Oct. 29, 1962 - Perry Mason has never lost a case on television, but he will be absent from four early next year when his portrayer takes a month’s leave from the program. CBS said today that Raymond Burr, who plays the title role on the “Perry Mason” series, would enter a hospital in Los Angeles to undergo surgery, the nature of which was unspecified. Four other performers, using scripts written especially for them, will have varied roles as lawyers during Mr. Burr’s absence. One of the guest lawyers will be Bette Davis. Miss Davis’s appearance is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 31 at 8 p.m. Executive producer Gail Patrick Jackson was asked if any guest lawyers would be permitted to lose a case. “We haven’t gotten that far yet,” she replied. “Our aim in ‘Perry Mason’ has always been to show that justice prevails. If justice would prevail by his losing a case, we would not object.”
