Perry Mason - General Discussion

[AntiBeeSpray]

OMG... just found the black pearl scene from TCOT Reckless Romeo in a fan video. Damn is it sexy. Didn't know he kissed her on the cheek in it :). And tbh, thought it was more sexy than the kiss (the kiss was still good though, nice, loving and tender). So I guess sometimes it's the little things that end up being that way. Never really noticed that when I saw it back when it first aired. Did notice the chemistry. That's something that would be impossible to not notice. But it's a lot more fun to see it now that I'm older.

 

Man I wish I could hear the dialogue in it... but it was nice seeing it again for what it's worth. It's pretty fricken cool that you don't have to hear a word and just feel the chemistry between those two.

 

Edited May 22, 2014 by AntiBeeSpray

[AntiBeeSpray]

Just found a couple of real nice Jack Benny moments with him in it:

 

 

This one is special. It shows that he can dance and he does a really funny sketch with Jack and others.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Charles Bradley II for sharing them on Youtube. They're a part of history :).

[AntiBeeSpray]

Found a nice clip from TCOT Defiant Daughter...

 

 

So sweet :). 

 

A really funny clip between Hamilton and Perry...

 

http://lileks.com/bw/TV/perry/14.html

Edited May 29, 2014 by AntiBeeSpray

[AntiBeeSpray]

Been playing a new Nintendo game, Tomodachi Life... and for lols, I made a Perry mii and a Della mii :P. Well it turns out that Perry is interested in being friends with Della ;). Hope this works out and they can get married. Man this game is fun :D.

 

New update: It's official! They're now dating :D! Hope it works!

 

*Only issue I have, is that in-game Perry is somewhat of a gossip O_o.

Edited June 12, 2014 by AntiBeeSpray

[AntiBeeSpray]

An update: Perry just got up the nerve to try to propose to Della! It didn't go over as planned, but they're still together, and we'll be trying again soon hopefully. Hope that this time it works :).

[AntiBeeSpray]

Got some GREAT news!

 

Perry just proposed to Della again and she said YES!! They got married today and went on their honeymoon to Germany :).

 

Will be posting some pics from the proposal and the marriage when I can.

 

 

Edit: Here are the pics :).

 

 

SO romantic!

 

 

 

 

The happy couple!

Edited June 19, 2014 by AntiBeeSpray

[AntiBeeSpray]

Got some shocking news! Della and Perry want to have a baby! :D

 

 

Unimaginable in real life since they'd both be over 90 XD, but congratulations to them!

[AntiBeeSpray]

Had some really good luck yesterday, picked up the first half of s1 for $9.96! Can't wait to start watching it! Hopefully Wal-Mart will get more of the seasons in :).

[AntiBeeSpray]

It's been quite awhile... but Della and Perry had a second baby (she's grown up now). Her name is Lucy :). They're two really good parents. And they're still together.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Been watching some of the earlier episodes via MeTv and they're pretty good so far. Really been enjoying Paul the most though as a character. He's such a smartass :P.

[kikismom]

I watch all the time, and last night I finally got to hear someone say that great cliche :

 

"I've got some information that'll blow this case wide open!"

 

Way back---30 year ago--a classmate and I would use that as an opener when we heard some gossip. Can't believe it was used in all seriousness by an informant on Perry Mason. Fabulous.

[kikismom]

1. Perry Mason finally opens that office window and discovers the city skyline is just a painting and screams uncontrollably.

Paul Drake gets made over by Queer Eye For The Straight Guy.

Della and Gertie get in an argument and kick off their shoes and pull each other's weaves off.

Hamilton Burger is shown at home, sitting in his armchair in boxer shorts and wife-beater drinking beer.

Perry has to defend Casey Anthony.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I watch all the time, and last night I finally got to hear someone say that great cliche :

 

"I've got some information that'll blow this case wide open!"

 

Way back---30 year ago--a classmate and I would use that as an opener when we heard some gossip. Can't believe it was used in all seriousness by an informant on Perry Mason. Fabulous.

Yea XD, it's definitely out there sometimes. But still worth it.

[kikismom]

Oh yeah, I love it; when I was a kid I wanted the whole world to be like that! :-D

 

Holy Crap---It's "Della Street" on Adam-12 today!

[AntiBeeSpray]

Oh yeah, I love it; when I was a kid I wanted the whole world to be like that! :-D

 

Holy Crap---It's "Della Street" on Adam-12 today!

Nice. Who did she play on it?

