Did Perry Mason's Actions Defy The Law?

Perry Mason is a fictional character created by Erle Stanley Gardner, who features in 82 novels and four short stories, as well as several film and television adaptations. In the stories, Mason is a criminal defence lawyer who fights for his clients and enjoys difficult or nearly hopeless cases. He is known for establishing his client's innocence by finding the real murderer.

The character has been adapted for the screen multiple times, most notably in the CBS television series which ran from 1957 to 1966, starring Raymond Burr as Mason. The show was one of the first hour-long weekly series filmed for television and remains one of the longest-running and most successful legal-themed series.

The show's enduring popularity has led to several revivals, including a 2020 HBO series starring Matthew Rhys, which presents Mason as a private detective who becomes a lawyer out of necessity.

Did Perry Mason's character break the law in the books?

Perry Mason is a fictional character created by Erle Stanley Gardner, who features in 82 novels and four short stories. The character was inspired by the famed Los Angeles criminal defence attorney Earl Rogers.

The character of Perry Mason was first adapted for motion pictures in the 1930s, followed by a long-running radio series. However, the best-known adaptation is the CBS television series Perry Mason (1957-1966) starring Raymond Burr.

In the books, Perry Mason is a criminal defence lawyer who fights hard for his clients and enjoys unusual, difficult, or nearly hopeless cases. He is described as:

> "A lawyer who has specialised in trial work, and in a lot of criminal work... I'm a specialist on getting people out of trouble. They come to me when they're in all sorts of trouble, and I work them out... If you look me up through some family lawyer or some corporation lawyer, he'll probably tell you that I'm a shyster. If you look me up through some chap in the District Attorney's office, he'll tell you that I'm a dangerous antagonist but he doesn't know very much about me."

Mason frequently accepts clients on a whim, for a minimal retainer, and finances the investigation of their cases himself if necessary. He is unencumbered by procedural restraints and is smarter and nimbler than his police counterparts.

While the books do not depict Mason's family, personal life, background, or education, it is known that he lives in an apartment and has a romantic interest in his secretary, Della Street. He is also an excellent driver and enjoys good food.

Although the TV series diverges significantly from the books, the character of Perry Mason as a lawyer who is highly ethical, intelligent, and dedicated to his clients remains consistent across both mediums.

Did Perry Mason's character break the law in the TV series?

Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defence lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. The character was adapted for motion pictures, a long-running radio series, and the best-known adaptation, the CBS television series Perry Mason (1957-1966) starring Raymond Burr.

The show was the first to make heroes of investigators and defence attorneys, established a longstanding two-act structure, and defined conventions like the unexpected confession in a dramatic cross-examination. The show depicted a legal system that worked only for the innocent and the wrongfully accused, a paradigm that fed broader misperceptions about the infallibility of the judicial system.

In Perry Mason's world, justice was neatly served in the end. Over 300 episodes, Perry Mason never loses — or, more accurately, never fails. In "The Deadly Verdict" (1963), Mason exonerates a client who had been sentenced to death. Mason's victories are almost always moral, rather than legal — with one exception. On the sole occasion he does represent a guilty client, he secures a mistrial, a technical success presumably less offensive to his moral code.

However, the show's enduring popularity masks a more complicated legacy. In avoiding racism in the legal system, and in reinforcing the assumption that only the guilty are convicted (while the white wrongly accused walk free), Perry Mason presented a distorted view of the world to its overwhelmingly white audiences — one that normalised injustice.

Did Perry Mason's character break the law in the radio series?

The character of Perry Mason was adapted for a long-running radio series, which was broadcast on CBS Radio from 1943 to 1955. The 15-minute continuing series was geared more towards action than courtroom drama, mixing mystery and soap opera, with Mason sometimes even exchanging gunfire with criminals.

The radio show was adapted into The Edge of Night, which ran on television for an additional 30 years. However, Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of Perry Mason, disliked the proposed daytime television version due to a lack of creative control. He ultimately withheld his endorsement of the daytime TV show, forcing the name change.

The radio series diverged significantly from the books, with the attorney sometimes exchanging gunfire with criminals. However, there is no specific information about whether the character broke the law in the radio series.

Did Perry Mason's character break the law in the films?

Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defence lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. The character was adapted for motion pictures and a long-running radio series, before becoming a CBS television series starring Raymond Burr.

The character of Perry Mason has appeared in every storytelling medium, including a series of Warner Bros. feature films produced between 1933 and 1937, a radio series, and a TV series that ran from 1957 to 1966. The TV series was one of Hollywood's first weekly hour-long series filmed for television, and remains one of the longest-running and most successful legal-themed series.

The character of Perry Mason was a literary star long before he appeared on the small screen. In fact, 51 of the 82 Perry Mason novels were published before 1957, when the series premiered. The character was inspired by famed Los Angeles criminal defence attorney, Earl Rogers.

The show depicts Mason as a criminal defence attorney who almost always emerges from court victorious. In over 300 episodes, Mason never loses. In 'The Deadly Verdict' (1963), Mason exonerates a client who had been sentenced to death. Mason's victories are almost always moral, rather than legal. On the sole occasion he represents a guilty client, he secures a mistrial, a technical success presumably less offensive to his moral code.

The show is set in Los Angeles, but the social and political tumult of Southern California never intrudes on Mason's world, which is almost exclusively white. Mason never defends a Black client. Black actors appear in bit parts and uncredited roles.

The show depicted a legal system that worked only for the innocent and the wrongfully accused, a paradigm that fed broader misperceptions about the infallibility of the judicial system. In Perry Mason's world, justice was neatly served in the end.

However, in the earliest novels, Mason was not above skulduggery to win a case. In 'The Case of the Counterfeit Eye' (1935), he breaks the law several times, including manufacturing false evidence. In 'The Case of the Howling Dog' (1934), Mason manipulates evidence and witnesses, resulting in the acquittal of the murderer.

In the later novels, the only crime which he can be seen to commit might be illegal entry when he and Paul Drake are searching for evidence. And even then, he would expect to put up a strong and effective defence leading to an acquittal.

Did Perry Mason's character break the law in the HBO series?

The character of Perry Mason, a criminal defence lawyer, was created by Erle Stanley Gardner and has appeared in several TV series, films, and radio shows. The most well-known adaptation is the CBS television series Perry Mason (1957-1966) starring Raymond Burr.

In the original series, Perry Mason is a distinguished criminal defence lawyer based in Los Angeles, California. He is portrayed as a lawyer who fights hard for his clients and who enjoys unusual, difficult, or nearly hopeless cases. He is unencumbered by procedural restraints and pursues leads and theories that his police counterparts have failed to see.

While Mason is depicted as a highly ethical lawyer in the TV series, in the earliest novels, he is not above skulduggery to win a case. In The Case of the Counterfeit Eye, he breaks the law several times, including manufacturing false evidence. In The Case of the Howling Dog, Mason manipulates evidence and witnesses, resulting in the acquittal of the murderer.

In the 2020 HBO series, Perry Mason is presented as a private detective who becomes a lawyer by necessity to salvage a case he is working on. In this series, he is an alcoholic, divorced father who is struggling to maintain ownership of his deceased parents' farm. While it is unclear if Mason breaks any laws in this series, his character is a far cry from the distinguished lawyer portrayed in the original series.

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