The Perry Mason radio show

 

The Perry Mason radio show was a continuing weekday series that aired on CBS Radio from 1943 to 1955, running for 15 minutes and known for its action-packed plots over traditional courtroom drama. Several actors portrayed the titular lawyer, including Bartlett Robinson, Santos Ortega, Donald Briggs, and John Larkin, who took over after 1947. The radio version was a soap opera-like mystery that was more involved in its storytelling than the later television version. The radio version was a successful precursor to the famous 1957 television series, though Erle Stanley Gardner, the author of the Perry Mason novels, disliked the radio show's divergence from the courtroom drama he intended and even withheld his endorsement for the TV version, which led to it being renamed The Edge of Night.

The show ran for 12 years, from October 18, 1943, to December 30, 1955. It was a daily, 15-minute continuing series with storylines similar to soap operas. 

Unlike the later TV show, the radio version was more of an action series, with the lawyer sometimes exchanging gunfire with criminals. 

The role of Perry Mason was played by several actors during the show's run. Santos Ortega and Donald Briggs. John Larkin took over the starring role March 31, 1947, and portrayed Perry Mason until the end of the series. The guest cast included Mercedes McCambridge.

The show was sponsored by Tide, a Procter & Gamble product.

Although Erle Stanley Gardner, the author of the Perry Mason novels, disliked the direction the radio show was taking, he withheld his endorsement for a potential daytime television version, resulting in a name change from Perry Mason to The Edge of Night. 

The radio show was a success and stayed on the air for a long time, laying the groundwork for the famous television series that followed.