[AntiBeeSpray]

1. Perry goes and becomes a real life lawyer.

2. Ham Burger quits his job as a DA and starts working at a fast food restaurant.

3. Paul stops being a lady's man and becomes a monk.

[kikismom]

She played the mother of a runaway druggie flower child protesting her "Establishment" parents :-D

 

BTW, she still looked beautiful!

[AntiBeeSpray]

She played the mother of a runaway druggie flower child protesting her "Establishment" parents :-D

 

BTW, she still looked beautiful!

Ah. Cool.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Anyone keeping up with ME TV's reruns? I've been watching some of the earlier episodes and it's been interesting seeing how Perry and the others develop. Really am developing a liking for Paul though. He's such a smartass sometimes.

[AntiBeeSpray]

1. Perry would be GLAD to lose a case.

2. Della tells him and Paul, "That's it... I quit!" and then leaves for good.

3. Ham Burger quits being DA and runs for president.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Anyone keeping up with ME TV's reruns? I've been watching some of the earlier episodes and it's been interesting seeing how Perry and the others develop. Really am developing a liking for Paul though. He's such a smartass sometimes.

 

I am, and I wouldn't call Paul a smartass; he's just very SMART. And gets things done. And doesn't get caught when he's snooping. And when he does, he doesn't look stupid (Sorry Paul Junior, but many a time, you did!). In other words, he got shit DONE.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I am, and I wouldn't call Paul a smartass; he's just very SMART. And gets things done. And doesn't get caught when he's snooping. And when he does, he doesn't look stupid (Sorry Paul Junior, but many a time, you did!). In other words, he got shit DONE.

I meant it in regards to when he's kidding around :). Other than that, he's not one. He was one smart cookie. And like you said, he got shit done.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I meant it in regards to when he's kidding around :). Other than that, he's not one. He was one smart cookie. And like you said, he got shit done.

 

Ahhh, got it. And yes, I agree, AND he was a flirt, too! Though there were a couple of times, he was left, well, without a lady to take out to dinner! The look on his face was priceless.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Ahhh, got it. And yes, I agree, AND he was a flirt, too! Though there were a couple of times, he was left, well, without a lady to take out to dinner! The look on his face was priceless.

Yea he was! :) It was funny seeing him without a date.

 

Just saw a good one recently where Perry left him speechless over a check, I think it was "The Case of the Married Moonlighter". The look on his face was priceless and Della just cracked up. My mom thought that the scene might have been ad-libbed due in part to their reactions to how he (Perry) acted.

 

Found it: Watch it soon though.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I've got the first seven seasons on dvd, so I'll definitely check it out later today.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I've got the first seven seasons on dvd, so I'll definitely check it out later today.

Cool. Lucky. I only have the first half of season 1 so far.

[SpencerHawk]

Nice thread, AntiBeeSpray.

 

1 Lt. Tragg dressing in drag.

 

2 The jury breaks into song.

 

3 The judge dances on his bench.

Edited August 26, 2014 by SpencerHawk

[GHScorpiosRule]

One of my favorite quotes, which is said by both Perry and Burger, in different episodes...

 

"Objection, Your Honor! That question is Incompetent, Irrelevant and Immaterial.." not necessarily in that order!

 

Always made me laugh because of the word "incompetent", until I looked it up and discovered that back then, incompetent was a legal word actually used!

 

What are your favorite quotes? Because there are a many!

[AntiBeeSpray]

Thanks GHScorpiosrule for starting this thread!

[bmasters9]

Just found the sweetest find today... a couple of Perry Mason books. They're still in print :). Got them for a little over a $1 a piece. Can't wait to start reading them. And I got a Nero Wolfe mystery as well.

I found one at the Dollar General too: The Case of the Horrified Heirs. I purchased it, and I've already read it. It was just that good. I had before also purchased one at a vintage book store; that one was The Case of the Negligent Nymph.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Heads up you guys! The old tv movies (the ones from the 80's and 90's) are airing this week from 12:30am to 2:00am (from the 17th to the 21st) on MeTV.

[BW Manilowe]

I wish I could say, hey, this is one of my top favorite episodes! But I can't, because they're all so very good. What I liked about the series versus the movies, is that sometimes, you weren't sure whether Perry's client was innocent or not, even though you knew that they had to be innocent. In the movies, you already knew they weren't guilty. And considering that with the movies they had an extra hour or so, I find the series episodes, so much more substantive.

I do like to squee when I see actors who became Hollywood movie stars--Robert Redford! Bette Davis! And of course all the actors that went on to become big soap opera stars in Days of Our Lives and General Hospital! Then there's Uncle Jesse from Dukes of Hazard, who showed up at least 7 times...Jock Ewing (Jim Best) from Dallas...about two or three times...I'm bummed that Larry Hagman never appeared. But Marion Ross did, as did Barbara Eden.

