Perry Mason

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Perry Mason is a fictional defense attorney in 82 novels and three short stories by the American author Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970). The character of Perry Mason became known mainly through the television series of the same name, produced from 1957 to 1966, with Raymond Burr in the lead role.

Broad cases

Mainly a crime is committed in the individual stories that is always accused of an innocent person. Perry Mason is entrusted with the defense of this innocent man and with the help of his staff clarifies the real situation. In a dramatic finale in the courtroom, the real perpetrator is exposed and brought to justice.

Film adaptations

Main article: Perry Mason (TV series)

The role of Perry Mason was played by the Canadian actor Raymond Burr in 271 episodes of a television series on the American broadcaster CBS . The series ran from 1957 to 1966.

A new edition consisting of 26 television films, also with Raymond Burr in the lead role, was broadcast from 1985 to 1993. The only actress in the original series was Barbara Hale as Mason's secretary on Della Street. At that time Burr was already seriously ill and was only able to complete the filming with pain. William Katt , the son of Barbara Hale, played the role of detective Paul Drake Jr from 1985 to 1988 . In the films from 1989 to 1993, William R. Moses took on the role of assistant as Ken Malansky .

After Burr's death, four more films were made under the title A Perry Mason Mystery with Barbara Hale at the side of other defense lawyers.

Further films

  • Between 1934 and 1937 there were six Perry Mason films. Warren William played the role in the first four films , after which Ricardo Cortez and Donald Woods took over for one film each.
  • An attempt to reissue the series under the title The New Perry Mason with Monte Markham in the lead role failed in 1973. The series was discontinued after only one season.
  • In 1983, a Perry Mason program starring Kerim Afşar ran on Turkish television.
  • In 2020, the Perry Mason miniseries began airing, starring Matthew Rhys . The series takes place in the 1930s.

Others

The role of Perry Mason has also been featured in radio plays, comics, and a short-lived comic strip from October 16, 1950 to June 21, 1952. It also served as a template for the computer game Perry Mason: The Case of the Mandarin Murder (1985) and the book The Whole Truth (1986) by James Cummins .

Perry Mason is the title of a song by Ozzy Osbourne .

Perry Mason made it onto an official San Marino state postage stamp .

Leading actor Raymond Burr named one of his orchid varieties after Barbara Hale.

Web links