Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
Directors: William D. Russell, Christian Nyby, Ted Post, Laslo Benedek, Lewis Allen, Andrew V. McLaglen, Anton M. Leader, Arthur Hiller, Arthur Marks, Roger Kay, Buzz Kulik, Gerd Oswald, Richard Kinon, Walter Grauman, Richard B. Whorf, Herbert Hirschman, Gerald Mayer, Robert Ellis Miller Via Vision Entertainment,
Via Vision Entertainment.
Cast: Raymond Burr, Della Street, William Hopper, Ray Collins, William Talman.
Perry Mason is a one-of-a-kind collection, and it’s an absorbing legal series that will keep you guessing.
The first three seasons of the longest-running legal drama in television history is now available to view. Nine seasons of the series were televised from September 1957 to May 1966.
Viewing it in black-and-white takes a bit of adjustment, not to mention assimilating the backdrops compared with the technical wizardry used in similar series produced today. However, in essence of the storylines are deep-rooted and formulaic, with gripping courtroom antics.
Raymond Burr is brilliant as the criminal defence attorney in the title role. Practising in Los Angeles, California, most of his clients are charged with murder. When the crime has been committed, Mason, his private investigator Paul Drake (Hopper) and his secretary Della Street (Hale) have some adversarial dealings with the homicide detective Lt. Arthur Tragg (Collins). Also entering the frame is Mason’s legal opponent, Los Angeles district attorney Hamilton Burger (Talman)
Tragg arrests the wrong suspect, and perhaps Mason’s legal nemesis, Los Angeles district attorney Hamilton Burger (Talman), who prosecutes an innocent suspect, until finally Mason’s client is charged with murder based on the circumstantial evidence.
The fictional title character originally appeared in detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. The show’s theme music is one of the most recognisable in television. Composer Fred Steiner set out to write a theme that would project the two primary aspects of Mason’s character — sophistication and toughness. He described it as “a piece of symphonic R&B”.
Season 1 has the most episodes with 39, and there are 26 in Season 3. Relive all 95 unforgettable episodes in this 25-disc set. In fact, you could win one of the three DVDs of Perry Mason, Collection One, Seasons 1-3. Just tell us who wrote the detective fiction that featured this fictional Los Angeles criminal defence lawyer.
Entries should be sent to [email protected] by next Monday, 8 April 2019. Names of the winners will be announced in Frank Cassidy’s PS-sssst…! column next week.
