayne State University Press (2005): 28 - 29. "It is never enough for Mason to establish a reasonable doubt of his client's guilt; he must clear the client absolutely by pinning the guilt on someone else, almost always by extracting a confession."
- ^ a b Brooks, Tim; Earle Marsh (1979). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, 1946-Present. New York: Ballantine. ISBN 0345282485. OCLC 4496779.
- ^ Fair, A. A. (1941). Double Or Quits. New York: W. Morrow. OCLC 3743209. “The coroner ... brought out a piece of chalk and said, ‘All right, now mark there on the floor right where the body was lying. Make a little diagram. Mark the position of his head, of his feet, and of his arms.’”
- ^ Bank, Ed. "Top TV songs are woven into the fabric of our lives" (archive, registration required), Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2001-05-07. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ The New Perry Mason '' at the Internet Movie Database
