Does it bug anyone else that all Lt. Tragg does is follow Perry around and arrest his client. Does the old geezer ever do any investigating on his own? And does he always have to have that smug grin as he arrests Perry's clients, only to look like a fool for arresting the wrong person.
Clintessence
Tragg wouldn't have been much of an adversary if the weren't a sharp policemen. Both he and Mason seem to get very little sleep.
Gardner published no more than two or three Perry Mason novels per year, so Burger and Tragg don't come off (much) as idiots. But when the stories are weekly...! They seem to spend most of their time with Mason's cases.
Note that there are also episodes in which Tragg is already at the crime scene when Perry arrives to discover the person he wants to interview is dead.
shareI always find that funny (literally) when watching those episodes where Tragg shows up on Perry's heels. You'd think that Perry would have his eye on his mirror or have one of Paul's men watching out for him. "Tragg is probably following me, so give me a warning if you see him."
An easy plot point, I guess.
I started this thread because my wife and I watch an episode every night on MeTV, and we laugh because Tragg has at least one moment in each episode where he is just moments behind Perry. It never fails. But we can overlook this weak plot element because at the heart of the show is a good "who-done-it" mystery. It's especially good when Perry and Burger engage in verbal sparring in the courtroom. Perhaps what is more unbelievable than Tragg following Perry, is that sudden emotional confession in the courtroom at the end of each episode. If you have ever been in a courtroom, you know reality is nothing like "Perry Mason" or "Matlock".
Clintessence
Let's look at it from Tragg's point of view. He's 70 and still on the force, struggling to solve one big fat murder case before he can finally retire or bites the dust. The best way to get involved in such a murder case is by keeping an eye on Perry Mason. He's always involved in tricky murder cases.
You may cross-examine.
Sometime, it's the other way around. In an episode recently aired on METV, The Case of the Jaded Joker, Perry shows up for an office appointment only to find Lt. Tragg on the scene with the murder victim Perry was to meet.
shareI just watched 2 cases where the client hired Perry and then the murder was committed. In fact Perry discovered both bodies I believe. So I guess they did try and mix it up a little. But as the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The formula worked for the show and I am glad they kept using it, with only mixing in different circumstances every now and then. I wasn't born when this was running, and I like that I cast tell the seasons apart for the most part. On some shows, when you see that it's an early one, you say crap it's an early one. Not with this show. I like all the seasons.
shareMany of the episodes in the first couple of seasons were adapted from ESG novels. So, the stories were more complicated and interesting. There were also more clever courtroom maneuvers by Mason.
shareOne of the episodes in which Tragg is at his best at appearing at just the right (from his point of view) moment is TCOT Baited Hook — and in that very episode, a continuity error may be due to the fact that someone actually read the book. Perry opens a closet, a dead body falls out face first and Perry (rather surprised than startled) says: "That's not the man who came to my office." However, the person Perry expected to be dead did not come to his office, he had knocked on Perry's apartment door in the middle of the night, and he actually let that perfect stranger in, something the Mason (he's always referred to by his last name by the narrator) of the books wouldn't have done. In the book, the meeting did take place in Perry's office.
You may cross-examine.
What I am still surprised about is after all the cases they have gone against each other, Tragg and Burger still insinuate that Perry pulls parlor tricks and act so smug. It's almost like "can we just win one case please". Now I'll give Burger credit as a DA, bc once Perry has made it clear something weird is going on he has said many times that in light of the new evidence, he wants truth and justice and not just a conviction. I saw one recently where they almost team up to trap the real killer. I think Burger was even in the final "wrap up the episode" moment joking with Perry and crew. So it's surprising the next episode he is back to being smug towards Perry and accusing him of things. Eventually you would think that after awhile, Tragg and Burger would say, you know, Perry was right the last 20 cases. Maybe we should research his theory instead of every week think "we got him this time!". Maybe it changes in later seasons but idk. Another thing is I watch the morning and evening episodes back to back after taping them. They are different seasons. So for me a back to back episode isn't the same season. But I think the point is still generally true.
shareWhat I always enjoy is Lt. Tragg's smile when he slides into the room. Especially, when he walks in and Perry has to smile right back and introduce him to the others in the room. And graciously advise his client that, yes he is under arrest and he must go with Lt. Tragg.
