September 12, 2013 was the 20th anniversary of the death of Raymond Burr, known best for his nine-year portrayal of Perry Mason on TV. Over the course of those nine years, 271 episodes aired. While it’s hard to pick out just one and say this is the best, I believe the best of the 271 may have been in season one.
The 17th episode of the first season was entitled, The Case of the Sun Bather’s Diary. There are several things which make this episode, which originally aired January 11, 1958, so enjoyable. In this episode, more so than in any of the previous 16, Raymond Burr comes as close as possible to being the Perry Mason portrayed in the novels by author Erle Stanley Gardner. Mason is legally smart and very street-wise. We get a chance to see the real interpersonal relationship between Perry Mason, Della Street and Paul Drake – professional people who care for each other. In this episode, Mason is not just double crossed, he is crossed up by his client. He’s put under oath and has to testify not just at his own client’s murder trial, but also before a grand jury investigating a $400,000 bank robbery. We, like Della Street, wonder how Mason is going to get out of this.
This episode stands out, not just because Mason has to testify against his client, but because we, like Della, know that Mason is innocent, but we don’t know how he’s going to prove it. Della does kiss Mason at the end of the show and it brings a smile to Mason’s face just as it brings one ours. Look for great performances from Paul Brinegar (Wishbone from TV’s Rawhide) and Carl Betz (Doctor Stone from the Donna Reed Show).
The full episode is available from IMDb TV and runs approximately 52 minutes. It is a rock solid, well written episode and shows Burr completely in control and comfortable with what would become the definitive interpretation of the lawyer-detective, Perry Mason. To me, that makes it the best of the series run.