William Hopper, who played Paul Drake in the Perry Mason series, was an interesting guy. He was the son of famed Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper and appeared in over 80 films in the 30s and early 40s. He enlisted in the Navy in World War II and became a decorated member of the Underwater Demolition Team frogmen. After the war he left acting and went into business in Hollywood. In 1954, he resumed acting when a director friend offered him a role in the John Wayne epic The High and the Mighty. He went on to appear in over a dozen more films until landing the role of Paul Drake. He played the role in all 271 episodes of the series. Hopper died in March, 1970, 4 years after the final PM episode aired.
On todays Perry Mason re rerun from 1959 maybe 1960. A certain Villan had been stashing loot in Mexico. One of the closing lines in the episode from Paul Drake regarding being arrested there "Haven't you heard that song about the "Tijuana jail?"
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