Perry Mason - General Discussion

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Perry didn't want to take Della with him? Surely judges need secretaries/people to handle their affairs.

They never addressed why she didn’t go with him. But once she was charged, Perry stepped down as judge because he couldn’t think of anyone who could defend her like he could. She had asked him to recommend one. That scene when he tells her that, and Della says “Oh Perry,” and they hug? GETS ME EVERY SINGLE TIME.

[LexieLily]

3 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

They never addressed why she didn’t go with him. But once she was charged, Perry stepped down as judge because he couldn’t think of anyone who could defend her like he could. She had asked him to recommend one. That scene when he tells her that, and Della says “Oh Perry,” and they hug? GETS ME EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Aww. Be still my Perry/Della heart. 

Paul Junior, if I remember correctly, looked to be in his mid/late twenties in the movies. Was baby Paul Jr. a footnote in the original series? (And speaking of babies, you all mentioned the last scene in TCOT Borrowed Baby where Della cried at the very end where they had to give Leander back to the rightful mother. MeTV cut that part out!)

[Milburn Stone]

15 hours ago, Schnickelfritz said:

My favorite episode (and this is only my own opinion) is the last episode aired, the aptly named TCOT Final Fade-Out - (Season 9, episode 30). It's full of behind the scene nuggets from the show. Many of the actual crew from the show appeared in the episode. Erle Stanley Gardner appeared as a judge. I thought it was a very fitting way for the show to go out and let everyone take a well-deserved bow.

I agree, a very cool episode (and a very cool way to go out). There are even more self-references and "inside bits"--as described in my post about 12 up from yours, from December 14, 2017.

[J-Man]

No one ever mentions "The New Perry Mason", which CBS aired for 15 episodes in 1973-74. I vaguely remember watching at least one episode back in the day, but I'd be interested to see one again. Are they available anywhere?

[LexieLily]

I don't think the revival was received very well, was it?

[AntiBeeSpray]

3 hours ago, LexieLily said:

I don't think the revival was received very well, was it?

Yea I don't think it was. I think it was re aired in the 90's and then the movies made fun of Markham who played the new Perry, with the District Attorney who was named Markham (it was during the last ones I think). They did that since Raymond Burr was sick with cancer at the time and the re airing took place right at that point. All I can say with that, is good on the movie people for doing that.

Edited May 15, 2018 by AntiBeeSpray

[AntiBeeSpray]

45 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

No one was ever going to replace Raymond Burr as Perry Mason and have it be a success.  Not even Monte Markham.

Just like I couldn't picture anyone other than Angela Lansbury playing Jessica Fletcher.

 

Perry Mason quiz.  Put on your thinking caps people, the quiz isn't that easy.

https://www.metv.com/quiz/the-mammoth-perry-mason-quiz

Loved the quiz! Thanks for sharing :).

You got 21 out of 30

You got the verdict you were looking for! You won this case!

[LexieLily]

On ‎5‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 10:18 AM, icemiser69 said:

Perry Mason quiz.  Put on your thinking caps people, the quiz isn't that easy.

https://www.metv.com/quiz/the-mammoth-perry-mason-quiz

27/30! Thanks for sharing the quiz.

Which brings up a question for me. What exactly is Della's job? Gertie is the receptionist for the office, apparently, and Paul is a detective hired by Perry to work with him on most cases. Wikipedia says Della is Perry's confidential secretary and unfortunately, that's of little help. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

8 hours ago, LexieLily said:

27/30! Thanks for sharing the quiz.

Which brings up a question for me. What exactly is Della's job? Gertie is the receptionist for the office, apparently, and Paul is a detective hired by Perry to work with him on most cases. Wikipedia says Della is Perry's confidential secretary and unfortunately, that's of little help. 

Well she’s his Legal Secretary. She also drafts legal documents for him; assists in his detecting (Perry doesn’t let Paul have all the fun!), takes dictation, talks with clients and people have to see her first  if they want to see Perry. Not to mention, she assists him at the prelims and trials.

Edited May 20, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule

[LexieLily]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Well she’s his Legal Secretary. She also drafts legal documents for him; assists in his detecting (Perry doesn’t let Paul have all the fun!), takes dictation, talks with clients and people have to see her first  if they want to see Perry. Not to mention, she assists him at the prelims and trials.

