BREAKING MOVIE/TV NEWS

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

"Perry Mason" - Everyone Is Guilty



The upcoming HBO dramatic crime series "Perry Mason", starring Emmy winner Matthew Rhys, premieres June 21, 2020 on HBO, following the 1930's origins of the famous criminal defense lawyer, based on characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner:


"...when the case of the decade breaks down his door, Mason's relentless pursuit of the truth reveals a fractured city and just maybe, a pathway to redemption for himself..."


The "Chinatown"- inspired series, includes Mason's secretary 'Della Street', private investigator 'Paul Drake' and courtroom nemesis 'Hamilton Burger'.


Downey Jr. and his wife Susan Downey produce for Team Downey.


As a defense attorney, 'Perry Mason' was featured in more than 80 'detective fiction' novels and short stories, usually involving a client's murder trial.


Typically, Mason was able to establish his client's innocence by implicating another character, who then confessed.


Author Gardner had over 135 million copies of his books in print in North America in 1969.


The character was also portrayed each weekday on a long-running radio series, followed by well-known depictions in film/TV including "Perry Mason", television's longest-running lawyer series (1957-1966) starring Raymond Burr, another series (1973–1974) starring Monte Markham and Brett Somers and 30 (!) made-for-TV movies (1985-1993).


In the first novel, "The Case Of The Velvet Claws" (1933), Mason described himself as: "...a lawyer who has specialized in trial work, and in a lot of criminal work. I'm a specialist on getting people out of trouble. They come to me when they're in all sorts of trouble, and I work them out.


"If you look me up through some family lawyer or some corporation lawyer, he'll probably tell you that I'm a shyster. If you look me up through some chap in the District Attorney's office, he'll tell you that I'm a dangerous antagonist... but he doesn't know very much about me..."


Many of Gardner's 82 "Perry Mason' novels were first published in serial format for "The Saturday Evening Post".


Sixteen novels also appeared in the "Toronto Star Weekly" in condensed form
.


Publishers of "Perry Mason" books include William Morrow and Company, New York...


... as well as published simultaneously in Toronto.


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