PERRY MASON SERIES, FREE ON TV
I have always been a fan of Dick Wolf’s amazing television series
Law and Order and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. And I’m well
aware that many people who know what they’re talking about would say that the
best writing here and now has nothing do with books or movies and is entirely
wrapped up in today’s cable series. I might even agree with them, except to say that ...
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| Perry Mason and Della Street |
The best television I’ve watched in
years are reruns of the original Perry Mason series, produced by CBS
television, and starring Raymond Burr as Perry Mason, Barbara Hale as Della
Street, William Hopper as Mason’s PI, Paul Drake, Ray Collins, who’s absolutely
wonderful, as Lt. Tragg, and William Talman, equally as wonderful, as the DA,
Hamilton Burger. The series was broadcast between 1957 and 1966 and
has lost nothing over all this time. As a matter of fact, I think it’s aged
like a bottle of wine, and plays better today than ever. In terms of pure storytelling,
I can’t remember ever sitting before a television and ending every episode by
being blown away. The key word I keep hearing myself repeat is, “Wow? Do you
believe they did that?"
Just as telling, in 2020, HBO released a highly anticipated remake of Perry Mason. I’ve heard good things about the cable series but have yet to watch it. What struck me most when I read about the HBO project was that the producer made a key story change. Perry Mason would no longer be a defense attorney in the courtroom. Instead, the character would be turned into a private investigator. When the producer was asked how he could do such a thing, his response was awesome. He said, Perry Mason, the television show, was so influential to the history of the genre and so perfectly made, I didn’t want to mess things up!
Perry Mason
can be seen for free on IMDb TV, which is now FreeVee, a free streaming service
from Amazon. It can also be watched for free on Pluto.TV.
The photo below is Perry Mason with Lt. Tragg in Episode 29: The Case of the Hesitant Hostess.
ROBERT ELLIS WRITERS BLOG
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