Facts About the TV Show, "Perry Mason"

It’s synonymous with Raymond Burr.

Scene from Perry MasonPhoto byCreative Commons: scriptingnews

As far as I can tell, Perry Mason was the first lawyer TV series that was a huge hit. And I don’t know if I have ever watched a full episode. I do remember it being on the TV when I was very young, it just didn’t get my attention. It was in black and white and didn’t have a lot of action. The first lawyer series that really got my attention was L. A. Law, but I’ve already written about that.

As was mentioned, Perry Mason and Raymond Burr are somewhat synonymous. Beyond that, I knew very little about the show. So, after doing some reading, here are some things you didn’t know about Perry Mason.

1: Perry was known for winning all his cases. (Well almost all of them.) He actually lost three cases.

When Perry was confronted by a fan about winning all his cases, Raymond Burr told her, “But madam, you see only the cases I try on Saturday.” And I don’t believe court is even in session on Saturday.

2: DA, Hamilto Burger, was played by William Talman.

My question is, “How did Hamilton Burger keep his job? He was always losing to Perry Mason. Wouldn’t opponents have hammered him about prosecuting innocent people?

3: Bad guys seemed to be softer when Perry Mason was practicing.

It seems like when confronted with compelling evidence, the guilty party would break down and confess. Now the truth means nothing, whether you’re a bad guy, a politician or both.

4: In 1960 William Talman was fired from the show for violation of a morals clause. He was later rehired.

Maybe he would have won more cases if his personal life was more in order.

5: Talman was also a heavy smoker who died of cancer. Before he died he did a public service announcement to discourage smoking. In the announcement he said, “Before I die, I want to do what I can to leave a world free of cancer for my six children.”

He also said, I also want to beat Perry Mason in court before I die. Hold on, being told that isn’t true.

6: Burr originally auditioned for the role of Hamilton Burger.

Of course, Burr famously went on to play Perry Mason and turn Burger into mincemeat.

7: Burr missed several episodes due to illness and was replaced by various lawyers/guest stars, including Bette Davis.

Maybe Burger enjoyed losing a case to somebody new.

8: The final episode of the series was entitled, “The Case of the Final Fade-Out.” I’m not sure if that was a case of self-awareness or coincidence.

9: When Burr won the role of Perry Mason, he was 60 pounds overweight. He went on a crash diet and lost 60 pounds.

It was hard for Burr to keep the weight all because as Perry Mason. He had a Burger for lunch all the time.

10: The cast played musical chairs with parts.

William Hopper, who went on to play Paul Drake was originally cast as Perry Mason, and as has been mentioned Raymond auditioned for the role of Hamilton Burger. Burr was so impressive in the audition; he was selected to play Perry Mason instead. No doubt Raymons was happy. I suspect defense attorneys make more money than DAs.

11: Most shows don’t have a jury, instead the legal action is at a preliminary hearing. By doing that, the show saved the cost of paying 12 actors/jurors.

Based on what I’ve been paid on just duty, they didn’t save much.

12: Many of the actors who appeared on Perry Mason also appeared in “The Twilight Zone.”

Possibly because the judicial system often seems like The Twilight Zone.

13: For years the show was sponsored by tobaccos companies, which led to the characters doing a huge amount of smoking on the show.

And that led to a huge amount the characters dying from cancer in real life.

14: No doubt criminal lawyers are envious of Perry Mason’s record. Defense attorneys lose about 85% of their cases.

Which is because most of their clients are guilty. Perry was fortunate to find so many innocent clients wrongly accused.