Suspect Apprehension: Perry Mason vs. Law and Order Svu
Valerie E. Porter
Com 308 – Professor Sharp
Critical and Cultural Analysis Essay
May 5, 2011
Suspect Apprehension: Perry Mason vs. Law and Order SVU
[Introduction] Television crime and courtroom dramas have advanced in many aspects from the 1960’s through present day; visually and verbally. According to The Fifties Web, “Top ratings in the 1960’s,” Raymond Burr’s Perry Mason was one of the top ranked crime dramas in 1961 and 62. In today’s era Law and Order SVU is among the favorites. Law and Order SVU and Perry Mason are both hour long crime dramas that investigate crimes in one segment of the program and shed light on the courtroom drama in the remaining part of the show. The major difference in each is how the suspects are apprehended. Perry Mason exercises high dialogue and Law and Order SVU is more visual and action packed. As noted in “Excessive Style,” “American mass-market television underwent an uneven shift in the conceptual and ideological paradigms that governed its look and presentational demeanor in the 1980s.” “By the 1990’s television in the later years, became more ideological than just a form of escapism.” (Caldwell, p. 651) The way in which criminals are apprehended in these crime dramas depicts a closer relation to the evolution of real life. From the video tape of Rodney King to the fall of the Rampart Division, police officers over time have advanced more toward violence and major manipulation, i.e. corruption. [Thesis] The evolution of change within the structure of crime-courtroom dramas with the comparison of Perry Mason in the 60’s and Law and Order SVU in the present day can be a result of the real life changes in society. Perry Mason is a crime drama with high dialogue, less violence and minor manipulation, while Law and Order entangles a web of violence and police coercion that sometimes crosses the line to apprehend their suspects. [Point] The Perry Mason 1961 episode of “The Case of the Red
Com 308 – Professor Sharp
Critical and Cultural Analysis Essay
May 5, 2011
Suspect Apprehension: Perry Mason vs. Law and Order SVU
[Introduction] Television crime and courtroom dramas have advanced in many aspects from the 1960’s through present day; visually and verbally. According to The Fifties Web, “Top ratings in the 1960’s,” Raymond Burr’s Perry Mason was one of the top ranked crime dramas in 1961 and 62. In today’s era Law and Order SVU is among the favorites. Law and Order SVU and Perry Mason are both hour long crime dramas that investigate crimes in one segment of the program and shed light on the courtroom drama in the remaining part of the show. The major difference in each is how the suspects are apprehended. Perry Mason exercises high dialogue and Law and Order SVU is more visual and action packed. As noted in “Excessive Style,” “American mass-market television underwent an uneven shift in the conceptual and ideological paradigms that governed its look and presentational demeanor in the 1980s.” “By the 1990’s television in the later years, became more ideological than just a form of escapism.” (Caldwell, p. 651) The way in which criminals are apprehended in these crime dramas depicts a closer relation to the evolution of real life. From the video tape of Rodney King to the fall of the Rampart Division, police officers over time have advanced more toward violence and major manipulation, i.e. corruption. [Thesis] The evolution of change within the structure of crime-courtroom dramas with the comparison of Perry Mason in the 60’s and Law and Order SVU in the present day can be a result of the real life changes in society. Perry Mason is a crime drama with high dialogue, less violence and minor manipulation, while Law and Order entangles a web of violence and police coercion that sometimes crosses the line to apprehend their suspects. [Point] The Perry Mason 1961 episode of “The Case of the Red
References: Caldwell, John Thornton. “Excessive Style: The Crisis of Network Television. Televisuality: Style, Crisis, and Authority in American Television. Rutgers University Press, 2009 Internet Resources Rich, Candace. The 60’s TV ratings-United States. The Fifties Web. Retrieved from: http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv-ratings-60s.htm (2009) Smead, Howard. A few words about the 60’s. Retrieved from: http://www.howardsmead.com/60sviol.htm United States Crime Rates 1960 – 2009. FBI, Uniform Crime Reports. 1997-2010. Retrieved from: http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm