John Larkin as Perry Mason and Joan Alexander as Della
Street in 1950.
Perry Mason was a 15-minute radio crime serial based on the novels
of Erle Stanley Gardner. Broadcast weekdays on CBS Radio from
1943 to 1955, the series was adapted into The Edge of Night which
ran on television for an additional 30 years.
The actors portraying Mason switched frequently over the first three years of the show’s run, starting with Bartlett Robinson, followed by Santos Ortega and Donald Briggs. John Larkin (above) took over the starring role March 31, 1947, and portrayed Mason until the end of
the series in December of 1955.