After painstaking hours of research, I've created a gallery of the 11 actors who appeared most often as judges on the Perry Mason TV show, which ran from 1957 to 1966. I've been watching the show on a local classic TV channel, and decided the judges deserved more credit than they got in their day. There were several other judges on the show, but these are the 11 with the most appearances.
11
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| Byron Morrow, 7 Episodes 10 |
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| Frank Wilcox, 8 Episodes 9 |
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| Nelson Leigh, 9 Episodes 8 |
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| Charles Irving, 11 Episodes |
7
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| Richard Gaines, 14 Episodes |
6
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| Grandon Rhodes, 16 Episodes |
5
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| John Gallaudet, 20 Episodes 4 |
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| Morris Ankrum, 22 Episodes |
3
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| Willis Bouchet, 23 Episodes |
2
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| Kenneth R.MacDonald, 32 Episodes 1 |
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| S. John Launer, 33 Episodes Special Recognition  Lillian Bronson, 3 episodes (Only female judge)  Daniel Elam, 2 episodes (One of two Black judges)  Vincent Townsend, Jr., 1 episode (One of two Black judges) |
33 comments:
Awesome! I used to watch reruns of that when I was a kid.
METV is da bomb.
Loved watching PM while recovering from my busticated neck. I kind of pities the DA. First, his folks name him 'Hamilton Burger', then he has to deal with Mason. Guy couldn't buy a break.
Did any real judges ever serve?
According to IMDB website, the only men, among these 11 with experience of the law professions,were Frank Wilcox and Morris Winslow Ankrum. The mother of Mr. Wilcox was a law clerk. Mr. Ankrum was actually a law school graduate, attorney and economics professor before he changed his career to acting. KR in Montana
Another lawyer, although not a judge, appeared as an actor playing the jurist. He was the author, Erle Stanley Gardner in the last episode of the first Burr series titled "Final Fade-out" - the story in which newcomer Dick Clark played the villain murderer. KR in Montana
PS: Other Mason trivia is found on:
https://www.robertreeveslaw.com/blog/21-amazing-bizarre-facts-perry-mason/
All men but there was one female judge who appeared in more than one episode and you seem to have overlooked the importance of a woman judge so early in tv. The actress who played that role was Lillian Bronson.
According to IMDB, Lillian Bronson played the judge once each in 1958, 1959 and 1960 . . . after playing one of the suspects in The Case of the Sulky Girl (1957).
The judge in the episode, "The Case of the Skeleton's Closet", which originally aired on May, 2, 1963, was played by a real judge, Vince Monroe Townsend Jr. Remarkably, Vince Townsend was a Black man, who IMHO, bears a resemblance to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, figuratively and literally! He only appeared in one episode
More info about Vince Townsend and other Perry Mason oddities are found here:
https://reelrundown.com/tv/Perry-Mason-The-Case-of-the-Silent-Black-Judge-and-More
My favorite was Kenneth MacDonald. Enjoyed him as various villain type characters on many Three Stooges episodes earlier in his career.
You forgot Lillian Bronson in your list of judges, the only female, who appeared in at least 4 episodes...
Bouchet, MacDonald and Launer are my favorite judges.
A question about Perry Mason/Raymond Burr: In the courtroom, and sometimes outside, as he is talking he is constantly moving his hands, clinching them, then into one fist, and just figetting Was this a habit of what Perry did or a habit of Raymond Burr's?
Maybe when he was being taught acting he kept his hands still and was told that didn't look natural.
Why are no gavels used...only pens?
Didn't Earl Stanley Garner play the judge just once?
Hard to find the Judges' character names.
Yes, in The Case of the Final Fadeout, the last episode in the CBS series (1966).
Several formats were used for opening credits, one of which employed an actor as the judge passing a document to Raymond Burr. Would anyone know who that actor was? Evil Editor is so correct that all the judges deserve more recognition than they received in this remarkable series.
Yes. In the last episode.
Similarly in McHale's Navy, various older men step in (as Admiral, not judge).
Back to Perry Mason: I know the list provided here must be incomplete, because you have no women and there is at least one episode with a woman judge. Any other omissions?
Plenty of other omissions. As it says in the opening paragraph, these are the actors with the 11 most appearances as judges. However, I've now added Lillian Bronson's photo, as she deserves recognition as a groundbreaking female judge.
You might have also mentioned the names of the judges, when they were given.
For example, Kenneth MacDonald was Judge Hartley, S. John Launer was Judge Telford, Morris Ankrum went by several names.
There was one Black judge, who didn't have any speaking iines in his appearance.
Season 6 Episode 26, judge is NOT listed in credits?..Would like to know the name if possible .
Daniel Elam
Just watched that episode. That was rotten and unfair. He didn't say one word. Why was her there?
The judge in that episode was Daniel Elam
He had many other acting roles before Perry Mason..... William Tallman
My favorite judges in order were:
1. MacDonald
2. Launer
3. Gaines
All 3 of them were so real as the judge. You could honestly believe they were real judges.
What a treasure that show was. Growing up in the 50s I didn't realize how good it was until it came on FETV. Mr. Burr was a fabulous lawyer. And the chemistry between him, Della, and Paul was phenomenal. You don't see that these days in a TV cast.
Thank you for that! She was on 3 episodes - what a pioneer she was to have done that, and yes thanks to all who wrote, produced and directed a series that DARED to do so! I was the first female in 1975 to enter a Combat Role, the only woman at 20 to serve at a SAC detachment. So I know what that could possibly feel like. I was very fortunate to have a great Commander (& his wife) who treated me like I was their own kid.
It’s such an awful shame and disgusting his name wasn’t listed in the credits! Smh
Why did you not mention the only black person to play a judge, you mentioned the only woman. Vincent Townsend, Jr. The only black person to portray a Judge on Perry Mason. Townsend Jr.'s role went uncredited. Wow! I'm surprised he was omitted.
I was watching tonight and my favorite judge came on and I thought "I wonder who people think was the best judge" and lo and behold, he was number one in this article. Ain't the internet something
John Launer was the best; fair, no nonsense, with a rare sense of humor peeking through
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