History Trivia / PerryMason

--> 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.''

** That said, it wasn't Burr's first time playing a defense attorney, having played the defense counsel in 1956's ''Please Murder Me'' the year before the series aired. He also played the District Attorney in ''Film/APlaceInTheSun''.

** That said, it wasn't Burr's first time playing a defense attorney, having played the defense counsel in 1956's ''Please Murder Me'' the year before the series aired.

* ActingForTwo: Burr in the Season 9 episode "The Case of the Dead Ringer." He plays both Mason and a British sailor named Grimes, who is hired to impersonate him.

* ActingForTwo: Burr in a season nine episode. He plays both Mason and a British sailor named Grimes, who is hired to impersonate him.

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

*** Creator/ConnieCezon, who appeared in several Shemp-era shorts such as Film/CornyCasanovas, Film/UpInDaisysPenthouse, and Film/TrickyDicks in gold-digger roles, played Mason's receptionist Gertie Lade in 17 episodes.
*** [[Creator/KennethMacDonald Kenneth MacDonald]], who appeared in many Shemp-era shorts such as Film/HoldThatLion, Film/CrimeOnTheirHands, and Film/PunchyCowpunchers (normally as the villain), played Judge Carter in 32 episodes.

* ActingForTwo: Burr in a season nine episode.

** Also occurred between the TV series and the TV movies: Richard Anderson, who played Lt. Steve Drumm in the original series' final season, later played Ken Braddock in ''Perry Mason Returns''.

** That said, it wasn't his first time playing a defense attorney, having played the defense counsel in 1956's ''Please Murder Me'' the year before the series aired.

* WordOfGod: After Raymond Burr's death, it was revealed that ''Perry Mason'' author Erle Stanley Gardner 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 played TheHeavy 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.

* PlayingAgainstType: Raymond Burr was mostly known for playing villains and heavies prior to inhabiting the Mason role.

* CanonDiscontinuity: CBS considers ''The New Perry Mason'' to be nonexistent, not helped by the fact that the show is legally with Creator/{{Disney}}[=/=]Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox.

** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] with Raymond Burr himself. After his 1993 death, NBC aired several more episodes with Paul Sorvino or Hal Holbrook playing a defense attorney friend of an out-of-town Mason.

** Invoked, almost in those very words, by punk musician/lecturer JelloBiafra in "Tales from the Trial", talking about his own obscenity trial in 1986. He even sings a few lines of "Park Avenue Beat".

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Raymond Burr auditioned to play Hamilton Burger but the producers insisted he had to audition for Perry Mason as well. Legend has it that Erle Stanley Gardner immediately picked Burr after seeing his Mason audition.

* WordOfGod: After Raymond Burr's death, it was revealed that ''Perry Mason'' author Erle Stanley Gardner 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 played TheHeavy in a series of low budget films, was 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.

* FakeAmerican: Raymond Burr is Canadian.

* WordOfGod: After Raymond Burr's death, it was revealed that ''Perry Mason'' author Erle Stanley Gardner 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 Fred [=MacMurray=]). Burr, who had primarily played TheHeavy in a series of low budget films, was 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.

* YouLookFamiliar: Often in the original TV series. Mona Freeman and Patricia Breslin each played three of Perry's clients; Bill Williams (husband of co-star Barbara Hale and father of ''future'' co-star William Katt) appeared in four episodes, in very different roles.

* StuntCasting: A number of guest stars filled in for Burr while he was recovering from an operation. Most did not fit this trope, but one was BetteDavis.

** Burr played the role with one arm in a sling during four season eight episodes

* YouLookFamiliar: Often in the original TV series. Mona Freeman and Patricia Breslin each played three of Perry's clients; Bill Williams (husband of co-star Barbara Hale) appeared in four episodes, in very different roles.

** William Talman (Hamilton Burger) showed up first with a leg cast and crutches, then with laryngitis, during season two.

* TheCharacterDiedWithHim

* ShoutOut: In its second season ''Series/LoisAndClark'' featured a feisty woman attorney called Mayson Drake. In fact, the original script specified her name as ''Della'' Mayson Drake, and she was supposed to be Paul's daughter.

* WrittenInInfirmity

** HeyItsThatGuy / RetroactiveRecognition: It's quite interesting to watch episodes of this show with knowledge of series later in TheSixties. For example: [[Series/{{Batman}} Commissioner Gordon]] was apparently on a few corporate boards himself before devoting himself to law and order back East and DaChief [[Series/GetSmart of CONTROL]] was a Judge Advocate (like those in [[Series/{{JAG}} that series from]] TheNineties) for the Pacific Fleet before his appointment.[[note]]considering that his precursor in series was an Admiral himself, it makes sense...[[/note]]
*** Raymond Burr himself was the villain in ''Film/RearWindow''. Given how it's one of Creator/AlfredHitchcock's most notable and alluded-to films it's surprising this doesn't come up more often.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The [[DickClark guilty party]] of the last series episode is better known for his rockin {{Pyramid}} schemes.

*** Raymond Burr himself was the villain in ''RearWindow''. Given how it's one of Creator/AlfredHitchcock's most notable and alluded-to films it's surprising this doesn't come up more often.