"Perry Mason" (1957) TV series 1957-1966

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Creator:

Erle Stanley Gardner
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Release Date:

21 September 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

A master attorney works difficult criminal cases for his clients.

Plot Keywords:

Perry Mason | Courtroom | Secretary | Lawyer | Murder Confession

Awards:

Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Raymond Burr	...	Perry Mason / ... (271 episodes, 1957-1966)
William Hopper	...	Paul Drake / ... (254 episodes, 1957-1966)
Barbara Hale	...	Della Street (252 episodes, 1957-1966)
William Talman	...	Hamilton Burger / ... (207 episodes, 1957-1966)
Ray Collins	...	Lt. Tragg / ... (172 episodes, 1957-1965)

(more)

Series Directed by
Arthur Marks		(62 episodes, 1958-1966)
Jesse Hibbs		(31 episodes, 1962-1966)
William D. Russell		(28 episodes, 1957-1960)
Christian Nyby		(13 episodes, 1957-1962)
Laslo Benedek		(9 episodes, 1958-1961)
Andrew V. McLaglen		(7 episodes, 1958-1960)
Jerry Hopper		(6 episodes, 1961-1966)
Bernard L. Kowalski		(6 episodes, 1961)
Allen H. Miner		(5 episodes, 1962-1963)
Harmon Jones		(5 episodes, 1963-1966)
Arthur Hiller		(4 episodes, 1958-1960)
Gerd Oswald		(4 episodes, 1958-1959)
Lewis Allen		(3 episodes, 1958-1961)
Roger Kay		(3 episodes, 1958-1959)
Anton Leader		(3 episodes, 1958)
Richard Kinon		(3 episodes, 1959-1960)
Francis D. Lyon		(3 episodes, 1962)
Earl Bellamy		(3 episodes, 1963)
Richard Donner		(3 episodes, 1964-1965)
Ted Post		(2 episodes, 1957-1958)
Buzz Kulik		(2 episodes, 1958-1959)
Walter Grauman		(2 episodes, 1959-1960)
William F. Claxton		(2 episodes, 1960)
Gerald Mayer		(2 episodes, 1960)
Robert Ellis Miller		(2 episodes, 1960)
James Sheldon		(2 episodes, 1960)
John English		(2 episodes, 1961)
John Peyser		(2 episodes, 1961)
Jack Arnold		(2 episodes, 1964-1965)
Irving J. Moore		(2 episodes, 1964)
Vincent McEveety		(2 episodes, 1965)

