With the whole series now on DVD (I own the mega set and the mega set of the sequel films) has anyone actually taken the time to count how many of the 271 episodes of the Classic Series are actually based on Gardner books? All you need to do is count the episodes that say his name in the title (as opposed to based on characters by him).
shareCheck out the PM episode diagram that has a column with that info.:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Perry_Mason_episodes
About 74 based on a novel, almost 1/2 of those (35) the first season.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Perry_Mason_episodes
I hate it that none of the S-1 disks have "play all"; it's by far my favorite season.
What's amazing in reviewing that episode list is that Burr filmed a staggering 39 episodes that first season. Although he was usually absent the first 10 or so minutes of each episode, his scenes were heavy with dialogue. At that gruelling pace, you wonder how he kept the plots of each episode he was shooting clear in his mind. Maybe he occasionally didn't!
That's probably why he sounded like he had a cold so often (especially from the 4th season on) plus actually missing several weeks in S6 or 7.
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