from 1987-2002.

from 1987-2002.
Not that it answers your question -- but hasn't it been posted that Karl Malden and Raymond Burr's fees were too high for the show's producers when UM became a regular series?

I type that, and am wondering if what I am really remembering, is that there was too much money involved in re-showing the cases that featured Malden and Burr and that's why, for so long, so many of the cases in the pre-Stack specials took years to show up anywhere?

Or maybe it is something else I'm remembering?

No, I think you're right about that.

Why did Burr and Malden leave?

Why did Burr and Malden leave?

They didn't really leave, they were merely ruled out as potential permanent hosts. In a 1994 interview, producer John Cosgrove stated that both Burr and Malden requested "astronomical" salaries.

Quite strange really-what were either of them doing at the time? Burr had the Perry Mason revival TV movies & cannot even think of anything Malden was in. I would imagine Stack's salary went up greatly as the series started doing ratings.

Quite strange really-what were either of them doing at the time? Burr had the Perry Mason revival TV movies & cannot even think of anything Malden was in.

Karl Malden was doing TV-movies at the time, including a post-series Streets of San Francisco movie.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001500/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Whatever it was, not enough. His presence was priceless.

I've gotten the impression from a few Cosgrove interviews that RS was pretty emotionally invested in the series. Considering both the wealth that he came from and his long acting career before UM, I think its possible that he took a fairly modest salary in order to help the show succeed.

Both Stack 's presence and his voice were perfect for that show. Whatever he was getting paid wasn't enough.

I've gotten the impression from a few Cosgrove interviews that RS was pretty emotionally invested in the series. Considering both the wealth that he came from and his long acting career before UM, I think its possible that he took a fairly modest salary in order to help the show succeed.

I would agree. And I think "modest" is a perfectly legitimate way to describe Stack's salary, as UM producers obviously didn't want to pay him more money than what big-time movie stars make. Nor did they want to give the impression that were paying him on the cheap. In any case, if Stack's UM salary was modest, whatever amount of money he made from various movies during the show's run probably compensated for it.

I would agree. And I think "modest" is a perfectly legitimate way to describe Stack's salary, as UM producers obviously didn't want to pay him more money than what big-time movie stars make. Nor did they want to give the impression that were paying him on the cheap. In any case, if Stack's UM salary was modest, whatever amount of money he made from various movies during the show's run probably compensated for it.

It would have increased once the show became entrenched & started doing big ratings, no doubt his agent would have renegotiated his deal.