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Here's how Raymond Burr felt about a potential romance between Perry and Della Street on ''Perry Mason''
Raymond Burr wasn't just the smartest man in the courtroom; he was also the smartest man on set.
Look, we love romance just as much as the next disembodied website. But with so many television shows filled to the brim with love affairs, we seem to have seriously underestimated the power of a good old-fashioned platonic friendship. Romantic attachment can make everything so complicated, not to mention it's vastly overused in today's media, to the point of oversaturation. The fact of the matter is that two people who are lifelong friends with one another can love and respect each other just as much as any romantic couple can.
Take, for example, Della Street and Perry Mason of the series Perry Mason. Though first coworkers, the two share an incredibly amiable and supportive friendship that ultimately enriches both of their lives. At times it seems that Della acts as Perry's head when he isn't thinking straight; he, in turn, serves as her advocate.
Dean Hargrove, who served as producer on several of the Perry Mason films, said that Raymond Burr, who played Mason, acted as the character's "guide in terms of behavior" during an interview with Knight-Ridder. Because Burr understood the role down to such a granular level, it was often he that the writers would seek to ensure that certain plot points were in line with the character.
Hargrove said that there was one point upon which Burr became immovable. He stated, "There was a caveat that there was to be not only no romance (between Perry and Della) but (also) no physical contact between the two."
It is perhaps strange that Burr served as Perry Mason's caretaker, especially considering that originally, he wasn't even close to winning the role when the show began casting.
According to an interview in Leicester Mercury with Gail Patrick Johnson, who helped bring Perry Mason to life on CBS, Burr was originally called in to audition for the role of Hamilton Burger. Johnson explained, "We decided to humor him until he could see for himself how right he was for the role of Hamilton Burger."
However, even then, Burr knew best and insisted he also try out for the role of Mason.
Johnson said, "Little did we know how wrong we were going to be proved."
48 Comments
As for Barbra Hale, she was the first (or almost the first) professional woman on TV who was only shown doing her job and not looking for a man in her life.
But I never believed they were platonic from the time on the cruise ship they drank and danced all night together.
