#William Hopper

[countesspetofi]

More from the Department of Before They Were Star Trek Stars: George Takei in PERRY MASON, season three, episode four, "The Case of the Blushing Pearls" (original air date October 24, 1959).

George plays Toma Sakai, a friend and co-worker of Perry's client, a Japanese immigrant framed for the theft of a valuable piece of jewelry.

#george takei #star trek #star trek tos #star trek the original series #perry mason #1960s tv #1950s tv #tv sci fi #courtroom drama #crime procedural #raymond burr #william hopper #barbara hale #william tallman #nobu mccarthy #gay icons

[weirdlookindog]

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

#20 million miles to earth #william hopper #joan taylor #thomas browne henry #ymir #1950s horror #1950s sci fi #1950s movies #1957 #nathan juran #ray harryhausen #sci fi horror #window card #horror movie poster

[citizenscreen]

Bette Davis and William Hopper in ‘The Case of Constant Doyle,’ 1963 episode of “Perry Mason”

#bette davis #william hopper #perry mason #classic tv #old hollywood

[frommybookbook]

This bit was so sweet and so cute and William Hopper played it so perfectly. From the first scene, dancing in each other's way with the older woman and calling her princess and promising her a real dance someday; to the payoff scene where he properly asks her to dance and spins her around the floor, it was just great all around.

#paul drake #perry mason #william hopper #tcot nervous neighbor #this was such a good paul episode #he had so much to do #and really got to shine #(and i love perry and della already dancing in the background at the party as well bc ofc i do)

[jazzandpizazz]

gotta love these scrunkly detective guys :)

#these guys give me life #hercule poirot #adrian monk #paul drake #sherlock holmes #lieutenant columbo #david suchet #agatha christie's poirot #tony shalhoub #monk #william hopper #perry mason #jeremy brett #sherlock holmes granada #peter falk #columbo #monk tv

[caseopened]

Thinking about William Hopper filming the last several shows of Perry Mason in a cast and crutches.

"The cameras were shooting a courtroom scene with Perry Mason [Raymond Burr] and Hamilton Burger [William Talman] And on the sidelines waiting for his call sat a handsome broad-shouldered man with his leg in a cast and crutches at his side. This was William Hopper, who has played Detective Paul Drake on the show. [...] The last few episodes of Perry Mason were rewritten so TV audiences wouldn't know that Paul Drake was on crutches. Hopper stepped on a piece of glass during the filming of one episode, cutting a tendon. It will be mid-June before he's off the crutches. (They were outfitted by his pals with [an] ashtray, drinking glass, paper-and-pencil-pad, and a rubber honker that gives a husky beep to let people know he's coming.) 'They're a wonderful bunch and it's been a wonderful nine years,' said Bill. 'I don't know another show or another cast of characters where there's as much empathy.' And almost as if to prove it, the man in the judge's robes bounced off the bench and began circulating among the cast with a jovial handshake and a cheery 'Attaboy!' as though having the time of his life. This was none other than Author Erle Stanley Gardner. [...] Bill Hopper's call came. He arose unsteadily, honked the horn on his crutches, and thumped toward the camera. 'Attaboy, Bill. Attaboy,' cheered Erle Stanley Gardner."

I've talked about William Hopper's acting choices in bringing Paul Drake to life on numerous occasions, and how he simultaneously put part of himself into Paul while also delivering a method of acting that was true to the art of the detective (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here).

He was always present and obtaining (or revealing) information while still remaining in the background/shadow as a detective ought to be. William Hopper created a Paul Drake who maintained a front of hiding in plain sight (the handsome face, the nice clothing which was all Bill's own clothing, the charm). And if you aren't looking, or if you stop at that surface level, you will miss all the work he's doing in the background. William Hopper's style of acting was all in the subtleties, and it fit so well with what he brought to Paul's character.

But perhaps the greatest embodiment of William Hopper giving so much to Paul's character by hiding in plain sight comes in his own final fade-out. He worked through his injury that landed him in a cast for the final few episodes, taking care that the audience would not know. And just like others would miss how much Paul was doing in the background and behind the front, the audience misses the fact that William Hopper was injured in those final episodes.

William Hopper maintained a front one last time, for us. He didn't miss a beat with his acting or characterization of Paul Drake, even with his injury. He didn't let us see what was going on in his own personal life while playing Paul Drake for the final few episodes of season 9.

#&. paul headcanons #paul drake #william hopper #perry mason #the amount of love i have for this man... indescribable!

[pmdpbarbara]

some pages from a 1965 CBS promo book for Perry Mason

That Perry/Della shot is AMAZING.

#favorite pair

#della street #perry mason #barbara hale #raymond burr #paul drake #william hopper

[perry-mason-della-street]

#della street #paul drake #barbara hale #william hopper #lol #perry mason

[theperrylleluniverse]

The things I would do to this man.....

#paul drake #william hopper #perry mason #tcot cheating chancellor #the sex appeal #like sir your FACE #cheekbones #the legs #the hand in the pocket #the cigarette dangling casually from his fingers

[classicscarygirlblog]

#20 million miles to earth #william hopper #joan taylor #ray harryhausen gif

[keep-it-light]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @slytherinocicat !!! Here’s your Birthday collage!!! 🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂

#dirk benedict #templeton peck #william hopper #paul drake #alan alda #hawkeye pierce #helen chandler #KITT #the a-team #perry mason #knight rider #mash #cute kitty #campbell bain #takin' over the asylum #made by me #my collages #my moodboards #ripley's moodboards #for gatz #happy birthday

[countesspetofi]

Today in the Department of Before They Were Star Trek Stars: Leonard Nimoy plays the killer of the week in "The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe," episode 13 of the sixth season of Perry Mason (original air date January 3, 1963). I don't think I'm spoiling anything here; this character is so shifty from the get-go that it's no surprise when he's revealed as the culprit in the penultimate scene. Shoplifting aunties, jewel fences, cheating wives, yadda yadda yadda.

Other Trek connections: The script supervisor for this episode is Cosmo Genovese, who was the primary script supervisor for both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, as well as some script work for other Star Trek projects.

#star trek #star trek tos #star trek the original series #1960s tv #courtroom drama #leonard nimoy #perry mason #raymond burr #william hopper #william talman #ray rollins #melora conway #cosmo genovese

[weirdlookindog]

The Deadly Mantis (1957) - Australian Daybill

#the deadly mantis #craig stevens #alix talton #william hopper #1957 #1950s movies #nathan juran #big bugs #horror movie poster

[citizenscreen]

William Hopper (January 26, 1915 – March 6, 1970)

#william hopper #old hollywood

[frommybookbook]

Paul Drake can run to my rescue any day.

#paul drake #william hopper #i love how fully he commits to the running here #hopper went FULL OUT for that #and the leap over the fence? #incredible #perry mason #tcot murderous mermaid

[jazzandpizazz]

Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper, Ray Collins and William Talman in Perry Mason Season 1 Episode 35: “The Case of the Lazy Lover” (1958)

#the case of the lazy lover #perry mason #perry mason 1957 #perry mason gifset #my gifs #della street #paul Drake #hamilton burger #Arthur tragg #raymon burr #barbara hale #william talman #william hopper #ray collins #the trio <33