91成人导航

A painting of American actor Raymond Burr as iconic fictional lawyer Perry Mason hangs outside the 91成人导航 McGeorge School of Law鈥檚 courtroom in a trophy case filled with advocacy awards and Burr-Mason memorabilia.

Perry Mason actor Raymond Burr had deep connections to McGeorge

A painting of actor Raymond Burr as iconic fictional lawyer Perry Mason of TV and literature hangs outside 91成人导航 McGeorge School of Law鈥檚 courtroom in a trophy case filled with advocacy awards and Burr-Mason memorabilia. It is a constant reminder to future attorneys of their obligation to advocate on behalf of their clients.

The painting is also a symbol of a special connection Burr and Erle Stanley Gardner, the author of the Perry Mason mysteries, had with McGeorge. It is a connection no other law school can claim. Gardner, himself a lawyer, was friends with John Harold Swan, McGeorge鈥檚 fifth dean, and received an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1956 for his contribution to the law profession.

鈥淚t is uncommon for a law school to have such close ties with two icons of the legal community, one real and one fictional,鈥� said Michael Colatrella Jr., McGeorge鈥檚 interim dean. 鈥淩etired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is McGeorge鈥檚 longest serving faculty member, who will be remembered as one the most important post-WWII jurists. And through our relationship with actor and long-time patron Raymond Burr, we have a close association with Perry Mason, who is among the best known and most admired fictional lawyers in America. Perry Mason was brilliant, tough, diligent and ethical. It鈥檚 a great image for our students to see every day outside our courtroom.鈥�

Advocacy is a lesson well learned at McGeorge even if today鈥檚 law students may not be aware of the most popular courtroom drama in TV history. U.S. News and World Report ranked McGeorge No. 7 for trial advocacy in its 2019 Best Graduate Schools Guide, the law school will send two teams to the National Trial Competition Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, and McGeorge鈥檚 ABA Negotiation team recently placed No. 3 in the country in the 2020 ABA Negotiation Competition. Only two years ago, McGeorge鈥檚 ABA Negotiation Team won the National ABA Negotiation Competition and went on to win the International Competition in Wales, taking the title as the best law school negotiation team in the world.

The connections of Burr, Gardner and McGeorge are intertwined. Gardner was to give the 1960 commencement address, but he became ill and couldn鈥檛 make it. He arranged for Burr, starring as Perry Mason at the time, to take his place as the speaker. Burr also received an honorary degree.

鈥淗aving watched Perry Mason as a kid and then later seeing many episodes again in reruns, I thought it was an astounding connection for the school,鈥� said Mike Curran, McGeorge鈥檚 media relations/publications manager from 1992 to 2013, who wrote of the relationships for the fall 2004 91成人导航 Law magazine. 鈥淭hat a famous star came as a substitute speaker for the lesser-known creator of the book character is an excellent example of the word serendipity.鈥�

Afterward, Burr became friends with McGeorge Dean Gordon Schaber and a supporter of McGeorge programs, holding fundraisers and giving gifts of art, books and a large antique globe. Among the gifts were Perry Mason scripts and volumes autographed by Gardner. Some of the items are in the trophy case with the painting and advocacy awards. An auction raised several hundreds of thousands of dollars toward the construction of McGeorge鈥檚 Courthouse Building that serves students to this day. Demonstrating Burr鈥檚 devotion to the law school and his generosity, when the original Perry Mason scripts failed to garner the minimum bid at the auction, Burr purchased the scripts himself and donated them to the law school, where they are on display today.

Curran believes the connections and painting, memorabilia and trophy case have meaning for today鈥檚 law students, because they hammer home that McGeorge is well established and is highly regarded by many people inside and outside the legal arena.   

Gardner was able to inject realism in the novels and TV series since he had studied law on his own and was admitted to the bar in 1911 at the age of 21. By the 1920s, he was practicing law by day and drawing on his knowledge of law to write pulp fiction by night. He published the first Perry Mason novel, 鈥淭he Case of the Velvet Claws,鈥� in 1933. In the final courtroom scene of each story, Mason typically proved his client not guilty by using a stunning legal maneuver. In the more than 80 Perry Mason novels, there was only one legal error found, Curran wrote in 2004.

The Perry Mason novels were adapted for TV in 1957, gaining popularity and making Burr a household name around the world. He earned Emmys in 1959 and 1960 for his portrayal of Mason during the nine years and 271 episodes the initial TV series ran. Burr return in 1985 to reprise the role in one of several TV movies.

鈥淲hen I first came to McGeorge, I ran into an occasional alumnus who was inspired to go into the law by watching Perry Mason in their youth,鈥� Curran said. 鈥淭he show made the courtroom characters 鈥� judge, prosecutor, defense attorney 鈥� seem so professional, so polished, so astute. It showed a generation of young people that the legal field is an exciting arena.鈥