Series Writing credits
Erle Stanley Gardner		(78 episodes, 1957-1966)
Jonathan Latimer		(26 episodes, 1958-1965)
Jackson Gillis		(24 episodes, 1959-1966)
Gene Wang		(23 episodes, 1957-1959)
Samuel Newman		(23 episodes, 1958-1965)
Seeleg Lester		(20 episodes, 1958-1960)
Robert C. Dennis		(18 episodes, 1958-1965)
Orville H. Hampton		(15 episodes, 1965-1966)
Ernie Frankel		(10 episodes, 1965-1966)
Milton Krims		(8 episodes, 1959-1965)
Maurice Zimm		(7 episodes, 1959-1962)
Richard Grey		(6 episodes, 1957-1961)
Al C. Ward		(5 episodes, 1957-1959)
Sy Salkowitz		(5 episodes, 1960-1961)
Francis M. Cockrell		(4 episodes, 1957-1958)
Philip MacDonald		(4 episodes, 1958-1966)
Robert Bloomfield		(4 episodes, 1958-1960)
Robb White		(4 episodes, 1961-1965)
Robert Leslie Bellem		(4 episodes, 1961-1962)
William Bast		(4 episodes, 1965-1966)
Harold Swanton		(3 episodes, 1957-1960)
Laurence Marks		(3 episodes, 1957-1958)
Donald S. Sanford		(3 episodes, 1957-1958)
Sol Stein		(3 episodes, 1960-1961)
Glenn P. Wolfe		(3 episodes, 1960-1961)
Adrian Gendot		(3 episodes, 1961-1962)
Bob Mitchell		(3 episodes, 1961-1962)
Marian B. Cockrell		(2 episodes, 1957-1958)
Stirling Silliphant		(2 episodes, 1957)
Herman Epstein		(2 episodes, 1958-1960)
Ben Brady		(2 episodes, 1958)
Stanley Niss		(2 episodes, 1958)
Lawrence L. Goldman		(2 episodes, 1959-1965)
Michael Morris		(2 episodes, 1960-1961)
Sam Neuman		(2 episodes, 1960)
Helen Nielsen		(2 episodes, 1961-1962)
True Boardman		(2 episodes, 1962-1963)
Mann Rubin		(2 episodes, 1964-1965)
Philip Saltzman		(2 episodes, 1964-1965)
John Elliotte		(2 episodes, 1965-1966)
Lawrence Menkin		(unknown episodes)
Kenneth M. Rosen		(unknown episodes)
Herman S. Saunders		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Gail Patrick	....	executive producer (271 episodes, 1957-1966)
Arthur Marks	....	associate producer / producer (77 episodes, 1959-1966)
Art Seid	....	producer (62 episodes, 1961-1966)
Jackson Gillis	....	associate producer (50 episodes, 1961-1965)
Ben Brady	....	producer (42 episodes, 1957-1959)
Seeleg Lester	....	associate producer / producer (42 episodes, 1959-1961)
Sam White	....	associate producer (34 episodes, 1957-1959)
Herbert Hirschman	....	producer (28 episodes, 1959-1960)
Cornwell Jackson	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Richard Shores		(14 episodes, 1964-1966)
Jerry Goldsmith		(2 episodes, 1959)

Series Cinematography by
Frank Redman		(82 episodes, 1957-1961)
Robert G. Hager		(49 episodes, 1961-1963)
John M. Nickolaus Jr.		(14 episodes, 1964-1966)
Howard Schwartz		(4 episodes, 1963-1964)
Philip H. Lathrop		(2 episodes, 1961)

Series Film Editing by
Richard Cahoon		(58 episodes, 1957-1965)
John Faure		(47 episodes, 1959-1963)
Richard W. Farrell		(12 episodes, 1957-1966)
Otto Meyer		(11 episodes, 1957-1961)
Al Clark		(3 episodes, 1963-1964)
George Hively		(2 episodes, 1966)
Clarence Kolster		(unknown episodes)
Paul Weatherwax		(unknown episodes)

Series Casting by
Harvey Clermont		(105 episodes, 1958-1962)
Marvin Schnall		(11 episodes, 1958-1959)

Series Art Direction by
Lewis H. Creber		(145 episodes, 1957-1966)
Lyle R. Wheeler		(35 episodes, 1957-1959)

Series Set Decoration by
Charles Vassar		(120 episodes, 1957-1962)
Walter M. Scott		(34 episodes, 1957-1959)

Series Costume Design by
Dick James		(1 episode, 1957)
Charles Le Maire		(1 episode, 1960)

Series Makeup Department
Annabell	....	hair stylist (127 episodes, 1957-1966)
Irving Pringle	....	makeup artist (100 episodes, 1959-1966)
Dick Hamilton	....	makeup artist (25 episodes, 1958-1959)
Mel Berns	....	makeup artist (9 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Production Management
Dewey Starkey	....	production supervisor (55 episodes, 1959-1961)
J. Paul Popkin	....	production supervisor (35 episodes, 1957-1959)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert G. Stone	....	assistant director (56 episodes, 1958-1966)
Morris Harmell	....	assistant director (33 episodes, 1958-1961)
Gordon A. Webb	....	assistant director (20 episodes, 1961-1966)
Maxwell O. Henry	....	assistant director (6 episodes, 1957-1958)
Arthur Marks	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1957)