 

I always wondered why Della didn't keep a pair of sneakers or flat shoes in the office or Perry/Paul's car for all the detecting, because inevitably she will have to break into an apartment with Perry or climb down a hill or mountain ;-)

Edited May 20, 2018 by LexieLily

[GHScorpiosRule]

6 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

I always wondered why Della didn't keep a pair of sneakers or flat shoes in the office or Perry/Paul's car for all the detecting, because inevitably she will have to break into an apartment with Perry or climb down a hill or mountain ;-)

Because the detecting she did didn't require them. Also, she ran interference for Perry. Gerty was just there to answer phones.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Found a copy of Fatal Fashion. Go to around 21:24 and you can see Della and Perry having a conversation and her pulling the No Sex card lol.

[J-Man]

TCM is showing six consecutive Perry Mason theatrical movies from the '30s beginning tomorrow (Thursday, 5/24) at 6:45AM EDT.

Case of the Howling Dog, The (1934)

Case of the Curious Bride, The (1935)

Case of the Lucky Legs, The (1935)

Case of the Velvet Claws, The (1936)

Case of the Black Cat, The (1936)

Case of the Stuttering Bishop, The (1937)

[LexieLily]

When are the post-show movies coming back around?

[Milburn Stone]

Just thought it might be interesting to see what people's favorite season was. I've watched a few eps from Season 9, and despite my affection for the series' finale, the other Season 9 episodes I've seen make me think the show had "jumped the shark," really lost the essence of what had made it great. At the other end of the time spectrum, Season 1 also doesn't seem like the show we know and love; it took a while for the actors (and the show runners) to figure out who the characters really were. So, the contenders would seem to be Seasons 2 through 8. Which season was "peak Perry Mason," in your opinion?

Edited June 8, 2018 by Milburn Stone

[LexieLily]

1 hour ago, Milburn Stone said:

Just thought it might be interesting to see what people's favorite season was. I've watched a few eps from Season 9, and despite my affection for the series' finale, the other Season 9 episodes I've seen make me think the show had "jumped the shark," really lost the essence of what had made it great. At the other end of the time spectrum, Season 1 also doesn't seem like the show we know and love; it took a while for the actors (and the show runners) to figure out who the characters really were. So, the contenders would seem to be Seasons 2 through 8. Which season was "peak Perry Mason," in your opinion?

I haven't made it to season nine yet so I'm curious what makes you think that. Is it the usual the-show-is-running-out-of-steam-and-ideas problem that often happens with a series or is there something in particular that happened?

@GHScorpiosRule and others - did Eva Belter ever come back after The Case of The Velvet Claws and what was your opinion on her? Her faces in the background made it clear Della, at least, wasn't a fan, even though she didn't speak it out loud to Perry or Paul.

[Milburn Stone]

9 hours ago, LexieLily said:

I haven't made it to season nine yet so I'm curious what makes you think that. Is it the usual the-show-is-running-out-of-steam-and-ideas problem that often happens with a series or is there something in particular that happened?

Of the Season 9 episodes I've seen, I would describe the problem as that desperate flailing about that happens when the ratings are down and the network is on your back to try something, anything that might appeal to a changing--younger, more "with it"?--viewership. I don't have specific information on the Season 9 ratings, but it's safe to conjecture that if they were still high, it wouldn't have turned out to be the final season; and you can just sense the "played-outness" even if you didn't know. Burr and everyone else seem bored; whatever had made the show unique was missing and now it was feeling generic, trying to be like other shows that came along later.

If there are specific Season 9 episodes that people love (besides the finale, which is great) I will go to these next in the hope of seeing evidence that contradicts my impression.

Edited June 8, 2018 by Milburn Stone

[GHScorpiosRule]

13 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

Just thought it might be interesting to see what people's favorite season was. I've watched a few eps from Season 9, and despite my affection for the series' finale, the other Season 9 episodes I've seen make me think the show had "jumped the shark," really lost the essence of what had made it great. At the other end of the time spectrum, Season 1 also doesn't seem like the show we know and love; it took a while for the actors (and the show runners) to figure out who the characters really were. So, the contenders would seem to be Seasons 2 through 8. Which season was "peak Perry Mason," in your opinion?

