By the mid 1950s, television had hit its stride. It had reached critical mass in terns of American households with TV sets and the available programing. Movie attendance had plummeted as people stayed home for their entertainment. It was also the beginning of the end for film noir, at least as moviegoers had come to expect But in 1957 Perry Mason began airing on CBS and it would soon gain an ardent following of those who had come to appreciate the movies we now know as film noir.
Several factors made this a unique show leading to it’s popularity. Perry Mason
was the first hour long episodic crime drama with a regular cast. This allowed
for greater story development than what viewers had been seeing in the compact half-
Gardner was an attorney turned writer who began penning pulp detective stories in the early 1920s. In 1932 he created the Perry Mason character, a defense attorney and sleuth who proved his clients innocence by exposing the true culprit. Gardner’s adeptness for detective writing along with his knowledge of the law and courtroom procedures made these stories exceedingly popular. He would go on to publish 82 novels based on the Perry Mason character among his many other detective writings.
Warner Bros. acquired the rights to five of his stories and in 1934 made the first of the feature films based the character. Gardner did not like how his prized character was depicted, nor did he care for the actors that Warners chose to play Perry. He was particularly incensed that Perry was portrayed as a heavy drinking bon vivant instead of the hard edged attorney he was supposed to be. Gardner next sold the rights to Perry Mason for a radio drama which went on the air in 1943. Unlike the Warner’s deal, Gardner would write the scripts. But when CBS decided to run the show as a daytime serial, five days a week, Gardner relinquished his writing duties. Despite the shows popularity, Gardner again found himself at odds with producers about the portrayal of his characters.
When television came of age it was only a matter of time until the networks began making overtures about Perry Mason. Gardner turned down some very lucrative offers for the television rights because he was determined to do it his way. And his way meant having control over all aspects of any proposed series involving his character. Gardner may not of liked the treatment of his stories on the big screen and radio, but those deals along with his prodigious output of books allowed him the financial independence to deal with television on his terms. Instead of selling the rights to Perry Mason, Gardner formed his own production company. He would have the creative control he desired plus he would personally approve every script. Surprisingly, CBS agreed to all of Gardner’s terms and Perry Mason would be going to the small screen.
Selecting the cast would be the first order of business and like everything else about the future show, Gardner would have the final say. Numerous actors auditioned for the Mason part but it was Raymond Burr who Gardner ultimately chose. There were those in Hollywood who didn’t think much of Gardner’s choice. More about the selection of Raymond Burr.