Edited to add just because:

But, watching the 13 movies I think it was, alongside with the classic television shows, I have to say the show comes out the winner. If only because, the movies had an extra hour, but both Paul, Junior and Ken, came off as buffoons to the AWESOMETACULAR that was the original Paul Drake, when it came to investigating and getting Perry the answers/information. Ken always seemed to fall for the killer or woman who wasn't available. But they always got bested except for the very end, when they, AHAH! got the one piece of evidence that Perry needed. Bah! I'll take Paul Senior over those two, and I LOVED Paul Junior, and barely tolerated Ken.

It's also interesting that most of the cases took place in Colorado, instead of Los Angeles, like the original did. With one (from the group I saw) in New York, and one in Vegas (Defiant Daughter).

I'll be honest--I fast forwarded every scene of Ken "investigating" and just soaked up all the Perry, Perry and Della scenes, heh.

Speaking of buffoons--why did the movies also have to make the cops buffoons as well? If not buffoons, than stupid or not as smart as they should have been. I mean, Tragg annoyed me with his smirkiness sometimes, but he was smart; the few cops they had and yes, even the recurring McCeachin, came off stupid sometimes. In the original, it was only Hamilton that came off dumb most times, but not because he was dumb, but because he let Perry play him or manipulate him so often. But ultimately, they were both on the same side.

I wonder why David Ogden Stiers didn't remain as the recurring D.A. I really liked him.

I did giggle at how Don Galloway appeared in at least two of these movies--one as a General in the USAF and the other as a cop, if only for one scene.

I wonder if any of the original writers were around when the movies were being made, because if so, they totally should have tried to get them to write for the movies.

I really wish that the special that Bill Cosby did in late '93 after Raymond's passing had been on the collector's edition that has Perry Mason Returns. Sigh...

The late Jim Davis was Jock Ewing on the CBS version of Dallas, not James Best (I think he was on The Dukes of Hazzard).

Not for nothing, but the late Don Galloway (sadly, he died from complications of a stroke on January 8, 2009, after he'd retired--pretty much, at least--from acting) was actually a personal friend of mine & my family's for a number of years, about 10-11 actually, in the mid 70s-mid 80s. He kept in touch with us until around the time of his 2nd marriage & retirement from acting.

Cool Fact: He & my Dad had the same birthday (July 27th), but my Dad's 2 years older, based on the birth year that was always used in Don's professional biographical info.

He was a beyond super nice man who was very kind to my entire family, but to me in particular (& he went WAY above & beyond what friends would do for each other, for me, a number of times in the years my family & I were close to him). I still miss him, especially on his & my Dad's shared birthday, & will always think of him extremely fondly.

I also meant to say, they very likely moved the setting of most of the "reunion" TV movies to Colorado (& I think I remember reading at least the 1st 1, if not the others which were done before Colorado became the setting, was actually filmed in Toronto) because the production company, etc., could get better tax breaks/a better financial deal by not filming in LA.

They filmed the Ironside reunion movie--mentioned 'cause you mentioned Don Galloway--in Denver, instead of LA or San Francisco for the same reason.

Since your name's GHScorpiosRule, do you remember when Don Galloway played Dr. Buzz Stryker on GH? I still knew him then, & loved he was on GH 'cause it was my favorite daytime drama.

Edited April 1, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[AntiBeeSpray]

Heads up! There's going to be two more Perry movies airing this weekend, Friday and Saturday. 

 

The Case of the Ruthless Reporter -- Friday 12:30am est tonight

 

The Case of the Reckless Romeo -- Saturday 12:30am est tomorrow

[AntiBeeSpray]

Heads up! MeTv is having another week of Perry movies! I did some checking for the heck of it and saw that they have 5 more on their schedule (starting from the 6th of May from what I can tell so far).

 

It's a mix, some from the late 80's and some from the end.

 

Here they are (they'll be airing at 12:30am est to 2:30am est):

 

Perry Mason: The Case of the Desperate Deception
Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer
Perry Mason: The Case of the Sinister Spirit
Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal
Perry Mason: The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host <-- SO happy that they're airing this one!

[small potatoes]

Drake says "Hello Beautiful" one too many times to Della and she smacks him with a sexual harassment suit.

Perry takes both of their cases and goes crazy arguing against himself in court.

