Perry Mason. In 5th grade (this would have been about 1961), we had to write an essay on our favorite tv show - mine was Perry Mason. I remember writing that the guilty party always turned out to be someone not under suspicion.
Yes, indeed! Perry Mason WAS reality TV from back then! Even though he never lost. :)
My husband and I watch Perry Mason every night when we go to bed. Since it comes on at 11:30 we were always falling asleep before the ending and never knew who did it. Then we realized we could DVR it and fast forward through those long commercials that were putting us to sleep. He loves to watch it because he remembers his dad watching it when he was young. We spend a bit of time trying to identify familiar faces. The guilty party is often obscure and the defendant is always the person who contacts Perry early in the episode.
I got Perry Mason as well.