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Perry Mason (TV series): Difference between revisions
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[[File:PerryMason_852.jpg|frame]]
{{quote|''"Who can we get on the case?
''We need Perry Mason
''Someone to put you in place
''Calling Perry Mason again"''
|'''[[Ozzy Osbourne]]'''}}
'''''Perry Mason''''' is an iconic 1957-1966 [[CBS]] series descended from the radio drama of the same name and inspired by (and frequently dramatizing) the series of books by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is a skilled defense attorney who takes seemingly hopeless cases and turns them into victories. Aided by his secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale) and private investigator Paul Drake (William Hopper), he specializes in discovering the one fact that unravels the case against his client, and often ends up getting the true criminal to confess on the stand.
It got [[Revival|revived]] in 1973 as ''[[The New Perry Mason]]'' with a completely different cast, but the series lasted only one season. It was then [[Revival|revived]] again as ''[[Perry Mason (TV film series)|Perry Mason Returns]]'' in 1985 with the surviving original cast plus William "''[[The Greatest American Hero]]''" Katt as Paul Drake, Jr. The success of this TV movie spurred the production of ''
The series is very popular overseas
In an odd twist, the series made the jump from radio to TV ''twice''
Many episodes of the 1943-1955 radio series have fallen into the public domain in the United States, and can be [http://www.archive.org/details/Perry_Mason_Radio_Show downloaded courtesy of the Internet Archive].
{{tropelist}}
* [[Acting for Two]]: Burr in a season nine episode.
* [[Always Murder]]: A strong codifier in television - this show quite popularly used the idea that if the initial issue didn't involve murder, the viewer could be sure that only meant there would be a murder later on to thicken the plot.
* [[Always
* [[Amoral Attorney]]: Very often played straight when an attorney turned up among the murder suspects. Either played straight or averted with District Attorney Hamilton Burger, depending on the writer. Guest prosecutors tended to run the gamut as well.
* [[Asshole Victim]]: Many of the murder victims were blackmailers, thieves, murderers themselves or just [[Jerkass|someone so irritating]] or otherwise evil that absolutely nobody would mind their being dead. Oddly enough, any crimes that the victims do (including murder) are often not investigated by Tragg and Burger which means [[Karma Houdini|they would have likely gotten away with them]].
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* [[Conflict Ball]]: Burger (or the prosecutor of the week) often ends up with this when Perry attempts one of his [[Courtroom Antic|"grandstand stunts."]]
* [[Continuity Reboot]]: ''The New Perry Mason'' attempted to do this.
* [[Conviction
* [[Courtroom Antic]]: Although usually justified either by the Antics being performed at a pre-trial hearing <ref>For those wondering, in California, at least, the Grand Jury requirement can be waived for a pre-trial hearing in front of a judge</ref>, or being explicitly designed to recreate the crime or [[Pull the Thread]].
* [[Creator Cameo]]: Erle Stanley Gardner in the first series finale.
* [[Crusading Lawyer]]
* [[A Day in
* [[Disregard That Statement]]
* [[Dramatic Downstage Turn]]: Used especially in the courtroom scenes to add movement and interest during witness testimony.
* [[Everybody Is Single]]: No one in the main cast is shown to be in any kind of committed relationship, at least during the first series.
* [["Everybody Laughs" Ending]]: Many episodes end with Perry, Della and Paul doing this.
* [[Friend
* [[For Great Justice]]: Often stated as the motivation of both the prosecution and the defense.
* [[Good Lawyers, Good Clients]]
* [[Graceful Loser]]: Burger, half of the time.
* [[Hollywood Law]]: Often played straight despite Gardner's law background. Could be classified under [[Acceptable Breaks From Reality]].
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* [[Long Runner]]
* [[Love Martyr]]: Many women in numerous cases, towards their boyfriends / husbands.
* [[Married to
* [[Miscarriage of Justice]]: Perry's clients are saved from this by the end of the episode, of course, but various persons not represented by him are subjected to this fate.
* [[Mobile Menace]]: Tragg likes popping up at the worst possible times for Perry and his clients, with no notice and often very improbably.
* [[Motive Rant]]
* [[Nice Hat]]: Lieutenant Tragg's fedora.
* [[Official Couple]]: Perry and Della.
* [[One-Dollar Retainer]]: Played with in the episode "The Case of the Shapely Shadow": Perry takes a one-dollar retainer before opening a suitcase in the presence of his new client. What he discovers makes him think he's about to defend his client in a blackmail case, but the actual charge turns out to be murder and Perry accepts his usual fee.
* [[Perp Sweating]]
* [[The Perry Mason Method]]: Trope Namer.
* [[Plea Bargain]]: Occasionally one will be offered to Perry's client, but he or she eventually turns it down.
* [[Pose of Supplication]]: "The Case of the Empty Tin." A wronged woman, sobbing, pleading for understanding, first holds her hands out in supplication and then collapses to her knees, throwing her arms around the man who holds her life in his hands... said man being Hamilton Burger. The woman is a murderess at least twice over.
* [[Power Trio]]: Perry, Paul and Della. May be subclassified as [[Three Amigos]], [[
* [[Private Detective]]: Paul Drake. Perry isn't far from one himself.
* [[Pull the Thread]]
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* [[Role Reprisal]]: Burr and Hale in the TV movies.
* [[Sexy Secretary]]: Della Street.
* [[Shout
** [[Shout
* [[The Smurfette Principle]]
* [[Sore Loser]]: Burger, [[Brick Joke|the other half of the time]].
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* [[Trickster Archetype]]: Perry is an interestingly lawful example - he often uses a mix of tricky guile and venerable wisdom to uncover clues and solve mysteries, but rarely actually uses coercion or trickery to ''make'' the guilty say something.
* [[True Companions]]: Perry, Paul and Della. Could be expanded to include Tragg ([[Suspiciously Similar Substitute|or Andy or Steve]]) and Burger.
* [[Written
** For awhile (around season six) there was a string of episodes that followed some associate of Perry's while the man himself was recuperating in a hospital room and was only seen in brief telephone calls. This was because actor Raymond Burr was recovering from surgery and couldn't handle the usual workload.
** Burr played the role with one arm in a sling during four season eight episodes
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[[Category:Law Procedural]]
[[Category:American Series]]
[[Category:Perry Mason (TV series)]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Live-Action TV of the 1950s]]
[[Category:Live-Action TV of the 1960s]]
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