[small potatoes]

A Perry Mason novel from 1935, The Case of the Counterfeit Eye, is about a guy with not just one but six glass eyes, one of them expertly painted to match the other bloodshot eye on the not infrequent occasions when he's out drinking. When one of his glass eyes is found at the scene of the crime, he's accused of murder and Perry defends him. According to this blogger, it's the only Perry Mason story that hasn't been made into a movie or TV episode.

 

http://wsash.net/fandom/perry-mason-and-the-case-of-the-counterfeit-eye/

[AntiBeeSpray]

Just saw Tell Tale Talk Show Host last night (actually this morning, thank you dvr for recording it) on MeTv. So good. And there was some nice banter between Della and Perry. Too cute :P. Well worth the watch. Come on Amazon! Release the rest of the movies! :D

[AntiBeeSpray]

Found a doozy in the case of the Fatal Fashion (1991).

 

From a scene where Perry and Della are leaving the court house/police station...

 

Della: Well?

 

Perry: Well, what?

 

Della: You still haven't told me if you decided to take her case.

 

Perry: Della, there are thousands of very good attorneys in the city who would jump at the chance to defend a woman who is not only innocent but who could pay their fee without blinking an eye.

 

Della: But you have something that they don't.

 

Perry: What is that?

 

Della: A secretary, who'll find it very hard to forgive you if you turn this case down. (Oh... Della. You sly dog you ;). Using the no sex card lmao.)

 

Perry: (He shakes his head.) Della... 

 

Della: Oh Perry... (She looks at him.)

 

Perry: Ok... 

 

He then walks away and as he does so, she looks at him with a small, satisfied smile on her face.

 

Della: I already have.  ( Meaning she forgave him... and all's right in that regard >:) ).

 

Best piece of innuendo I've seen in the films.

 

Bravo you two, bravo!  :)

[MaryMitch]

Della was really a great female character. She was subtle, but she always made her opinion known. (And I love how Paul Drake greeted her with "Hello, Beautiful!" )

[AntiBeeSpray]

Della was really a great female character. She was subtle, but she always made her opinion known. (And I love how Paul Drake greeted her with "Hello, Beautiful!" )

 

Yea she was. Definitely ;). Me too. Paul was awesome.

[friendperidot]

I was semi watching an old Perry Mason on, not paying much attention until I heard the D.A., Hamilton Burger objecting on the grounds the defense was trying to earn the sympathy of the jury. Huh? I thought that was the defenses job.

It's interesting to watch these shows done in the 50s and 60s, pre Miranda. So much of what is done would be thrown out of court now.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Yea it would have. But think about it, stuff on Law and Order at times could be thrown out of court too.

[Collinwood]

Just an FYI.  MeTV is finishing its run of Perry Mason (The Case of the Final Fade-Out) on the evening of July 7 and starting over with Season 1 episode 1 on Friday night, July 8.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Thanks for the heads up! Gotta catch that last ep tomorrow.

[Totale]

Final Fade Out was a good episode, and featured a great cast overall, including (uncredited) Erle Stanley Gardner himself as the judge on the second trial and producer Gail Patrick as an extra in the courtroom.

I've read many of the books, they're always fun.  I saw a 1930s movie once where the adaptation was very loose.  Mason was not just a criminal lawyer but a criminal lawyer as Saul Goodman might say, and Paul Drake was named something like "Sudsy". 

[AntiBeeSpray]

I just found out that Vol. 5 of the movies has come out via Amazon, along with a complete set of them. The latter is cheaper though, it's $34.99. Snapped up a copy myself. Can't wait to see some of my favorite eps again :).

[roseha]

I've been watching the earlier episodes from MEtv over dinner lately and particularly enjoyed The Case of the Hesitant Hostess.  There's a part where Paul is sent to bring the hostess Inez to be a witness at the trial after she's taken from the courthouse by one of the suspects, and it's like a flirtatious scene from a noir movie.  There's also a scene with Perry and Della flying to Vegas and starting to unravel just what was behind the crime to begin with by checking the victim's mail before said suspect shows again.  Interesting story.

Edit: forgot to mention that one of the substitute DAs in a different episode is named "Cutter".  I wonder if that was an in joke at Law and Order when Mike Cutter came on board?

Edited August 19, 2016 by roseha

[AntiBeeSpray]

The Robert Downey Jr Perry Mason series is still around. HBO is interested. Here's a link to the article.

[schnauzergirl]

Barbara Hale, the one and only Della Street, passed away yesterday at age 94.  She was a perfect match for Perry.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Yea she was. May she rest in peace.

And tomorrow, Hallmark Movie Channel is having a marathon of the Perry Mason movies. Hoping to catch it.