Perry Mason adaptations for radio were broadcast on CBS Radio from 1943-1955. The series was adapted into Edge of Night which ran on television for an additional 30 years..
| Perry Mason | |
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 every afternoon on CBS
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| Genre | Daily Crime Serial |
| Running time | 15 Minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Languages | English |
| Syndicates | CBS Radio |
| TV adaptations | The Edge of Night |
| Starring | Bartlett Robinson,Santos Ortega, Donald Briggs, John Larkin (1947 - 1955) Gertrude Warner, Joan Alexander |
| Announcer | Bob Dixon, Alan Kent, Richard Stark |
| Creators | Erle Stanley Gardner (original stories) |
| Writers | Irving Vendig |
| Directors | Art Hanna, Carlo deAngelo, Carl Eastman, Hoyt Allen, Ralph Butler |
| Producers | Tom McDermott |
| Executive producers | Leslie Harris |
| Recording studio | New York |
| Air dates | October 18, 1943 to December 30, 1955 |
| No. of episodes | 3000 [1] |
| Sponsor | General Foods, Tide |
 Podcaststream from Archive.org |
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Erle Stanley Gardner's literary success with the Perry Mason novels convinced Hollywood to try its hand, unsuccessfully, with some motion pictures. However, the Perry Mason radio show stayed on the air for 12 years and as Edge of Night (EON) another 30 years on television. Reportedly, Gardner disliked the series, due to a lack of his own creative control over the show[2], ultimately withholding his endorsement of a daytime television version of the radio show.
The radio Perry Mason eschewed boring courtroom drama in favor of swapping gunshots with evildoers! Geared more towards action than courtroom drama, Perry Mason ran 12 seasons.
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Cast
The actors portraying Mason switched frequently over the first three years of the show's run, starting with Bartlett Robinson, then followed by Santos Ortega and Donald Briggs, before settling on John Larkin, who played the famous attorney for the remainder of the broadcast, as well as the equivalent character on EON. Della Street, in turn, was portrayed by Radio Soap Queen Gertrude Warner, Jan Miner (Palmolive's "Madge" the Manicurist), and New York City socialite, Joan Alexander, radio's voice of Lois Lane,
(Cast in order of portrayal)[3]
- Perry Mason:
- Bartlett Robinson,
- Santos Ortega,
- Donald Briggs,
- John Larkin
- Della Street:
- Paul Drake:
- Matt Crowley,
- Charles Webster
- Lieutenant Tragg:
- Frank Dane,
- Mandel Kramer
Transition to TV
Radio's Mason has more in common, in all but name, with the daytime serial Edge of Night than the hit prime time Perry Mason television show. As many radio serials moved to television, so was to be the destiny of Perry Mason. However, Gardner disagreed with the direction of the new show and pulled his support[2]. The daytime sponsor Proctor and Gamble hired the writers and staff of the Perry Mason radio series, the show was retooled, and it became The Edge of Night. The characters and setting were renamed. Erle Stanley Gardner eventually aligned himself with the nighttime courtroom drama[4].
Edge of Night
The show was originally conceived as the daytime television version of Perry Mason. Mason's creator, Erle Stanley Gardner, was to create and write the show, but a last-minute tiff between him and the CBS network caused Gardner to pull his support from the idea. CBS insisted that Mason be given a love interest to placate daytime soap opera audiences, but Gardner flatly refused to take Mason in that direction. Gardner would eventually patch up his differences with CBS and Perry Mason would debut in prime time in 1957.
Emmy-winning Perry Mason
Perry Mason is an Emmy-winning American TV series that ran from 1957 to 1966. Perry Mason was played by actor Raymond Burr. The title character is a fictional defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner. The plot is essentially the same in each episode: Mason's client is put on trial for murder, but Mason is able to establish his client's innocence by dramatically demonstrating the guilt of another character.[5] The murderer nearly always breaks down and confesses to the crime in the courtroom, if not on the witness stand.
Airtimes
| Air Dates | Time Slot | |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 18, 1943-March 31, 1944 | 2:45 p.m. ET | |
| April 3, 1944-March 23, 1945 | 2:30 p.m. ET | |
| March 26, 1945-Dec. 30, 1955 | 2:15 p.m. ET |
See also
References
- ^ Larka, Robert. Television's Private Eye: An Examination of Twenty Years Programming of a Particular Genre, 1949 to 1969. Christopher H. Sterling. New York: Ayer Publishing. p. p123. ISBN 0405117639.
- ^ a b Totenberg, Nina (June 10, 2002). "NPR: Perry Mason". http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/perrymason/index.html. Retrieved October 17, 2008, Listen to NPR story
- ^ Starr, Michael Seth. "Enter Perry Mason". Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 83. ISBN 1557836949.
- ^ Museum of Broadcast Communication. "Perry Mason". http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/P/htmlP/perrymason/perrymason.htm. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ Leitch, Thomas. "Order in the Court". Perry Mason. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. p. pp 28 - 29.. ISBN 0814331211. "It is never enough for Mason to establish a reasonable doubt of his client's guilt; he must clear the client absolutely by pinning the guilt on someone else, almost always by extracting a confession."
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