A Client of Perry Mason
Our family has become hooked on the 1950s TV series Perry Mason. The show ran for nine seasons, 1957-1966, and starred Raymond Burr in the title role. He, of course, was assisted by his confidential secretary, Della Street, played by Barbara Hale, and a private investigator who seemed to be only Mason’s P.I., Paul Drake, played by William Hopper. The antagonists in the series were Lieutenant Arthur Tragg, played by Ray Collins, and the district attorney (who consistently lost to Mason), Hamilton Burger, played by William Talman.
The show was resurrected, which is when I became familiar with it, for another ten years, 1985-1995, with Burr and Hale reprising their roles (for 26 episodes), at least until Burr’s death from kidney cancer in 1993 (four more episodes were made after his death with him ostensibly out of town). This series was made-for-TV movies.
Mason is a creation of author E. Stanley Gardner. Gardner’s books are the third best selling book series of all time, according to wikipedia.org. With 300 million sales, it ranks behind the Goosebumps (350) and Harry Potter series (450). Gardner was, himself, a lawyer, having practiced in California for over twenty years. He wrote with an obvious knowledge of the practice.
There are some interesting parallels between Mason and Christianity. For one, the law of Christ is and will be applied impartially and fairly. Once, having been poisoned, Lt. Tragg tells Mason, “You’ve been sticking up for criminals and now you can see the other side of the picture.” “Not ‘sticking up for criminals,’ (Mason) protested indignantly. “I have never stuck up for any criminal. I have merely asked for the orderly administration of an impartial justice …Due legal process is my own safeguard against being convicted unjustly. To my mind, that’s government. That’s law and order” (The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito, wikipedia.org; emphasis by wikipedia).
Jesus Christ will be impartial and fair when He renders justice on the final day. “Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality” (Acts 10:34; cf. Romans 2:11). God demands His people be impartial as well: Leviticus 19:15; James 2:1.
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Something else about the Mason novels/series… Regardless how the story-line begins, you know: 1.) someone is going to go to Mason for help; 2.) someone is (almost certainly) going to get killed; 3.) Mason’s client is going to be accused of the crime; 4.) it almost always looks like the client is guilty; 5.) Mason will find a way to exonerate his client; 6.) Mason also generally finds the guilty party; 7.) frequently the guilty party will confess his crime in the courtroom.
Despite the fact that we know how the show is going to end (speaking in general), it is still enjoyable to watch it all play out. The girls also love the romance that flickers between Mason and Street, although I have burst their bubble by telling them it will always be just a friendship!
God’s plan for man, once we have the full Bible in front of us, is just as predictable. 1.) God is pure love and pure holiness; 2.) He made man in his image so that man can love and can be holy; 3.) Man chose not to be holy; 4.) God had to send His Son to be holy in man’s place; 5.) God requires man to fulfill certain stipulations in order for God to share the Son’s righteousness with man; 6.) Many will fulfill those certain stipulations; most will not; 7.) Everyone will be judged (impartially) on whether they fulfilled those stipulations or not.
Perry Mason is fairly predictable, even if the avenue he takes to the verdict of innocence is not easily foreseeable. God is just as predictable, although we do not always know how He will get each of us to that final destination.
–Paul Holland