 

I have to disagree about this show jumping the shark. Unlike most procedurals today, or even 30-40 years ago, this show never repeated the same plot. Sure, they had the same actors guest star multiple times as different characters, but the plots always were different. If there were episodes I didn’t like as much, except for when Bette Davis guest starred, it was the episodes where Perry wasn’t investigating/defending. And that was due to Burr’s back operation? At least we got a cameo. There are two from season 7 I think? Where there was no Della, that I watched as background noise while I worked on my computer because...no Della!

11 hours ago, LexieLily said:

 

@GHScorpiosRule and others - did Eva Belter ever come back after The Case of The Velvet Claws and what was your opinion on her? Her faces in the background made it clear Della, at least, wasn't a fan, even though she didn't speak it out loud to Perry or Paul.

No she didn’t, thank goodness. I couldn’t STAND her, what with her “Darlings” to Perry and threatening him. Actually I don’t think we had any episodes where they revisited the same cases or characters. 

3 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

Of the Season 9 episodes I've seen, I would describe the problem as that desperate flailing about that happens when the ratings are down and the network is on your back to try something, anything that might appeal to a changing--younger, more "with it"?--viewership. I don't have specific information on the Season 9 ratings, but it's safe to conjecture that if they were still high, it wouldn't have turned out to be the final season; and you can just sense the "played-outness" even if you didn't know. Burr and everyone else seem bored; whatever had made the show unique was missing and now it was feeling generic, trying to be like other shows that came along later.

 

I don’t think Burr was bored-with the weight gain (some from the mid years he did deliberately for reasons I can’t recall-Barbara Hale talked about it in the interview in the 25th anniversary dvd), that had to do with his back problems, I think was the main reason for cancellation. There’s no show without Perry and Raymond Burr WAS Perry Mason.

Diving into the shallow pool, I prefer the early seasons when Perry was thinner,  because ROWR,  ❤️??❤️Raymond Burr❤️???was a beautiful man. ???

Edited June 8, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule

[LexieLily]

11 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

If there were episodes I didn’t like as much, except for when Bette Davis guest starred, it was the episodes where Perry wasn’t investigating/defending. And that was due to Burr’s back operation? At least we got a cameo. There are two from season 7 I think? Where there was no Della, that I watched as background noise while I worked on my computer because...no Della!

 

I just made it through the four non-Perry episodes on my series-viewing and I'm not a fan of them either for the main reason that not only were none of the 'stand-in' lawyers as good as Perry, none of them really seemed like good lawyers at all! I forget which one it was but there was one of the episodes in particular that it seemed to me that Della and Paul were doing the lion's share of the investigating/figuring out the motive/advising him how to try the case. 

On a side note it cracks me up how it never fails that Perry gets a phone call from Paul and/or Della no matter where he is. His client's house, Burger's office, a random building. And this was before cell phones and even pagers!

Edited June 9, 2018 by LexieLily

[Gregg247]

S9 was a little tired.  Several of the episodes had the same/similar plots from previous season's episodes (though they changed the identity of the killer each time), and Perry and Paul looked/seemed much older.  Paul in particular looked his age by the final season.  This was especially evident in the "in color" episode, where Paul came across not as a crackerjack P.I. but an older, heavier man past his prime.  The attempts to add stories about "today's youth" were also cringe-worthy.  Also, why add that bar as a new hangout for the group?  It seemed tacked on.

S9 didn't have the drop in quality that Star Trek:TNG experienced in its final season (loss of most writers to DS9), but it did seem like everyone was ready to move on with their lives.

[GHScorpiosRule]

And shortly later, Burr signed up for Ironside!?

[J-Man]

I've been watching both the morning and evening showings in order on MeTV and I noticed that they skipped over "The Case of the Terrified Typist" (S1, E38) for some reason. Is there a problem with that episode? Is it not part of the syndication package?

[AntiBeeSpray]

2 hours ago, J-Man said:

I've been watching both the morning and evening showings in order on MeTV and I noticed that they skipped over "The Case of the Terrified Typist" (S1, E38) for some reason. Is there a problem with that episode? Is it not part of the syndication package?

