Why We Need Perry Mason Now More Than Ever

I used to watch Perry Mason on television a lot when I was a kid. I loved the edgy black-and-white film; the unlikely plots; the relentless drive for truth. Not to mention the cars. What ten year-old girl immersed in rerun after rerun doesn’t develop a passion for a ’57 Ford?

And what do I find the other night, bored out of my mind, surfing the offerings of Amazon Prime? That beloved blast from the past.

Perry Mason, Paul Drake, and Della Street are the fanciest Three Musketeers ever to grace the fake backdrops of Los Angeles. The sartorial propriety alone makes me howl. Perry and Paul are never without a jacket and tie. And Della is always in a skirt, even when she’s trudging through tall grass looking for a stolen trailer, of all things. Lieutenant Tragg always has his hat; and DA Burger his weird hair product. Well, most men on TV and off wore hair product in those days.

The defendant is always falsely accused, often a victim of circumstantial evidence. And usually a young, shapely woman, who doesn’t know where to turn, needing a broad shoulder to cry on.

What I like about this gritty concoction is that Della is more than just a secretary. She serves as a bright, discriminating sounding board when Perry tries to weave all the threads together. She’s got a perky sense of humor, but is firmly…