Perry Mason

Perry Mason is a fictional defense attorney who originally appeared in novels by Erle Stanley Gardner and who was portrayed by Raymond Burr in a television series which ran on CBS from 1957 to 1966. The general plot involves Perry Mason unmasking the actual murderer in a final dramatic courtroom showdown. As such it is a highly unrealistic portrayal of the criminal justice system, and some of the structure of the television show was dictated by the motion picture and television codes of the 1950s which required an ending in which justice was served and in which the police and judicial institutions were not questioned (see Production Code). The theme music, "Park Avenue Beat" by Fred Steiner, is one of television's most recognizable themes. A recurring subplot was the apparently unconsumated romance between Mason and his private secretary, Della Street.

An unsuccessful attempt to recreate the series, named The New Perry Mason, and starring Monte Markham, was made in 1973, but it only lasted one season. Burr came back with a very successful series of Perry Mason TV movies from 1985 through 1993, the last being completed only weeks prior to his death. The last several of these films were set in Denver rather than Mason's traditional locale of Los Angeles; the character had moved there, but the real reason for the change was Denver's considerably lower production costs.

Warren William starred in a series of Perry Mason movies from 1934 through 1936, and Donald Woods starred in the 1937 The Case of the Stuttering Bishop.

The character also appeared in radio adaptations, comic books, and a short-lived (October 16, 1950–June 21, 1952) comic strip. He was also the inspiration for The Whole Truth (1986) by James Cummins, a book-length collection of sestinas. The similar daytime soap opera The Edge of Night was originally meant to be a daytime version of Perry Mason until Gardner had a falling-out with CBS network officials, which was later mollified enough to allow production of the prime time series to begin.

Other characters in the Perry Mason universe include:

• Paul Drake - Perry Mason's private investigator (played by William Hopper on the TV series)
• Della Street - Perry Mason's secretary (played by Barbara Hale on the original TV series and the later TV movies)
• Hamilton Burger - District Attorney (played by William Talman on the TV series)
• Lieutenant Arthur Tragg - Police homicide investigator (played by Ray Collins on the TV series)
• Sergeant Arthur Holcomb - Policeman often featured in the novels

Contents

1 Books 2 1930s movies 3 Other appearances 4 External links

Books

• The Case of the Velvet Claws
• The Case of the Sulky Girl
• The Case of the Lucky Legs
• The Case of the Howling Dog
• The Case of the Curious Bride
• The Case of the Counterfeit Eye
• The Case of the Caretaker's Cat
• The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece
• The Case of the Stuttering Bishop
• The Case of the Dangerous Dowager
• The Case of the Lame Canary
• The Case of the Substitute Face
• The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe
• The Case of the Perjured Parrot
• The Case of the Rolling Bones
• The Case of the Baited Hook
• The Case of the Silent Partner
• The Case of the Haunted Husband
• The Case of the Empty Tin
• The Case of the Drowning Duck
• The Case of the Careless Kitten
• The Case of the Buried Clock
• The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito
• The Case of the Crooked Candle
• The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde
• The Case of the Golddigger's Purse
• The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife
• The Case of the Borrowed Brunette
• The Case of the Fan Dancer's Horse
• The Case of the Crying Swallow
• The Case of the Lazy Lover
• The Case of the Lonely Heiress
• The Case of the Crimson Kiss
• The Case of the Vagabond Virgin
• The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom
• The Case of the Cautious Coquette
• The Case of the Negligent Nymph
• The Case of the One-Eyed Witness
• The Case of the Firey Fingers
• The Case of the Angry Mourner
• The Case of the Moth-Eaten Mink
• The Case of the Grinning Gorilla
• The Case of the Irate Witness
• The Case of the Hesitant Hostess
• The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister
• The Case of the Fugitive Nurse
• The Case of the Runaway Corpse
• The Case of the Restless Redhead
• The Case of the Glamorous Ghost
• The Case of the Sunbather's Diary
• The Case of the Nervous Accomplice
• The Case of the Terrified Typist
• The Case of the Demure Defendant
• The Case of the Gilded Lily
• The Case of the Lucky Loser
• The Case of the Screaming Woman
• The Case of the Daring Decoy
• The Case of the Long Legged Models
• The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll
• The Case of the Calendar Girl
• The Case of the Deadly Toy
• The Case of the Mythical Monkeys
• The Case of the Singing Skirt
• The Case of the Waylaid Wolf
• The Case of the Duplicate Daughter
• The Case of the Shapely Shadow
• The Case of the Spurious Spinster
• The Case of the Bigamous Spouse
• The Case of the Reluctant Model
• The Case of the Blonde Bonanza
• The Case of the Ice-Cold Hands
• The Case of the Mischievous Doll
• The Case of the Stepdaughter's Secret
• The Case of the Amorous Aunt
• The Case of the Daring Divorcee
• The Case of the Phantom Fortune
• The Case of the Horrified Heirs
• The Case of the Troubled Trustee
• The Case of the Beautiful Beggar
• The Case of the Worried Waitress
• The Case of the Queenly Contestant
• The Case of the Careless Cupid
• The Case of the Fabulous Fake
• The Case of the Crimson Kiss
• The Case of the Crying Swallow
• The Case of the Irate Witness
• The Case of the Fenced-In Woman
• The Case of the Postponed Murder

1930s movies

• The Case of the Stuttering Bishop (1937)
• The Case of the Black Cat (1936)
• The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936)
• The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935)
• The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)
• The Case of the Howling Dog (1934)

Other appearances

On the 1995 Ozzy Osbourne album Ozzmosis, a song titled "Perry Mason" features lyrics that allude to the character.

External links

• Template:Imdb title (the TV series)

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