What was the name of Perry Mason's secretary?
I found myself wondering this the other day. I grew up watching reruns of "Perry Mason" on Sunday afternoon with my parents. I could remember Perry's name, of course, and the name of his investigator, which was Paul Drake. However, I could not for the life of me remember his assistant's name.
This was brought on by a conversation I had with someone about strong female role models in early television. The first person we were discussing was Miss Kitty from "Gunsmoke." A stronger woman on TV I don't think you could find. She was an entrepreneur that ran her own business. Not only could she deal with all the drunk cowboys and gamblers but she could also keep Matt Dillon in line. Kitty had a commanding presence and voice. Festus knew not to get on Kitty's bad side.
Next, we discussed Mary Richards from the "Mary Tyler Moore Show." Mary was an intelligent, refined, career-minded woman. Mary dealt with a wide variety of personalities from kooky weatherman Ted to grumpy Mr. Grant. She was a leader who took charge of many of the situations on the show. She was also the person Rhoda and Phyllis would seek out when needing advice.
Lastly, we come to a lady who in my opinion was the epitome of a strong female role model, Lucy Ricardo. The "I Love Lucy" show was not only hugely entertaining but Lucy also taught a few lessons along the way. Like if the conveyor belt of the candy factory gets too fast for you to wrap the candies, just eat the extras. On the other hand, if you have to stomp grapes with your bare feet, you might as well have fun with it and even square dance around the vat with your partner.
However, what I think shows Lucy's ultimate power is how she could manipulate and control her husband, Ricky Ricardo. Ricky never wanted Lucy to appear in any of his shows at the nightclub. He was always afraid it would turn into a disaster. However, Lucy was never deterred. She would always find a way to appear in the show. Even if she had to wear a disguise, she would perform on the stage. Her determination and ability to overcome obstacles is a very admirable trait.
Now back to the original question about Perry's secretary. After finally giving in and Googling the answer, her name was Della Street. Della was Perry's right-hand person and kept his office running like a top. Della was also instrumental in helping Perry solve some of his toughest cases. In the Perry Mason novel "The Case of the Negligent Nymph," it was revealed that Della grew up on her own with her mother dying at an early age. This just further illustrates the strength of that character.
Too bad my memory was not as strong as her character.
Editorial on 03/29/2020