Yea I've noticed that with some episodes. They were supposed to air the one ep with Betty Davis one night and instead aired another one. Wondered if they weren't able to get permission for it anymore.

[roseha]

4 hours ago, J-Man said:

I've been watching both the morning and evening showings in order on MeTV and I noticed that they skipped over "The Case of the Terrified Typist" (S1, E38) for some reason. Is there a problem with that episode? Is it not part of the syndication package?

I'm pretty sure my Tivo recorded that one just recently, so I think they are running it - unless the one shown is not the one Tivo lists which is possible.  MeTV breaks up for me sometimes so I skip over any of those broadcasts.

I find it interesting, looking online, that occasionally the writers would change the identity of the killer from the original novel.  Sometimes you can tell, the motive for the killer seems pretty weak in some of these cases ("The Case of the Green Eyed Sister", which I saw recently, being one of those I think - apparently the original killer was a character dropped in the TV version).

[LexieLily]

15 hours ago, Gregg247 said:

S9 was a little tired.  Several of the episodes had the same/similar plots from previous season's episodes (though they changed the identity of the killer each time), and Perry and Paul looked/seemed much older.  Paul in particular looked his age by the final season.  This was especially evident in the "in color" episode, where Paul came across not as a crackerjack P.I. but an older, heavier man past his prime.  The attempts to add stories about "today's youth" were also cringe-worthy.  Also, why add that bar as a new hangout for the group?  It seemed tacked on.

S9 didn't have the drop in quality that Star Trek:TNG experienced in its final season (loss of most writers to DS9), but it did seem like everyone was ready to move on with their lives.

Wasn't it true that the network wanted to do a season ten but Burr said no?

[peacheslatour]

On 5/18/2018 at 9:04 AM, AntiBeeSpray said:

Loved the quiz! Thanks for sharing :).

You got 21 out of 30

You got the verdict you were looking for! You won this case!

Lol, I got the same score. I didn't win the case but I was declared Not Guilty.

[GHScorpiosRule]

17 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Lol, I got the same score. I didn't win the case but I was declared Not Guilty.

?????????

[Rough Draft]

Great thread!

And a head's up: the final episode of the original series (The Case of the Final Fadeout) is airing Friday night on Me TV. I've never seen it, and thanks to Milburn Stone's recommendation, I'm really looking forward to it!

[Collinwood]

. . . and on Monday night, the 27th, Perry starts  all over again with a younger, thinner Raymond Burr.  He lost 60 lbs. right before filming started on the show and then slowly put it back on over the course of nine seasons.  Sad to see William Hopper look so much better at the beginning of the series.  He passed away from complications of a stroke in 1972.

[GHScorpiosRule]

It’s a well known fact that Burr played the murdering husband in Rear Window, as well as playing the baddies on the old Godzilla movies,; plus another successful run as Ironside on Ironside. I discovered that The Greatest American Hero is airing on the Hero & Icons channel and William Katt looks like a baby! Naturally I wanted to see if  Barbara Hale ever guest starred and she did! But I have to wait until the end of season two!?

BUT. Before Perry and Della were reunited when the movies premiered, Barbara also guest starred on Ironside!!! So of  COURSE I set my dvr!? It’s still on season one and she doesn’t appear until season five, I can’t wait to see if she’s a former love! 

[peacheslatour]

Burr also played the murdered rapist in one of my favorite film noir's The Blue Gardenia, with Anne Baxter, Ann Sothern and Richard Conte.

[Milburn Stone]

In the episode from Season 4 we watched last night (The Case of the Violent Vest), the murdered man was Erik Rhodes, "Italian gigolo" from Astaire-Rogers musicals!

I didn't recognize him because he wasn't playing an Italian gigolo. :) 

[LexieLily]

On ‎9‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 8:07 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

It’s a well known fact that Burr played the murdering husband in Rear Window, as well as playing the baddies on the old Godzilla movies,; plus another successful run as Ironside on Ironside. I discovered that The Greatest American Hero is airing on the Hero & Icons channel and William Katt looks like a baby! Naturally I wanted to see if  Barbara Hale ever guest starred and she did! But I have to wait until the end of season two!?

