Though it came in the guise of crime drama, Perry Mason arrived with all the trumped-up baggage of a soap opera. Mason, of course, was famous in fiction for unmasking killers in court. On radio, he was as much detective as lawyer, at times swapping gunfire with criminals. This was a far cry from the Raymond Burr television series (CBS, 1957-1966), which enjoyed powerful ratings success and is considered a black-and-white classic. _{John Dunning}