Why are 1930s cars used in shots on Perry Mason TV series?
The American seasonal drama television series, Perry Mason was crafted by Rolin Jones and Ron Fitzgerald for HBO.
Perry Mason TV series is focused on the famed defense lawyer Perry Mason. According to the series, in 1932, Los Angeles is prospering while the remaining part of U.S. is recovering from Great Depression as a result of the war. Perry Mason who is a private investigator is struggling with his trauma from The Great War and being divorced. He is hired for a sensational child kidnapping trial; this changed the whole story as his investigation results in major consequences for Mason, those around him, and local leaders. You can read more about Perry Mason TV Series here
This article aims at providing possible reasons for using 1930s cars in shots of the Perry Mason TV series.
Some possible reasons include:
Settings and Authenticity
The Perry Mason TV series bears 1930s settings as such, using cars from that era will help to establish the time period and add authenticity. The vintage cars help send the viewer back to the 1930s.
Budgetary Decision
It is cheaper using actual 1930s cars available at the time of filming in the late 1950s/early 1960s than fabricating new cars to look like they were from the 1930s. So it was a budgetary decision.
Historical Accuracy
Even though the series was filmed and released in the late 1950s/60, the production team took care to make it look like the 1930s setting as much as possible. Using genuine 1930s cars, despite being ~30 years old at the time of filming, helped accomplish that goal of historical accuracy.
Availability of Cars
There may have been some super fans or car collectors who provided their well-preserved 1930s cars to be used in shots for Perry Mason filming. So the production team took advantage of those car enthusiasts to add realism.
Conclusion
In general conclusion, period dramas often use actual items from the time period depicted in the settings to increase the authenticity of the drama.
