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Here's why Raymond Burr loved the legal stuff in Perry Mason
Most would find the legal stuff boring, but Raymond Burr found it to be exciting.
There is no doubting Raymond Burr's dedication to his role as the leading man in the hit-series Perry Mason (1961).
His role as the criminal defense attorney highlighted the handling of some of the most difficult cases in support of the innocent. Throughout nine seasons of the series, Perry Mason only lost three cases (and then got two of those overturned), proving he was the only man for the job.
It's almost as if his career in court had become a second career, or part-time job for Burr. He studied the law in his own time, he raised awareness about issues within the justice system and he had a hard time leaving his character at work.
So, why did Burr love all that long, boring legal stuff so much in Perry Mason? According to a 1960 interview with The San Francisco Examiner, Burr believed law served more of a purpose to society than acting ever could.
Good thing he was great at doing both jobs.
"I think the most important profession is the legal profession, because the world today has two choices," Burr said. "It can either destroy itself or learn to survive under law. Yet, the public knows less about the legal profession than almost any other."
Burr and Perry Mason shared a few things in common: They were both smart, confident, charismatic, had a love of law and most importantly, they were determined to shed a new light on the justice system.
According to the interview, Burr said he saw it as his job to educate viewers and to provide them with a space to learn and ask questions.
Burr was familiar with lawyers from all over the country, and would frequently be asked to be a guest speaker. He used this time to educate people on all his favorite topics related to law. What may sound boring to some was Burr's favorite subject.
"To my mind, the most important judges are in traffic courts," Burr said. "They are the only connection with our court system 85 percent of our citizens ever have. What better place to assert justice?"
"Our aim is to make the public pay attention to traffic citations, and go into court when they think they're right, not just to pay fines," Burr continued.
He was a man based in law, but he was also hoping to fight it too. All of this, of course, had been inspired by Perry Mason. Burr considered Perry Mason to be a valuable tool for the public and wanted viewers to use it for educational purposes.
Burr also did a few grassroots campaigns during his time on the series. He worked closely with the American Bar Association on programs designed to better the court and jury systems by gaining public interest.
"This show is popular, not only in this country, but in Sweden, Italy, Austria and Japan because it reaffirms through the medium of entertainment all the things we hope are true, and the things we want to believe about our system of justice," Burr said.
"Other countries may not understand our legal procedures, but they are interested in the U.S.," Burr continued. "They want it to remain free. They want our system, our justice to work, perhaps just as much as we do."
No matter if it's onscreen or in real life, we could always count on leaving the legal stuff to Perry Mason.
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29 Comments
I saw all of them on MeTV, but only started watching the episodes 2-to-3 years ago. I enjoyed the accurate legal details, learned more of the lingo (legal language), and how both sides argued their points with the judge, and jury. This now 66-year-old series (Sep. 1957) holds up remarkably well, in using legal terms and law (in Calif.) that may have changed or have now supplanted by new laws after the series ended in May 1966.
I enjoy when the posters here share all the interesting tidbits they know.
Like Dan "Hos" Blocker" being a intellectual who once taught at a Texas college,
he also was a combat veteran of the Korean War.
