In our exploration of the original teleplays developed for Perry Mason and all the terrific character actors who appeared on that show, we’ve been looking at the crossover these performers had with other favorite shows of mine from the 1960’s. Last time, we looked at four actors who crossed over from the sparkling ABC sitcom Bewitched to everyone’s favorite … Continue reading DARRIN’S GOT TWO DADS! The Perry Mason/Bewitched Connection, Pt. 2

Before witches became petulant teenagers on Netflix or haunted multiple seasons of American Horror Story, there was Samantha Stephens. Premiering (after a long period of development) on September 17, 1964, Bewitched was the perfect sitcom for a nine-year-old boy with a romantic soul and a love for fantasy. The concept of a beautiful witch falling in love with a … Continue reading ABNER, DURWOOD, DELLA AND PAUL: The Perry Mason/Bewitched Connection, Pt. 1

Perhaps I’m getting a little obsessive in my game of linking the dots between classic TV shows with actors who certainly achieved success but maybe never received their just due. I’ve covered history’s spookiest soap opera and one of the very first adventure series based on a hit comic book character. There’s much more to … Continue reading THE PERRY MASON CONNECTION: Dick, Disney, and Three Divine Divas

It’s interesting to consider the all-too-short life of Victor Charles Buono, whose career included Shakespearean stage roles, an Oscar-nominated turn in the movies, and some colorful villains on multiple TV series. Up to a point, one can find comparisons to another large-sized, larger-than-life performer named Orson Welles: both men had colorful childhoods, and both burst … Continue reading THE PERRY MASON/BATMAN CONNECTION, PT. 3: Victor Buono

Of all the actors who we are fortunate enough to have seen on both Batman and Perry Mason, the most prolific of them all was Neil Hamilton. He played Police Commissioner James Gordon on every episode of one series and faced off against Perry on seven episodes that spanned nearly the entire series, from Season One through Eight. Born … Continue reading THE PERRY MASON/BATMAN CONNECTION, PT. 2: Neil Hamilton

I’ve been having so much fun exploring all the actors who appeared on multiple episodes of Perry Mason. Since I'm covering the adaptations of the novels as I read them, here I’m focusing on the 144 episodes created from original teleplays. The bonus is that I get to shine a light on actors who you may … Continue reading HOLY ACQUITTAL!! The Perry Mason/Batman Connection

In the early, pre-Barnabas Collins, days of Dark Shadows, the show tried to behave like a normal soap opera, albeit with Gothic trappings. The main storylines centered around Victoria Winters, a grown-up orphan who had come to Collinsport to take a job as governess to the young Collins heir because of a hint she had received that … Continue reading THE PERRY MASON/DARK SHADOWS CONNECTION, PT. 3: Dennis Patrick

Hollywood cemeteries are strewn with the graves of thousands of forgotten actors and, for most of us, John Lasell is one of them. He had a respectable twenty-five year long career, mostly on television where he hit the ground running in 1960 and made single appearances on a wide variety of classic shows. One of … Continue reading THE PERRY MASON/DARK SHADOWS CONNECTION, PT. 2: John Lasell

You all know how much I love Erle Stanley Gardner, especially his most famous creation, defense attorney extraordinaire Perry Mason. For the past few years, I’ve been weaving across the Mason canon and, as is my wont, whenever I review a novel, I like to cover any film adaptations that exist. On that score, I tend to … Continue reading CREATIVE HOPSCOTCH: The Perry Mason/Dark Shadows Connection