When Covid hit, I took refuge in watching a great deal of television, much of it bad. One exception was “Perry Mason,” the courtroom series that ran on CBS from 1957 to 1966. I have vague memories of watching “Perry Mason” as a child, but I was then in no position to appreciate its exceptional artistry, not to mention its profound—don’t laugh—concept of justice.
Erle Stanley Gardner, a trial lawyer by profession with a gift for writing popular fiction, invented Perry Mason and wrote 82 books featuring the character between 1933 and 1973. A series of Perry Mason movies were made in the 1930s, initially starring Warren William, who played him as a mildly debauched figure with a casual flair for solving cases. In a subsequent radio series, Mason was voiced by John Larkin.
1950s television placed great value in the writing. That was the foundation. That's why most productions today don't make it to S2, and few survive thru S3. Great writing is a lost art. So producers turn to CGI and comic book characters.
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Seriously? What defense attorney wins hundreds of cases and loses only one?