Perry Mason S2-S3

It is fitting that the top all time literary series about a lawyer became the top all time television series about a lawyer. Perry Mason keeps it simple. No soap opera involving the lead characters, and every show stands on its own, with no particular sequence needed in viewing them. It is also one of the rare adaptations from books to film or TV that is absolutely faithful to the spirit, if not every detail, of the books and the characters thereof depicted. Raymond Burr's Perry Mason is at the same time brilliant, hard bitten, tenacious, and mischievous. The out of court tricks famous in the books are present, although they don't nearly push the limit that the shenanigans in the books do. Finally, the mysteries are all satisfying. The majority of the time, the clues are there for you to identify the real guilty party. In an occasional show they surprise the viewer with a new fact in the final cross examination, but that is the exception. You'll also get early looks at a number of future major stars, including the likes of Burt Reynolds and Robert Redford.

As a fan of police and courtroom procedurals, I thought I would rewatch this series that I had enjoyed so much watching with my grandmother as a little girl. I suppose it was true for the time period, but the fact that this show is so overwhelmingly white, is sad. I was excited to see the first ostensibly AA actor in S6 E26, but was extremely disappointed that, unlike every other judge in the series up to this point, he spoke no lines. Burger who ALWAYS objects to Mason's courtroom antics, made no objections in this episode! I searched the credits for this actor; he's not even listed! What a shame.

"Perry Mason" is one of my all time favorite series. I especially love the early episodes. Sometimes, I just sit and try to decide who is handsomer, Raymond Burr or William Hopper. I can never decide! Even though the shows are very predictable, it's always fun to watch Perry wring a confession out of the guilty party. Who wouldn't break down under that stare? In addition to being handsome and brilliant, Perry was also kind and generous. In one episode, a woman comes to him for help, but admits that she has no money. Perry pulls out his checkbook and asks her how much she needs. What a lawyer! What a guy! Once when I had the flu and had taken a LOT of medicine, I dreamt that I was one of Perry's clients. I was sitting with him at the defense table. I became upset and Perry let me put my head on his shoulder. I looked back and saw Della Street giving me a very mean look. I said, "Della, eat your heart out!"

I fail to understand how this show lasted 9 years. Poor plots, horrible dialogue, ridiculous directing, all leading to poor acting (on occasion by some otherwise fine actors) makes this show a laugh-fest. I equate it to a bad road accident: it's hard to turn away and not stare! I always viewed this as almost a parody of a courtroom drama. It would've made a great SNL skit: John Belushi as Perry Mason, Jane Curtin as Della, Bill Murray as Paul Drake (Hi, beautiful!), Dan Ackroyd as Hamilton Burger, Garrett Morris as the Judge, Larraine Newman as the Accused Murderer, and Gilda Radner as the Actual Murderer (complete with histrionics-laden courtroom confession! ). It would've been great! (and better written and acted). After all, this series was always a joke anyway!

I only this year began watching the old episodes of Perry mason. I recall my folks watching them but to me they were boring as a kid, so I never got into the show. Then I saw an episode a few months ago and was hooked. The kind of writing and character development in this program is award caliber. I can't think of a law show, old or new, that can stand up to the regular excellence of the original Perry Mason. It amazes me that they could do this week after week for 9 years. You can't be a dummy and expect to follow along, for this show treats its viewers as intelligent, thinking individuals. Great drama all around without excesses. Superb!

As a child, I read Erle Stanley Gardner's novels & short stories about Perry Mason because I had seen this TV series. When I read the novels, I was amazed at the details about the characters & the details about law Gardner has carefully crafted into his formula for every one. As I read them, I realized that the folks responsible for this series must have read them too. Raymond Burr when he was this age fits Erle's physical description of Mason perfectly. Sometimes the novels had Mason doing more physical work than the TV show but that might be more due to the time constraints of television. I am so happy to see the DVD's of the first season finally coming out. It is long overdue to get this series out (& even more so another series from the 1960's in this genre E. G. Marshall's THE DEFENDERS - oh I wish this one would come out too!). All the characters in the novel are so well cast & portrayed by the cast in this old series- it is incredible. Lt. Tragg, Hamilton Burger, Paul Drake, Della Street - all fit Erle Gardner's novel depictions so well. These first seasons as they come out are mostly Erle Gardner's material (somwhere about 75 to 90% of them) & that especially adds to the enjoyment. It's wasn't until the 3rd or 4th season that they had to get away from the master author's material. Mason as drawn by Gardner & portrayed by Burr is the ultimate American Hero. He can do it all whether it calls for physical work & especially the brain work. Burr's demeanor in these court trials is always fantastic. Get out & get the DVD's which I understand have the episodes restored to the original length as many were cut short during airings over the years to fit in more commercials. This is a bonus as sometimes vital clues & facts in episodes were cut in order to promote the channels budget running them. Then get ready for our all American legal hero- Perry Mason - to get another confession from the guilty person at the trial. Watch too for some of the suspects as you will see some folks on the stand getting grilled by Mason who later went on to become famous in other roles. Seeing them quake & quiver on the stand is great entertainment. Television couldn't get any better than this in the court room.

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.

Bear in mind that Perry Mason and I Love Lucy are the only black & white programs still showing in syndication on broadcast television. Also note that Law and Order (the original series) took the same first half investigation/second half in the courtroom format, except of course doing it from the perspective of the forces of repression (cops & D. A.s). Caveat Emptor: The episodes available for broadcast syndication are often (especially the earlier seasons, when network shows ran several minutes longer than now) edited, and the Hallmark Channel showings (when P. M. was running there) were even more edited. Anyone who'd like to know what's been cut should visit www.storrer.com and go to the esg/perrymason page therein. Dr. Storrer obviously has too much time on his hands, as he has written detailed synopses of every single episode, and kindly made them available to all through the miracle (being sarcastic here) of the information superhighway. One last note: Many others who've commented here refer to the fine B&W cinematography, but it seems as if every night exterior was shot day for night, which I always find highly amusing, especially when they almost always throw crickets on the soundtrack, just in case we can't figure out it's supposed to be night.

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.