Perry Mason

[electra225]

We have been watching Perry Mason on FreeVee streaming service. They have every episode of the show from 1957 to 1966. We started at the first episode of the first season and are watching every episode in order. In 1957, he drove two cars, a '57 Ford Retractable hardtop and a '58 Cadillac. He drives black convertibles, with the top down, on dusty roads. It's amazing to watch the actors on the show who later had shows of their own. Barbara Eden was on one, Francis Bovier was on one. They use the same Motorola TV on a stand in several of the episodes. Perry Mason was one of the early TV shows where the glass was still in the cars, although they rolled down the side glass in most shots. Most of those movies are still in really good condition for their age. The part I find really odd is that everybody smokes cigarettes. And they smoke them everywhere except in the courtroom proper. Everybody lives in a big house with heavy draperies and high ceilings. The bad guy drives a Lincoln or a Buick Electra, the wife they run around on drives a Mercury or a Buick Wildcat. Even Lieutanant Tragg drives a '63 LeSabre four door hardtop with cornerning lights. In one police chase, the cops were driving a '57 Roadmaster 75 four door hardtop with a Continental kit, then when they stopped, they were driving a Special four door sedan with bubble gums on top. One car went off a cliff as a '57 Lincoln sedan, but when they dragged it up, it was a '57 Ford sedan. Perry Mason is one of my favorite shows of all time.

[MEZLAW]

I just looked up "FREEVEE" and found it works with my Amazon business account. I got rid of Amazon prime a few years ago.

I guess I was watching Perry Mason on the prime account back then because it asked me to continue watching season 1 episode 4!

[19&41]

I remember the show was sponsored by Parliment cigarettes. They had segments of the show that were commercials with the actors enjoying the product before returning to smoke Hamilton Burger. I remember that a Concert Grand is shown in one of the episodes. The model that had appeared on the previous console forum. I also remember that Paul Drake had an affinity for T-birds.

[19&41]

One other thing, since you are streaming now Greg, YouTube carries the screen test and pilot episode of the series.

[electra225]

In the early episodes, it doesn't show Paul Drake driving any car. I don't think he got his first T-Bird until 1958. Perry Mason went from Ford Retractables to Lincoln in 1961. Ford furnished cars for the show, per the credits at the end, but most of the cars featured were Buicks. Perry Mason, Paul Drake and Lieutenant Tragg drove Fords. Even Hamilton Burger drove a Buick. I believe 1958 was Perry Mason's last Cadillac. Lieutenant Tragg started driving Buick in 1961. FreeVee's main claim to fame is that they stole Judge Judy from CBS. We have Walmart+ as a company benefit. We get Paramount+ and most of the streaming services as part of that package. Walmart is trying to be Amazon. They may wake up one of these days and realize that not only are they not Amazon, but they forgot how to be Walmart......

[walyfd]

First season he drove a black 1957 cadillac series 62 convertible. Dual headlights vs 1958s quad. Probably didn't have a car sponsor that year. GM wasn't in the habit of sponsoring shows.

1958 season he had Fords. EVERYBODY had a Ford... like "Father Knows Best". The cleavers had mopars... except for one neighbor up the street with a '57 cadillac sedan parked on the right side of the street...

[19&41]

Watch the screen tests and see who was going to be Hamilton Burger...

[electra225]

I didn't notice the headlamps. I was looking at the tailfins. Did I get those wrong, AGAIN?

[walyfd]

Not really... both years had tiny single taillights on the outside with white reverse lights on the inside. Rear bumpers were identical. 57 fins canted forward and 58 canted rearward ala 55 Eldorado shark fins. You wouldn't really notice it in a flat-on shot but sideways you would...

People say the 57 fin is wrong... well, it isn't. It's the last iteration of the original P38 design. 48 to 57 is an obtuse angle cascading to the bumper. 57 fin tip was not illuminated and people complained the cars looked too short. So, in 58, they used the shark fin to make the cars look longer, especially the base bread-and-butter 62 sedans...

There were 10 different chassis in 1958...

[electra225]

Starting with the 1957 Season One, Episode 9 "The Case Of The Runaway Corpse", Paul Drake is seen driving a 1957-ish Corvette, white with a red cove. Lieutenant Tragg drives a '57 Special four door sedan. Some cop cars are Chevy 150's with V-8, some are Fords, some are Buicks.

[Ken Doyle]

Here's the Internet Movie Car Database's page for Perry Mason (1957-1966)

https://www.imcdb.org/movie_50051-Perry-Mason.html

[electra225]

Thanks, Ken. I saved a copy of this for my files. They used a lot of interesting cars in the show.

[Dr. Radio]

Was there ever an episode in which someong had their Concert Grand stolen?



Or maybe I should just ask you guys if you ever spotted any interesting radios or consoles in any episode?

[electra225]

I don't remember one. Most of the episodes had blackmail as the underlying motive for murder.

[19&41]

I knew I saw drake in a first generation T-bird. Here's a production still and a screenshot of the unit.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view ... ajaxserp=0

https://www.imcdb.org/i204912.jpg

[electra225]

We are up to Episode 18 of Season 1, dated the first few weeks of 1958. The only car I've seen Paul Drake drive thus far is the Corvette. I expect to see a '57 T-Bird like you posted in the next few episodes. I believe they taped something like 50 episodes a season back then.