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Post by kims on Mar 20, 2024 15:51:44 GMT
What did Burr have that he had the long lasting series PERRY MASON, then IRONSIDES, and then a series of PERRY MASON movies?
He didn't have the charisma or looks of, say, Michael Landon in BONANZA, McQueen in WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE, or Don Johnson in MIAMI VICE. His acting was not very intense/dramatic. He is one of my favorite bad guys in the movies. But he moves to tv as the good guy and lasts, what?, three decades? And as the leading man, he never has a storyline of a romantic relationship. There was an undercurrent, suggestion about Perry and Della, but there was the same with detective Drake. In the movies, Della was the widow of Drake.
As I sit here watching IRONSIDES-in which he isn't even an action figure-I try to see what is so compelling about him, why was he so popular? I haven't a clue, but I faithfully watched the above mentioned shows when originally aired and I watch the reruns. What is so attracting about Raymond Burr?
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Post by I Love Melvin on Mar 20, 2024 17:22:11 GMT
What did Burr have that he had the long lasting series PERRY MASON, then IRONSIDES, and then a series of PERRY MASON movies? He didn't have the charisma or looks of, say, Michael Landon in BONANZA, McQueen in WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE, or Don Johnson in MIAMI VICE. His acting was not very intense/dramatic. He is one of my favorite bad guys in the movies. But he moves to tv as the good guy and lasts, what?, three decades? And as the leading man, he never has a storyline of a romantic relationship. There was an undercurrent, suggestion about Perry and Della, but there was the same with detective Drake. In the movies, Della was the widow of Drake. As I sit here watching IRONSIDES-in which he isn't even an action figure-I try to see what is so compelling about him, why was he so popular? I haven't a clue, but I faithfully watched the above mentioned shows when originally aired and I watch the reruns. What is so attracting about Raymond Burr? In the case of Perry Mason, I think audiences may have fallen in love with the ensemble as a whole, with Della and Paul Drake and Hamilton Burger as well as with Perry. (As a kid I thought "Hamilton Burger" was the cleverest thing I'd ever heard. Nowadays I'm more skeptical about the "genius" behind it, but it's still fun.) That goodwill was maybe carried over to his subsequent projects; I remember my family being very loyal to certain shows and actors, and that was probably true of many others. I'd never seen his villain roles so I came to Perry Mason as a blank slate and I have to say my biggest impression of him was one of quiet confidence, the kind of person you'd want to defend you if you ever needed it. The format of the show was especially favorable for having a guest star every week, which I think audiences also liked. He definitely wasn't fan magazine material, but I think viewers trusted him and that's maybe rarer than it should be. Also, I think in the crime and mystery genre, looks and personality aren't as important; most of those old noir p.i.'s were pretty quirky, sometimes even messy, and I wouldn't call Poirot a glamorous figure but I sure trusted him to solve the crime. |
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Mar 20, 2024 18:55:01 GMT
What did Burr have that he had the long lasting series PERRY MASON, then IRONSIDES, and then a series of PERRY MASON movies? He didn't have the charisma or looks of, say, Michael Landon in BONANZA, McQueen in WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE, or Don Johnson in MIAMI VICE. His acting was not very intense/dramatic. He is one of my favorite bad guys in the movies. But he moves to tv as the good guy and lasts, what?, three decades? And as the leading man, he never has a storyline of a romantic relationship. There was an undercurrent, suggestion about Perry and Della, but there was the same with detective Drake. In the movies, Della was the widow of Drake. As I sit here watching IRONSIDES-in which he isn't even an action figure-I try to see what is so compelling about him, why was he so popular? I haven't a clue, but I faithfully watched the above mentioned shows when originally aired and I watch the reruns. What is so attracting about Raymond Burr? In the case of Perry Mason, I think audiences may have fallen in love with the ensemble as a whole, with Della and Paul Drake and Hamilton Burger as well as with Perry. (As a kid I thought "Hamilton Burger" was the cleverest thing I'd ever heard. Nowadays I'm more skeptical about the "genius" behind it, but it's still fun.) That goodwill was maybe carried over to his subsequent projects; I remember my family being very loyal to certain shows and actors, and that was probably true of many others. I'd never seen his villain roles so I came to Perry Mason as a blank slate and I have to say my biggest impression of him was one of quiet confidence, the kind of person you'd want to defend you if you ever needed it. The format of the show was especially favorable for having a guest star every week, which I think audiences also liked. He definitely wasn't fan magazine material, but I think viewers trusted him and that's maybe rarer than it should be. Also, I think in the crime and mystery genre, looks and personality aren't as important; most of those old noir p.i.'s were pretty quirky, sometimes even messy, and I wouldn't call Poirot a glamorous figure but I sure trusted him to solve the crime. I have a very similar POV: Perry Mason novels were a well-known cultural item during the 20th century. The Mason storyline with the 2 additional characters (Paul \ Della) were featured in multiple films, with Mason, Paul and Della being played by various actors. The T.V. show got good ratings and had a long run. Why that was, is anyone guess, but I wouldn't assume it was mainly Burr, but instead the solid ensemble cast as well as the overall commodity of Perry Mason (again, not just the character per-se). E.g. Burr was injured and had to miss many episodes. Other actors like Bette Davis, Michael Rennie, Hugh O'Brien etc. fill the lawyer for the defense role. Ironside continued a similar trend. E.g. a lot of the focus of the plots were on the cultural issues that arose out of the 60s and 70s, like black and woman rights. Ironside was often a secondary character with a lot of the focus on the other non-wheelchair restricted, detectives. Burr was a good actor and I have no problem with how he played both Mason and Ironside, but IMO the shows he were in would have likely been successful with another equally skilled actor. |
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