Series Art Department
Ray Thompson	....	properties / props / ... (127 episodes, 1957-1965)

Series Sound Department
Herman Lewis	....	sound mixer / production sound mixer (103 episodes, 1959-1966)
Gene Eliot	....	sound effects editor / sound editor (80 episodes, 1958-1961)
Robert O'Brien	....	production sound mixer (13 episodes, 1958-1959)
Roy Meadows	....	sound mixer (12 episodes, 1959)
Alfred Bruzlin	....	recordist (8 episodes, 1957)
Harry M. Leonard	....	recording mixer (8 episodes, 1957)

Series Stunts
Jesse Wayne	....	stunts (unknown episodes, 1962)
Dick Geary	....	stunt coordinator (unknown episodes)
Hubie Kerns	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Dennis Dalzell	....	first assistant camera (unknown episodes, 1965)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Evelyn Carruth	....	wardrobe supervisor / costume supervisor / ... (85 episodes, 1959-1965)
Edward McDermott	....	wardrobe supervisor / costume supervisor / ... (44 episodes, 1961-1965)
W.T. Zacha	....	wardrobe supervisor (40 episodes, 1959-1961)
Dick James	....	wardrobe supervisor (31 episodes, 1957-1959)

Series Editorial Department
Art Seid	....	editorial supervisor (33 episodes, 1957-1959)
Carroll Sax	....	assistant editor (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
Gene Feldman	....	music editor (55 episodes, 1959-1961)
Fred Steiner	....	composer: theme music (6 episodes, 1963-1966)
Herschel Burke Gilbert	....	music supervisor / conductor (5 episodes, 1964-1965)

Series Other crew
M.E.M. Gibsone	....	script supervisor (71 episodes, 1959-1962)
Art Seid	....	assistant to producer (40 episodes, 1959-1961)
Samuel Newman	....	story consultant / script consultant (39 episodes, 1961-1965)
Gene Wang	....	story consultant / story editor (32 episodes, 1957-1959)
Seeleg Lester	....	story consultant / associate story consultant (30 episodes, 1959-1960)
Jackson Gillis	....	story consultant (28 episodes, 1960-1961)
William E. Orr	....	script supervisor (24 episodes, 1958-1959)
Alice Young	....	story editor / script editor (24 episodes, 1958-1959)
Cosmo Genovese	....	script supervisor (17 episodes, 1957-1963)
Robert Gary	....	script supervisor (8 episodes, 1959-1962)
Gertrude Bank	....	stand-in: Barbara Hale (6 episodes, 1957-1964)
Ernie Frankel	....	story consultant (5 episodes, 1965-1966)
Orville H. Hampton	....	associate story consultant (5 episodes, 1965-1966)
Marshall Schlom	....	script supervisor (2 episodes, 1964-1966)

Production Companies

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
• Paisano Productions
• TCF Television Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1957-1966) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (season 1)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Super Channel (1998) (Japan) (TV)
• Viacom

Other Companies

• 20th Century Fox Studios  filmed at
• Pacific Title  title and opticals

Runtime:

60 min | USA:60 min (271 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-18 (self applied) (DVD) (2008)

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

Perry Mason utilized three studios during it's decade-long production schedule. The early seasons were shot at the old William Fox Studios, which 20th Century Fox used as their television production branch. The Fox Studio closed in the early sixties and the series moved to General Service studios for a time before moving to the old Chaplin Studios for the remainder of the series. The studio grounds can be spotted throughout the series.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the episode "Case of the Crying Comedian", actress Sue Ane Langdon is seen sitting at the bar, then she comes down the stairs and moments later is seen sitting at the bar again.

