Perry Mason - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

The Butthole Surfers' song "Perry", included on the album Rembrandt Pussyhorse, borrows the title tune from the TV show. The Blues Brothers recorded a cover version of the song, called "Perry Mason Theme", which was included in Made in America. It was later used in the film Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), where it was played during a scene where Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd) and Mack (John Goodman) leave two members of the Russian mob unconscious in an alley.

The 1995 Ozzy Osbourne album Ozzmosis features a song entitled "Perry Mason", whose lyrics allude to the character.

In El Chavo del Ocho, there is an episode when Professor Jirafales suggests that they adjudicate Quico's cat-murder case. Don Ramón suggests that they do as in the TV series Perro Menso (Silly Dog). Jirafales corrects him, saying "Perry Mason!" In the Portuguese version of El Chavo del Ocho, Don Ramón (Seu Madruga) suggests that they do as the TV series of Pede Mais Um (Ask For Another One). As in the original version of the series Professor Jirafales corrects him, yelling "Perry Mason!".

In the fourth season of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the theme song was briefly used in the episode "Will Goes A Courtin'".

The Pixies paid tribute to the show by incorporating part of the theme tune into their song "Space (I Believe In)" on the album Trompe le Monde. Singer Frank Black announces, "Now I'm going to sing the Perry Mason theme" before singing it with vocal distortion.

In the BBC television sitcom May to December, solicitor Alec Callender (portrayed by Anton Rodgers) is a huge Perry Mason fan; he often speaks privately to a large poster of Raymond Burr hanging on his office wall.

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera stretched Gardner's character by creating "Perry Masonry" in the episode of The Flintstones in which the Rubbles adopt Bamm-Bamm. Masonry's opposing counsel was named "Bronto Burger".

Mad Magazine spoofed the 1950s TV series with "Perry Masonmint" (Perry lost because he was tricked into trying a case on a Friday rather than Saturday, when he was always successful).

Fast Forward also spoofed the 1950s series.

Jack Benny once did a sketch about Perry Mason actually losing a case. Benny is accused of not being funny; Mason is there to defend him, but unable to prove his client is indeed funny. In a dream sequence in a TV episode of The Jack Benny Program, Raymond Burr (as Mason) defends Benny on the charge of killing a rooster. In Benny's dream, Mason is incompetent and loses the case easily.

Roger Fox (in the comic strip FoxTrot) gets a speeding ticket, and mentions that he will try to come up with a Perry Mason routine to get out of it.

During a case in the TV law drama Boston Legal, a method of proving reasonable doubt was credited to Perry Mason with much success.

A mystery novel by Barbara Paul, But He Was Already Dead When I Got There (1987), is dedicated by the author to the original Perry Mason TV series, which inspired her.

Author Susan Kandel wrote her debut mystery novel I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason (2005) about a woman, Cece Caruso, who is writing a biography of Erle Stanley Gardner.

In Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, the MASON system plays a key part in the final case of the game, being used by Phoenix Wright to retell his investigation on the case in which he unknowingly used forged evidence, leading to his disbarment.

In the 1985 film adaptation of the board game Clue, the character of Miss Scarlet cites Perry Mason to highlight Wadsworth's (played by Tim Curry) crime-solving capabilities.

In Vincent Clark's novel Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, the protagonist (a world-weary criminal lawyer) has a drunken outburst of anger at Perry Mason: "It's all fine for Mister Perry Mason to go off and find the real culprit, in book after book after book. The real culprit! The real culprit! In ninety nine percent of the cases I have taken, my client was guilty as hell, and I knew it, and what's more the jury knew it, too. It was my job to get the client off anyway, on one technicality or another. That's my job, that's what a lawyer is for, for God's sake. Damn Sir Perry Galahad Mason!"

In an episode of Car 54, Where are You? Mason is mentioned in a parody version of "A Policeman's Lot Is Not a Happy One", performed by Officer Francis Muldoon (Fred Gwynne).

In The Jetsons' episode "Millionaire Astro", in order to save Astro George Jetson says they will need a "Perry Spaceson" at the trial to win the case.

On an episode of That '70s Show entitled "Who's Been Sleeping Here?", Red is unable to watch Perry Mason. Kitty tells him "Guess what? Perry Mason wins!" and laughs while Red says angrily, "It's not if he wins, it's how; that's the magic, dammit!". Fez later walks into the room and asks, "Oh, did I miss Perry Mason"?

In "Misunderstood" on the album Tha Carter III Lil' Wayne raps, "Perry Mason facin'/ the barrel if he tattle/ my God as my judge, no gown no gavel". In "Bitch Named Nina" he raps, "and we hold court like Mason Perry, oops I meant Perry Mason, the weed got me dyslexic".

During her Senate confirmation hearings, Sonia Sotomayor revealed that she first became interested in the law while watching Perry Mason on television with her mother.

In an Arizona murder trial, the district attorney used The Case of the Curious Bride as the basis for his line of questioning:

The Arizona murder trial was going badly for the district attorney. He knew the accused was guilty; but because of a quirk in the law, he had no hope for a conviction. Then, one day, the district attorney called the suspect’s wife to the stand and started an unexpected line of questioning. When the judge demanded an explanation, the district attorney produced The Case of the Curious Bride by Erle Stanley Gardner. In it, he said, Perry Mason used the same questioning. The Judge withdrew to his chambers, and when he returned, he allowed the district attorney to proceed with his ingenious approach. It changed the course of the trial and led to a verdict of "Guilty". —Gardner Mystery Library