Perry Mason (radio)
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| Other names | The New Adventures of Perry Mason |
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| Genre | Crime serial |
| Running time | 15 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | CBS Radio |
| TV adaptations | The Edge of Night |
| Starring |
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| Announcer | Bob Dixon, Alan Kent, Richard Stark |
| Created by | Erle Stanley Gardner (original stories) |
| Written by | Irving Vendig |
| Directed by | Art Hanna, Carlo deAngelo, Carl Eastman, Hoyt Allen, Ralph Butler |
| Produced by | Tom McDermott |
| Executive producer(s) | Leslie Harris |
| Recording studio | New York City |
| Air dates | October 18, 1943 to December 30, 1955 |
| No. of episodes | 3000 |
| Sponsored by | General Foods, Tide |
| Podcast | stream from Archive.org |
Perry Mason is a radio crime serial based on the novels of Erle Stanley Gardner. Broadcast weekdays on CBS Radio from 1943 to 1955, the series was adapted into The Edge of Night which ran on television for an additional 30 years.
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.
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.John Larkin took over the starring role March 31, 1947, and portrayed Perry Mason until the end of the series.
Larkin played the equivalent character on The Edge of Night.
The guest cast included Mercedes McCambridge. Principal cast members are listed in order of portrayal.
Radio's Perry Mason has more in common, in all but name, with the daytime serial The Edge of Night than the subsequent 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. The sponsor, Procter & 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. Gardner eventually aligned himself with the nighttime courtroom drama.
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