Quotes:

Della Street: [a simple question] What do you know about art?
Paul Drake: [astonished] Me? I don't even know what I like!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Deadly Mantis (#9.4)" (1997)

Engaging Narratives, About Characters and Courtroom Battles; a Classic

The "Perry Mason" character, as developed by Erle Stanley Gardner in the early 1930s, was a "fighter", in the author's words; like Gardner himself, a successful and ingenious lawyer, the fictional lawyer-detective enjoyed seeking out the truth in the field--whether he was finding a body, bending a law in order to fight for his client or testing an hypothesis--as much as he enjoyed arguing a case within the arena of a courtroom. Immensely popular from the beginning, the character was never changed by Gardner. And although the series on television was subtly altered in many ways, and enjoyed format alterations, I assert that nothing essential was ever altered about Mason nor his main "foils". At the beginning, the cast consisted of Raymond Burr as Mason, William Hopper as his detective pal Paul Drake, pretty Barbara Hale as his right-hand girl and secretary Della Street, William Talman as Hamilton Burger his chief courtroom enemy, and Ray Collins as Lt. Arthur Tragg of Homicide. Cases began in many different ways; chiefly with a future accused murderer being victimized by someone else, or with a client coming to ask Mason's help. Had the show's writers found a way to state a categorical purpose for Mason to explain why he was taking each case, the fine power of these dramatic stories could have been increased. But the chief quality of the interesting narratives I suggest was rather, usually, watching Mason trying many ways to find out the truth about what had been done in some situation in order to prove the innocence of his client of a murder; that, plus the many characters who people over 250 separate episodes. Many fine writers and directors created stories for "Perry Mason"; some episodes were adaptations of Mason novels. And with Gardner working closely with executive producer Gail Patrick Jackson, the original entries were held strictly and successfully to the author's conception of the character. Talents as famous as Jack Arnold, Earl Bellamy, László Benedek, script consultant Arthur Marks, Arthur Hiller, Ted Post, Vincent Mceveety, Robert Sparr, Gerd Oswald, Andrew Mclaglen and Christian Nyby were in charge of the "Mason" cameras; writers for the series included True Boardman, Robert C. Dennis, John Elliotte, Jackson Gillis, Laurence Louis Goldman, Seeleg Lester, Orville H, Hampton, Laurence Marks, Bob and Esther Mitchell Jonathan Latimer, Samuel Newman, Helen Nielsen, Mann Rubin, Sy Salkowitz, Stirling Silliphant, Barry Trivers, Al C. Ward, Maurice Zimm and Gene Wang, among others. Mason employed a young lawyer, played by Karl Held, for one season; Richard Anderson, Wesley Lau, Dan Tobin and Lee Miller were regulars for varying lengths of time. But the glory of the series, i assert, was its guest stars. Apart from younger actors chosen for their looks, almost every other part was well-cast and the enactors successful in creating a character. The producers also used only about ten judges, notably S. John Launder, Willis Bouchey, John Gallaudet, Kenneth Macdonald and one female jurist. But the courtrooms in which Mason appeared ranged all over the state of California, from a military tribunal to small town courts to the great Los Angeles arena. Almost as numerous were the sites where Mason and Drake discovered clues, bodies and trouble; because Mason was a fighting man at heart, his favorite ploy was to plant false evidence to force overworked police to investigate some aspect of the case, to meet with someone in order to goad them into revealing something and to dispatch Drake or other operatives to expand his power of search and investigation. For me as a writer and viewer, the fun lay not so much in solving the crime along with Mason--although guessing the murderer's identity was enjoyable--but in watching the fine actors hired to don hats (as devices of characterization) and to take part in an interesting ethical exercise. Mason's ingenuity and lack of pretension endeared him to me, and to millions of viewers. Fine composers such as Jerry Goldsmith and Fred Steiner, who created the show's them, worked for the producers; and the cinematography and lighting was always above average for B/W television. But guest stars such as Keith Andes, Walter Pigeon, Whitney Blake, Pippa Scott, Cecil Kellaway, Gail Kobe, Paul Cavanagh, Benson Fong, Stacy Graham, Douglas Kennedy and Vaughn Taylor at last were who kept me, and other viewers, coming back every week. This is a most watchable narrative program; one-of-a-kind and still very enjoyable.