History Trivia / PerryMason

*** Nine actors share the record for appearing as the actual murderer, each doing so three times as a different character: Creator/MalcolmAtterbury, Joan Banks, Creator/RichardErdman, Alan Hewitt, Dabbs Greer, Robert H. Harris, Creator/JeanetteNolan, Creator/DenverPyle, and Mary La Roche.

* FakeAmerican: Zig-zagged with Raymond Burr, who was born in Canada but moved to California when he was a child and served in the US Navy during World War II.

** Ray Collins, who played Lt. Tragg. After Collins left the show, the producers agreed to keep his name in the opening credits knowing that he still watched the show and hoping it would keep his spirits up as he battled illness.

* WordOfGod: After Raymond Burr's death, it was revealed that ''Perry Mason'' author Creator/ErleStanleyGardner himself had advocated Burr's hiring; neither he nor the producers were happy with the actors who had auditioned for the titular role (but were leaning towards Creator/FredMacMurray). Burr, who had primarily acted in a series of low budget films, was [[WhatCouldHaveBeen invited to shoot a screen test for the role of Hamilton Burger]]. Midway through the playback of Burr's test days later, Gardner (who had never heard of Burr) stood up, pointed at the screen and said ''"That's him! That's Perry Mason!"'' The rest is history.

* DawsonCasting: In "The Case of the Golden Oranges," the character Amos Keller fought in the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar, meaning he would have to have been born circa 1880 at the latest. His actor, Arthur Hunnicutt, was born in 1910.

* TheWikiRule: [[http://www.perrymasontvseries.com/ www.perrymasontvseries.com]].

*** Lurene Tuttle holds the record for playing Perry's client accused of murder -- doing so on four occasions, each time as a different character.

*** Nine actors share the record for appearing as the actual murderer, each doing so three times as a different character: Creator/MalcolmAtterbury, Joan Banks, Creator/RichardErdman, Alan Hewitt, Dabbs Greer, Robert H. Harris, Creator/JeanetteNolan, Denver Pyle, and Mary La Roche.

* {{Trope Namer|s}}:
** ThePerryMasonMethod.
** Invoked, almost in those very words, by punk musician/lecturer JelloBiafra in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhoxSajAMtE Tales from the Trial]]", talking about his own obscenity trial in 1986. He even sings a few lines of "Park Avenue Beat".
---> Finally the grand finale! [sings] You know, right kitty corner across the street from that courthouse where they have all the low-angle camera shots of on ''Perry Mason'', singling, ''Yes! The Trial!!!'' Where Perry just tears the prosecutor to shreds, and all the witnesses reveal themselves to be backbiting snakes towards each other, and inevitably 20 minutes later one breaks down and confesses to the whole crime -- Real trials don't work like that. Real trials take ''for ever.''

*** Nine actors share the record for appearing as the actual murderer, each doing so three times as a different character: Creator/MalcolmAtterbury, Joan Banks, Creator/RichardErdman, Alan Hewitt, Dabbs Greer, Robert H. Harris, Jeanette Nolan, Denver Pyle, and Mary La Roche.

*** Eleven actors have played the defendant, the murderer, and the murder victim on the series: Robert Armstrong; John Conte; Robert H. Harris; Stacy Harris; Hugh Marlow; Mala Powers; [[Series/TheDukesOfHazzard Denver Pyle]]; Herbert Rudley; Vaughn Taylor; Bill Williams; and H. M. Wynant. Pyle appeared as a defendant and murder victim in the same episode, "The Case of the Final Fadeout."

** Two veteran [[Film/TheThreeStooges Three Stooges]] actors played recurring minor roles in the original TV series.

*** Nine actors share the record for appearing as the actual murderer, each doing so three times as a different character: Malcolm Atterbury, Joan Banks, Creator/RichardErdman, Alan Hewitt, Dabbs Greer, Robert H. Harris, Jeanette Nolan, Denver Pyle, and Mary La Roche.

* DawsonCasting: In "The Case of the Golden Oranges," the character Amos Keller fought in the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar, meaning he would have to have been born circa 1880 at the latest. His actor, Arthur Hunnicutt, was born in 1910. (Hunnicutt was also only [[PlayingGertrude thirty years older]] than Natalie Trundy, playing Keller's granddaughter, Sandra.)

* WikiRule: [[http://www.perrymasontvseries.com/ www.perrymasontvseries.com]].

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Creator/RaymondBurr passed away on September 12, 1993 after twenty-six {{revival}} TV movies were made. It was decided to continue the series without Mason himself, under the banner ''A Perry Mason Mystery'', using a ConvenientReplacementCharacter. Said banner only lasted four movies.

** Ray Collins, who played Lt. Tragg.

*** Nine actors share the record for appearing as the actual murderer, each doing so three times as a different character: Malcolm Atterbury, Joan Banks, Richard Erdman, Alan Hewitt, Dabbs Greer, Robert H. Harris, Jeanette Nolan, Denver Pyle, and Mary La Roche.