Whats the connection between Edge and Perry Mason?
When the radio version of Perry Mason was cancelled, sponsor Procter and Gamble wanted to continue the series as a daily television serial. P&G attempted to purchase the Perry Mason rights from creator Erle Stanley Gardner, but Gardner refused, opting to produce his own version of the show on primetime tv. Undaunted, P&G hired Irving Vendig (headwriter of the Perry Mason radio serial) to create a similarly-styled soap for daytime tv. The result was “The Edge of Night”, with the characters of Mike Karr and Sara Lane patterned after Perry Mason and Della Street. In fact, many of EDGE’s early cast had appeared on the radio version of Perry Mason, including John Larkin (the original Mike Karr) in the title role.
