''Perry Mason'' is a radio crime serial based on the novels of

Erle Stanley Gardner Erle Stanley Gardner (July 17, 1889 – March 11, 1970) was an American lawyer and author. He is best known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories, but he wrote numerous other novels and shorter pieces and also a series of nonfiction b ...

. Broadcast weekdays on

CBS Radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broad ...

from 1943 to 1955, the series was adapted into ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that netwo ...

'' which ran on television for an additional 30 years.

Production

The 15-minute continuing series ''Perry Mason'' aired weekdays October 18, 1943 – December 30, 1955, on CBS Radio. Geared more towards action than courtroom drama, it mixed mystery and soap opera, with attorney Perry Mason sometimes even exchanging gunfire with criminals. Erle Stanley Gardner's literary success with the Perry Mason novels convinced Warner Bros. to try its hand, unsuccessfully, with some motion pictures. However, the ''Perry Mason'' radio show stayed on the air for 12 years. As ''The Edge of Night'', it ran for another 30 years on television, but Gardner disliked the proposed daytime television version due to a lack of his own creative control. He ultimately withheld his endorsement of the daytime TV show, forcing the name change.

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 Santos Edward Ortega (June 30, 1899 – April 10, 1976) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for playing Will Hughes in ''As the World Turns'', taking over from Will Lee, who had played the role from the first episode on April 2, ...

and Donald Briggs. John Larkin took over the starring role March 31, 1947, and portrayed Perry Mason until the end of the series.Hickerson, Jay (1992), ''The Ultimate History of Network Radio Programming and Guide to All Circulating Shows''. Hamden, Connecticut: Jay Hickerson second edition Larkin played the equivalent character on ''The Edge of Night''. The guest cast included

Mercedes McCambridge Carlotta Mercedes Agnes McCambridge (March 16, 1916 – March 2, 2004) was an American actress of radio, stage, film, and television. Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress." She won an Academy Award for Best Support ...

. Principal cast members are listed in order of portrayal. *

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

Bartlett Robinson Bartlett Whitney Robinson (December 9, 1912 – March 26, 1986) was an American actor who performed on radio, the stage, in films, and on television for five decades. In 1943 he was the first actor of several performers who provided the voice of ...

Donald Briggs Donald Briggs (January 28, 1911 – February 3, 1986) was an American actor, who appeared in over 75 films and television shows between the 1930s and 1970s. Early life Briggs was born in Chicago, Illinois and died in Woodland Hills, California ...

*: John Larkin (1947–1955) * Paul Drake *: Matt Crowley *: Charles Webster *

Della Street Della Street is the fictional secretary of Perry Mason in the long-running series of novels, short stories, films, and radio and television programs featuring the fictional defense attorney created by Erle Stanley Gardner. In 1950, Gardner publ ...

Gertrude Warner Gertrude Warner (April 2, 1917 – January 26, 1986) was an American voice talent who played multiple characters on radio productions during the Golden Age of Radio. Early life Warner was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1917. Her father was J ...

*: Jan Miner *: Joan Alexander * Lieutenant Tragg *:

Mandel Kramer Mandel Kramer (March 12, 1916 – January 29, 1989) was an American actor. As a voice actor, he is best known as the last Johnny Dollar from ''Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar'' radio show. Early years Kramer grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, where his f ...

Frank Dane Frank Dane was a British actor of the silent era. Dane was born Frank Hughbert Thomas Crust on 7 June 1885 in Deal, Kent. He died in 1957 at age 71 in Chichester, Sussex. Selected filmography * '' A Daughter of England'' (1915) * ''Justice'' (19 ...

Transition to television

Radio's ''Perry Mason'' has more in common, in all but name, with the daytime serial ''

'' than the subsequent prime-time ''

'' 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. 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. The sponsor,

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...

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. CBS would eventually acquiesce to Gardner's vision and greenlight an official ''Perry Mason'' TV adaptation in 1957. Since this version would air in

prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...

, it was not bound to the conventions of daytime soaps and would more closely resemble a conventional courtroom drama. Two actors who played Perry Mason on radio, Bartlett Robinson and John Larkin, appeared in episodes of the CBS-TV series, ''Perry Mason'', starring

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor known for his lengthy Hollywood film career and his title roles in television dramas '' Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career included roles ...

as the title character. Both ''The Edge of Night'' and ''Perry Mason'' would go on to success in television: the prime time ''Perry Mason'' ran for nine seasons (and would be revived in a series of television films in the 1980s that would run until Burr's death). ''The Edge of Night'' would run for 28 years on daytime television.

Broadcast history

References

External links

*
Perry Mason
' at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...