Della Street - Adaptations

Adaptations

Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of Perry Mason in a series of novels, was a very prolific author, who employed three secretaries simultaneously, all sisters, to keep up with his output. One of them he eventually married, after his first wife—from whom he was separated for 30 years—died. This was Jean Gardner, born Agnes Helene Walter. People who knew her believed she was the inspiration for Della Street, though neither she nor Erle Stanley Gardner himself admitted it. Mrs. Gardner said she thought he put several women together to create the character.

On television, Della Street was played by Barbara Hale, in the series and the made-for-TV movies. She was played by Sharon Acker in the short-lived revival series, The New Adventures of Perry Mason starring Monte Markham as Mason. However, Gertrude Warner was the first actress to portray Street, albeit on the radio series, followed by Joan Alexander and Palmolive's "Madge", Jan Miner. The character portrayed in the radio series was reworked into Sara Lane on the daytime show Edge of Night which was to be the daytime Perry Mason, until Gardner pulled his support of the project.