shareI did just watch TCO Paul Drakes Dilema SPOILER COMING UP and was happy to see Burger and Tragg were being sympathetic to Perry about having to arrest Paul. It's like they didn't want to do it but had to. I like how Burger and Tragg did have a heart and even though they are smugg sometimes, are after justice and not convictions to make themselves look better. I don't know if DA's were elected back then and in LA, but if so its even more admireable to lose a case to go after the truth. It seems most these days want convictions to make themselves look good.
shareIt seems most these days want convictions to make themselves look good.This has always been true. There is always public pressure to find and convict criminals, especially murderers. share
I'm probably one of the younger PM fans, so I wasn't around when the show was set. I've wondered if the pressure to convict would have been as much on Burger back then as it would be today. I think you are right, Murder cases would have had a tons of pressure.I didn't know DA's were elected until the Duke Lacrosee fiasco, and when it came out the DA was ignoring evidence to get re elected. Where as some judges are elected and some appointed, I guess I assumed DAs were appointed. I've never seen or voted for a DA and I vote about every election. So idk if that is a North Carolina thing or its every where. For Burgers sake, I hope he was appointed. An opponent could exploit his losses to PM. But in reality, Burger ends up with the right person almost 100% of the time. His win % may not be the highest but thanks to Perry he gets the right person.
shareSince there was NEVER any mention about Burger being elected, he must have been appointed or maybe just hired. In fact, during the time that, shall we say, William Talman was not popular, he just disappeared and then just as suddenly reappeared. Are DA's that are elected a Southern thing? Somehow it doesn't seem to be a California thing even in the '50's and '60's.
In fact there did not seem to be too much public pressure other than the need to see that justice must be done. Just about the only public pressure was the fact that many of the cases seemed to make the front page of the papers.
The only DA I have ever heard of being elected was that of the Duke Lacrosee DA. I found this on Wikilepidia
the time the rape allegations were made in March 2006, Mike Nifong was in the midst of a difficult Democratic primary election campaign to keep his position as Durham County District Attorney, facing strong opposition. It was understood that if Nifong lost the primary, he would very likely lose his job. Some commentators have opined that Nifong's prosecution of the Duke lacrosse players and his many statements to the media were driven by his political strategy to attract African-American voters. The primary was held on May 6, 2006, and Nifong won by the slim margin of only 883 votes
I have lived in Tennessee and Alabama and never voted for a DA. I she it's a North Carolina thing. Would allow the DA to seek justice more than convictions if he was not having to get re elected I would think. So I am assuming Burger was appointed if I had to guess.
On Law & Order, the topic of the DA's re-election does come up.
shareI am in Northern California and we elect our DA but they don't run on a Political party though. Our Neighbor, a old die hard Democrat, gave a party for a guy running for COunty DA and afterwards found out he was a Registered Republican but he still voted for him
shareHere's a weird one in my county in Alabama. The county coroner is elected, but there is a democrat and a republican primary for the spot and then they run against each other. What does being a Democrat or Republican have to do with being a coroner? I've tried to ask around here and some have said the coroner decides how someone was killed, homocide, suicide, etc. and that could be influential in trial cases. Other than that, I can't figure out what a Democrat coroner would do different than a Republican coroner. Any one have any ideas on why my county's coroner is a political thing? Anyone else elect their coroner this way? My only other thought was any elected position is simply going to fall between one of the two parties and no matter what it is, there will be a Democrat and a Republican going head to head.
shareI live in Raleigh nc and wake county votes for the DA. Colin Willoby (so) was the DA for years and finally decided not to run again. We now have our first female DA.
shareIf you watched Laverne and Shirley, you might remember how Lennie & Squiggy would always walk through the door right after one of the gals would make an amusing lead-in, followed by the comically nasal, "Hello!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGLDZyY6ubA
We noticed that, more than once, Perry would advise a client to disappear before Tragg finds him/her, followed by Tragg walking through the door with an arrest warrant. Now, when we describe a episode's plot to one another, we don't say, "At this point Tragg showed up," we just use a comically nasal, "Hello!"
.
Mr Smith: Like the rose trampled on the ground, you took the fall
on one show , Tragg said it was good policing that lead them to the person Perry was with!
The entire cast of Perry Mason, loved Ray Collins, but his breathing got worse and he said
he was, for the first time in his life, having trouble remembering his lines, so if you notice, you don't see him but his name was still on the cast roll every week. They knew he watched the show every week and they didn't want to hurt his feelings.
Wesley Lau was brought in and Rays last appearance was filmed in late 63 and shown in 1964. He died in July 11, 1965 in Santa Monica, Ca and is buried in the beautiful
Forest Lawn Memorial Park , in the Hollywood Hills. His wife lived till 1985