The Case of the Restless RedheadAir date: 9-21-1957
As a series and character, Perry Mason hit the ground running. The studio assumed that by 1957, most people tuning in were familiar with the most successful fictional trial lawyer in history through the novels written by Erle Stanley Gardner who is credited by the Guiness Books of World Records as being the #1 best read author of all time. When the first episode aired Perry, Paul Drake, Della Street, Hamilton Burger (Hamburger - get it?) and Lt. Tragg needed no introduction. Raymond Burr lost 80 pounds to star in the role. This was a big budget TV show. Each episode required 6 days of shooting and imposed a rigorous schedule on the actors.
Erle Stanley Gardner was himself a lawyer, and demanded authenticity and realism in the courtroom scenes and in Perry's handling of cross-examination. Gardner practiced law in Ventura, California and Perry Mason's office on the TV show was patterned after Gardner's real office. Della Street was modeled after Gardner's wife. Gardner wrote 4,000 words a day on average, and considered speed, situation, suspense, and pace to be more important than characterization. This forumla kept the reader and viewer engaged in the story. Trial lawyers and Litigators should take heed of this formula. Do not bore the Judge and Jury with either your pleadings or your presentation. You will lose the case if you lose their interest.
The lesson of the first episode of Perry Mason is this: The Power of Story is Paramount. Control the Narrative through speed, pace, and suspense. One of the greatest defense attorneys to ever grace a courtroom is Gerry Spence from Wyoming, recently inducted into the Trial Lawyer's Hall of Fame and the founder of the Trial Lawyers College. Gerry summed it all up when he once wrote,
"Lawyers must be storytellers. That is what the art of advocacy comes down to - the telling of the true story of one's case."
