Tribute to Perry Mason the greatest detective\mystery series ever.
When something goes wrong who you gonna call? Not Ghostbusters, but the one and only Perry Mason. Based on the beloved mystery novels by author Earle Stanley Gardener, the Perry Mason series took what Gardener had started and made Perry and his lovely crew household names.
The titular super lawyer\sleuth had been played by quite a few actors in radio anda handful of movie flops the 1930s. Then he was played by Monte Markham in a failed 1970s reboot titled “The New Perry Mason” that only went fifteen episodes before officially being taken off the case for good. More recently HBO decided to do a prequel\re-imagining that’s a completely unrecognizable take on the famous lawyer and the series itself. But none of the other interpretations past or present has ever been able to top, much less even match Raymond Burr’s iconic turn as Perry Mason. The show had a lot going for it from an incredible cast with genuine chemistry to superb scripts and storylines that made you sit up in your seat. And perhaps best of all it gave us one of tv’s most memorable and greatest theme songs of all time. I defy you to go around the world and find one person who doesn’t recognize that theme if you play it for them even if they’d never actually seen the show.
The Characters:
Perry Mason:
Perry Mason will always be “that dude”. A shrewd, highly skilled and badass attorney with a heart of gold and a great sense of humor. He was played to perfection by Raymond Burr and will never be equaled or topped in the role for the rest of time. We live to watch Perry color outside the lines of the law just a smidge to get justice for his clients. There’s a reason that this guy rarely (if ever) lose a case.
Della Street:
Of course Perry wouldn’t be half the super lawyer he is without the aid of super secretary Della Street. As Perry’s Gal Friday, Della is a very important part of the Mason team as she is adept at performing any task Perry needs to help solve the puzzle. Her nickname “beautiful” is an understatement because Della is a gorgeous woman inside and out, and brings a much needed feminine touch to that office.
Paul Drake:
One could say Paul stole the show with every appearance he made onscreen. With his smooth looks and clothes, badass karate skills, witty sense of humor, and huge appetite (For both food and women, especially Della) Paul Drake is the ace private dick and right hand man for Mason. Wiliam Hopper originally auditioned for Perry Mason, but thank the lord that he ended up in the role of the coolest tv PI instead.
DA Hamilton Burger:
Hamilton may have lost every case he ever tried against Perry, but all the same Hamilton Burger was a very dedicated, honest and sharp prosecutor. Sure he had an incredibly short fuse that Perry loved to light in the courtroom, but nevertheless Burger and Mason were friends at the end of the day. What could’ve been a one dimensional cartoon “villain” became a likable and hilarious character who cared more about justice than winning.
Lt. Arthur Tragg:
Arthur Tragg may have been over the age limit for a cop, but his liveliness, cunning and dogged persistence made him a great cop and an even better foil\rival for Perry Mason. There’s always fun to be had whenever Tragg barges in at the worst possible moment and takes away evidence from Perry or Paul that could clear their client. Just like Hamilton Burger, Arthur Tragg may have been a rival of Perry but at the end of the day there was mutual respect and even mutual fondness between them.
Courtroom Theatrics:
This show is never better than when we get into the courtroom where Perry entertains us with courtroom theatrics that always provides good laughs, suspense, and plenty of fun.
Cast chemistry at its finest:
Other than the compelling mysteries and the lovable characters what really made Perry Mason a huge success for nine seasons was the genuine chemistry between its core cast. It’s been reported that the Perry Mason set was a very happy one. Pranks and fooling around was a regular thing on the show, and that easy rapport between them all was evident on the screen. The trio of Perry, Paul and Della were a tight crime fighting unit and In my opinion spawned that terrific trio dynamic that we have seen time and again on many crime shows. With Della as his right hand woman and Paul as his right hand man, it’s easy to see why Perry always managed to save the day.
The show’s popularity never wavered to where almost twenty years later NBC decided to revive Perry and Della in 1985’s Perry Mason Returns. Unfortunately by 1985 William Hopper, William Talman and Ray Collins had been long gone, but filling the void of Paul Drake was Paul Drake Jr. played by Barbara Hale’s real life son William Katt. The tv movie ended up getting astronomical ratings and was so successful that it spawned a complete revival series of movies that lasted up until Raymond Burr’s death in 1993, and even then they finished up the last four contracted films with Hal Holbrook and Paul Sorvino stepping in for Burr.
Perry Mason is one of those rare classics that have never been off the air in over sixty years, which speaks to its timeless appeal. It’s on everywhere at any time of the day on cable channels such as METV and FETV, and streaming on services such as Paramount + and Amazon Prime. So you literally have no excuse to not check out tv’s favorite defense attorney and his gang. Fair to warn you, though, you might end up going down the rabbit hole and getting stuck in a Perry binge for days.
’Til next time, folks!
