Nevertheless, Gardner stuck with his instincts and Burr demonstrated  just how good and actor he was.  In courtroom scenes he perfected the inflections and mannerisms that made his portrayal so convincing.   Looking back, it’s hard to imagine any other actor playing Mason.  That was evident when CBS revived the series in 1973 with Monte Markham as Perry.  Viewers simply were not willing to accept anyone but Burr in the title role and the series disappeared after one season.

Gardner selected William Talman for the role of D.A. Hamilton Burger, the prosecutor who would be Burr’s adversary in most of the episodes.  Like Burr, Talman had spent most of his career playing villains in noir.  Although not as prolific as Burr, he did make his mark playing  the vicious serial killer in The Hitch-hiker.  Here were two actors, both very familiar to noir audiences  that would be featured prominently in Gardner’s series.  

Veteran actor Ray Collins was chosen to play police lieutenant Tragg, William Hooper was picked for private investigator Paul Drake and Barbara Hale was selected to play Mason’s confidential secretary Della Street.    Collins was well known to viewers from his long film career but was an odd choice given his age.  Nevertheless, his dry wit and engaging banter with Burr enhanced the early seasons.   Gardner, who never forgot Warners’ treatment of his stories would have no part of Burr having a glamorous secretary.  That would be too Hollywood for his attorney who was all business.  Like most of his decisions his instincts proved him right.   In Barbara Hale he had an actress who was attractive but also had the credibility to portray someone who was capable of taking the copious shorthand of her boss.  

With the cast in place a pilot episode, The Case of the Moth-Eaten Mink,  was filmed in late 1956.   CBS  liked  what they saw and  the show went into production for the 1957 season.  The show was not an immediate success, but as the season progressed  its audience  rapidly grew as viewers came to recognize the show’s quality.  By the second season Perry Mason had cracked the top 20 list and for the 1961/62  season in was the fifth most popular show on television.  A remarkable feat for a series that had a seemingly canned format, little action and no appeal to younger audiences.   But analyzing the show’s relationship to film noir provides a better understanding of the show’s appeal.  

As with many aspects of success, timing is crucial and Gardner could not have been more fortuitous.  When Perry Mason aired in the fall of 1957 film noir had run its course on the big screen.  There was now a void of the stylistic black and white crime dramas that moviegoers had come to appreciate during the succeeding years.  But in Perry Mason they were finding an alternative that in many ways embraced many of film noir’s essential elements.   Yes, each episode involved a well established format having Burr taking on a client charged with murder and ending with him proving the client’s innocence by revealing the real killer.   But it was the storey between these two counterpoints that resonated noir.   The very elements that distinguish noir were there, and viewers were quick to recognize them.

The basic premise of the show, that of someone falsely accused, had long been a central theme of noir.  In each storey were found the nefarious, double-crossing type of characters that had become synonymous with noir.  And there was an abundance of dames, divas and femme fatales.  And these were not hollow characters, for many of the actors who had made their mark in film noir were appearing in Perry Mason episodes.

Warren William, above  -  His  uneven portrayal  as Perry Mason was seemingly different in each of the four films he appeared in.  This was confusing to audiences and well irritating to Gardner.

Ricardo Cortez, below  -  Most agree that  The Case of The Black Cat was the best of the Perry Mason films made by Warners.  The storey was not only consistent with Gardner’s book, but Cortez brought a refinement and sophistication to the role that made him very credible.   If this had been the first film in the series perhaps  Warners would have had a franchise.  But the previous four films with William had done their damage.