Perry Mason (TV series): Difference between revisions

''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 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 ''twenty-nine29'' more ''Perry Mason'' TV movies between 1985 and 1994, with the last installment airing after Raymond Burr's death in 1993. ([[NBC]] made a few more TV movies without Raymond Burr before calling it quits.)

The series is very popular overseas --— a ''Turkish'' version (also called ''Perry Mason'') was produced in 1983.

In an odd twist, the series made the jump from radio to TV ''twice'' --— and this instance was the ''second''. The first time was in 1956, but at the last minute Erle Stanley Gardner withdrew his support for the project, and it was [[Retool|retooled]] into... the soap opera ''[[The Edge of Night]]''. The attorney also [[Filk Song|inspired a song by]] [[Ozzy Osbourne]].