Perry Mason: The disappearance of David Gideon

Perry Mason: David Gideon was the fifth wheel

Actor Carl Held ( Also known as Karl Held) should be familiar to older generations of TV and movie fans. He appeared on many television shows from the 1950s through the 1980s. including Flipper, 77 Sunset Strip, The Fugitive, The Outer Limits, Star Trek, The Invaders, The Jeffersons, Mission Impossible, and Charlie's Angels. He also portrayed Garth for 3 seasons on the 1980s CBS prime-time soap opera Falcon Crest. Held also had the role of David Gideon on the CBS crime drama series, Perry Mason.

The actor actually made his first appearance during the fourth season of Perry Mason (1960–1961) in a different role. Held was a character named Bruce Nesbitt in the episode "The Case of the Angry Dead Man". Later in the same season, he was brought back and appeared as Gideon who was a defendant in "The Case of the Grumbling Grandfather." Held appeared as Gideon in eight more episodes in season five (1961–1962)'

Perry Mason: The case of the missing David Gideon

David was an aspiring law student and a legal eagle who assisted Perry (Raymond Burr) in uncovering evidence that would help Mason's clients who were accused of murder. The character was never fully developed and came across as being out of place and like a fifth wheel with Perry, his assistant Della Street ( Barbara Hale,) and Detective Paul Drake (William Hopper). There actually were viewers who complained that Gideon was taking screen time away from Drake because they had similar roles.

Gideon was not the first cast member from Perry Mason to go missing in action. Long-time fans will recall there was a receptionist named Gertie Lade who was portrayed by Connie Cezon, Gertie was in about 18 episodes during the first 8 of the 9 seasons the series aired. She only appeared in 18 episodes but was mentioned many times when she was not shown on screen . Gertie stopped being seen or mentioned without any explanation just like David Gideon.

It could be the writers felt her role would compete with Della Street the same way some fans said Gideon stole Drake's thunder. Truthfully, Perry did not need two Girl Friday’s and Drake who had his own detective agency with other clients was always there when Perry needed him. This made Gideon and Gertie obsolete which may be why Cezon and Held both vanished without a trace. This was no doubt storyline driven and not the fault of the actors who both had amazing careers post Perry Mason. The five cast members who remained the central focus were undeniably a great team.

David Gideon did not fit on Perry Mason

Hamilton Burger the prosecutor (William Talman) and Police Lieutenant Arthur Tragg (Ray Collins)had defined roles and viewers knew when to expect them to show up. These characters would investigate crime scenes and oppose Perry in the courtroom.

Della was the loyal and trusted assistant and Drake gathered evidence for Mason and worked with him as though he was not running his own detective agency with other clients. Gideon just seemed to be hanging around and at times he made mistakes that annoyed Perry. He did not have a specific role and appeared to only be in the way.

Carl Held: Getting to know him

Held was born on September 19, 1931, and his career did not end after Perry Mason. In addition to the credits mentioned earlier, he also appeared on the television series Sea Hunt, Thriller, and The Incredible Hulk. The actor was in the film Diamonds are Forever and the British Spy thriller movie Embassy. Held was married to British actress Sara Marshall from 1964 until her death in 2014.