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Perry Mason Cast Raymond Burr as Perry MasonBarbara Hale as Della Street William Hopper as Paul Drake William Talman as District Attorney Hamilton Burger Ray Collins as Lieutenant Arthur Tragg (1957-1965) Connie Cezan as Gertie Lade (Mason's receptionist) Perry Mason Theme Song "Perry Mason" by Fred Steiner |
BUY Raymond Burr Movies  100 Greatest TV Themes [BOX SET] - 4CDs Has Perry Mason Theme For More Raymond Burr See: Ironside  CBS: The First 50 Years - CD Has Perry Mason Theme External Links TV Guide's Perry Mason Page, with TV Listings, Photos, Videos, Exclusive News and More. |
Perry Mason Tidbits Erle Stanley Gardner wrote the original Perry Mason books and formed a company, Paisano Productions for the TV version of his character. Although he didn't write the scripts, he had approval and stacked the production team with real lawyers to keep things interesting.The formula was consistent. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) got a new client and the first half hour was about the crime. Paul Drake (William Hopper) was sent out to investigate but rarely found anything close to a smoking gun until the trial had begun. Perry was assisted by his able and loyal secretary, Della Street (Barbara Hale). His principle adversary was District Attorney Hamilton Burger (William Talman). Hard as Burger tried, he couldn't beat Perry. Talman did not appear in every episode and missed the 1960-1961 season due to a problem he had with police after a Hollywood party where the partygoers were reportedly nude and stoned. Although CBS fired him, Raymond Burr fought for and got his reinstatement. In most episodes, the real guilty party broke down under Mason's grilling cross-examination. Or blurted it out from the spectator's gallery. Then Perry, Della and Paul would recap the case, just in case we hadn't figured it out. The heavy load the show placed upon Burr's shoulders began to take its toll on the actor. The long hours forced him to live at the studio in an apartment they made for him. The many lines of dialogue became impossible to memorize and he read his lines off a Teleprompter. The brought the show back in 1973 with Monte Markam in the title role and with Sharon Aker as Della and Albert Stratton as Paul. It only lasted a year. But Perry Mason didn't die there. He lives on in reruns and the many made for TV movies. Passings Ray Collins died in 1965 of emphysema, William Talman in 1968 of lung cancer, William Hopper in 1970 of pneumonia, and Raymond Burr died in 1993 of liver cancer. Barbara Hale
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 Barbara Hale
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 Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale |
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