Talk:Perry Mason

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

	This article is part of WikiProject Television, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to television programs and related subjects on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
???	This article has not yet received a rating on the quality scale.

Contents 1 Books? 2 Lt. Tragg's First Name 3 added dates 4 Reason for cancellation of series 5 plots 6 The introduction of the chalk outline 7 Anthony Caruso 8 Question about David Ogden Stiers 9 Errors in The Case of the Desperate Deception 10 dvd 11 Should the Info Box be moved up top where people will see it? 12 Spinning Frog?

[edit] Books?

I cant believe it. Most of the emphasis of this article is on the TV series. Blech. the books were so much better. Deepak 16:31, 9 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I agree that this article needs some work, however, I do not have the knowledge to do it. --Erik Jensen 04:07, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Lt. Tragg's First Name

The article gives the name as "Lieutenant Paul Tragg," but on IMDB, it is "Lt. Arthur Tragg."

It is also Arthur Tragg on several other sites. (Google)

Which is it? --Erik Jensen 07:54, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I am fairly sure it is Arthur, though they didn't use the first name very much. Why would Gardner have given the same first name to two major characters in the same series? -- Antaeus Feldspar 17:51, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I Will change it. If it is wrong, someone can revert it. --Erik Jensen 03:56, 28 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Tragg's name was definitely Arthur, although Perry and Burger just called him Tragg, and the other principals generally just called him Lieutenant. Mark Dixon 20:32, 6 Apr 2005 (UTC)

He is called to the stand at least once as Arthur, I remember this because recently I was trying to remember what his first name was, and the very next episode had it. I don't remember which one is was, though. CFLeon 07:13, 2 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] added dates

Good work, 68.148.21.240. Rick Norwood 13:37, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Reason for cancellation of series

When the television series was cancelled, it was one of the most popular programs on television. Does anyone know why it was cancelled? J S Ayer 17:46, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

I've seen reports that Raymond Burr gained too much weight. Rick Norwood 19:00, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] plots

I have mixed feelings about the new plot summaries. I can see how they might be useful if someone were looking for the title and only remembered the plot, but if they are to be included at all, they must be kept short. I'm going to make some of them shorter. Rick Norwood 18:59, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The introduction of the chalk outline

Yep, it happened on Perry Mason. The first time was actually a tape outline in "The Case of the Perjured Parrot" in 1958, but the outlines started showing up in other mystery dramas from there. Incidently, there has been some controversy as to whether or not the police actually do this. In some cities, they do. It is common practice in Cape Girardeau, Mo. and has even been shown on some of the new reels on KFVS channel 12 there, especially when the Scheper murders took place in 1992. 4.245.15.174 16:56, 27 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Anthony Caruso

Does anyone know more about the 'Perry Mason' branded television movies that actually featured "flamboyant" lawyer Anthony Caruso (not the actor of the same name AFAIK)? There's one on the Hallmark channel right now in the UK called "Perry Mason: Wicked Wives". --81.129.250.83 19:14, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Question about David Ogden Stiers

Why did David Ogden Stiers keep showing up in the early movies? It seemed that even when Mason was working on a case out of town, Stiers was portraying Michael Reston -- and prosecuting the case. Prosecutors, unlike defense attorneys, do not take on cases wherever they happen to be.--Will 04:54, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

According to the early movies themselves, Stiers was the prosecuting attorney in Denver. The very earliest of the TV movies were shot in Vancouver, Canada (I actually witnessed them shooting here and shook hands with Burr) but as I understand it the productions moved to Denver because it was even cheaper to shoot there. I'll try to find a reference in one of the early films that confirms Stiers' role.

Accounting4Taste 15:56, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Errors in The Case of the Desperate Deception

I have troubles believing the military court in The Case of the Desperate Deception really reflects a real military courtroom. I have watched JAG long enough to know that, while there were many errors in those trials, they had one part correct that the Perry Mason producers probably got wrong. In the Perry Mason movie, the court consisted of a panel of judges headed by a president. However, aside from one episode, namely Defensive Action, JAG showed what resembled a civilian court with a single judge and a panel of members (equivilent to jurors). This concurs with what is listed in the article Courts-martial in the United States. --Will 05:33, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

My understanding is that the 1969 amendments to the Uniform Code of Military Justice created the current courts-martial system. Having been involved in one in the early 80s (as a witness), I can state that the military judge was a JAG Corps colonel who wore his judicial robe over his uniform, and that the members of the court were officers and senior enlisted personnel who functioned exactly as jurors do in civilian trials. Rlquall 04:39, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

It still looked more like a true jury was not used. In JAG, every court martial featured a jury (referred to as "The Members") positioned and treated like a civilian jury. However, in this movie, the closest to a jury that the episode comes is the officers next to the colonel you mentioned.Will 07:56, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] dvd

a local low-end tv station plays the original series during dead time (3:00 am or so) and i must admit, i'm becoming a fan. there wouldn't happen to be any dvds in the works, would there? 63.226.57.47 05:33, August 13, 2006 (UTC)

Many of the original Perry Mason episodes are available on DVD from Columbia House, and there is also a first season DVD available from amazon. Rick Norwood 14:44, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Should the Info Box be moved up top where people will see it?

I think it should. Info Boxes should be used to provide quick summaries. Burying them is not a good idea. Will (Talk - contribs) 03:54, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Spinning Frog?

I deleted 'The Case of the Spinning Frog' from the novel list. If anyone knows that the story actually exists and was published, please revert. It certainly doesn't exist in the standard list of Gardner's books. Note that there's only three entries for it in Google, Wikipedia itself, Answers.com--obviously copying all its material from Wikipedia, and a person wishing to get a copy of the book. Also, the entry was added by an anonymous user, much later than the main list of books. Marieblasdell 06:40, 10 March 2007 (UTC)