BUT. Before Perry and Della were reunited when the movies premiered, Barbara also guest starred on Ironside!!! So of  COURSE I set my dvr!? It’s still on season one and she doesn’t appear until season five, I can’t wait to see if she’s a former love! 

Can you let me know when this episode comes along so I can record it?

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 9/19/2018 at 10:59 AM, LexieLily said:

Can you let me know when this episode comes along so I can record it?

It probably won’t show up until next year! It’s only airing two episodes a week.  Season two starts next week. Unless they skip seasons.

And how did I miss Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier) appearing on this show?!! And with make-up and jewelry!? Season One “Case of the Crimson Kiss” as a an old friend of Perry’s family.

[AntiBeeSpray]

*Fixing my July 2015 post about the innuendo from Fatal Fashion:

 

Perry: Ok...  Della, call Ken.

 

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 >:)  -- and in regards to calling Ken (missed that part of the scene, but it still has such double meaning there, very clever of the writers and of the actors! (the way that the scene was played was brilliant and that last bit of line delivery... said sooo much))

[GHScorpiosRule]

SQUEEE!!! Barbara was in Greatest American Hero this morning! Playing William’s mother! She looks FANTASTIC! And this was like two years before Perry Mason Returns.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Just found an old quote that Raymond made:

 

"People would say: 'Is he sleeping with Della Street, and if not, why not?"' Burr said this year. "Fifty percent of them want him to, and 50 percent don't want him to. I try to play both 50 percents."

Source:  http://articles.latimes.com/1993-09-13/news/mn-34829_1_perry-mason-revival

 

Found it before in an interview, glad to have found it again.

[LexieLily]

ALERT! ALERT! Hallmark Movies and Mysteries is showing that it will air Perry Mason Returns on Monday January 7th at 2 PM.

Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun is airing at 2 PM on the following day, Tuesday January 8th.

(Did this forum get rearranged and/or condensed?)

[GHScorpiosRule]

7 hours ago, LexieLily said:

ALERT! ALERT! Hallmark Movies and Mysteries is showing that it will air Perry Mason Returns on Monday January 7th at 2 PM.

Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun is airing at 2 PM on the following day, Tuesday January 8th.

(Did this forum get rearranged and/or condensed?)

If you've been paying attention to the Board announcements, forums that have little to no activity had been converted to a single topic. Meaning all comments related to episodes, movies, quotes, casting, media will now go in this thread.

I remember missing the movie when it first aired and that The Case of the Notorious Nun being the first one I saw and hating it. Not seeing Perry, Della and Paul Junior, but how we knew almost immediately who the bad guys involved were--like Jon Cypher's character, preparing that syringe to shoot Paul up, if he'd seen anything incriminating. Sure, Perry Mason Returns was similar, but COME ON! We all know Della wasn't guilty! And though we saw the real killer, we knew he was a hired assassin. I remember being upset that it was Richard Anderson's character because he played the main detective in the last few seasons on the original show.

I'm just looking forward to the tears and FEELS I'll be getting when Della breaks down in Perry's arms.

[LexieLily]

9 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

If you've been paying attention to the Board announcements, forums that have little to no activity had been converted to a single topic. Meaning all comments related to episodes, movies, quotes, casting, media will now go in this thread.

I remember missing the movie when it first aired and that The Case of the Notorious Nun being the first one I saw and hating it. Not seeing Perry, Della and Paul Junior, but how we knew almost immediately who the bad guys involved were--like Jon Cypher's character, preparing that syringe to shoot Paul up, if he'd seen anything incriminating. Sure, Perry Mason Returns was similar, but COME ON! We all know Della wasn't guilty! And though we saw the real killer, we knew he was a hired assassin. I remember being upset that it was Richard Anderson's character because he played the main detective in the last few seasons on the original show.

I'm just looking forward to the tears and FEELS I'll be getting when Della breaks down in Perry's arms.

I had not been paying attention to the Board announcements. Lol.

[GHScorpiosRule]

13 hours ago, LexieLily said:

I had not been paying attention to the Board announcements. Lol.

There have been two pinned posts at the top of the home page for the past two weeks or so!

[AntiBeeSpray]

Got some info on the new Perry Mason series via HBO. They're eyeing Matthew Rhys to play him now.

https://tvline.com/2019/01/14/matthew-rhys-perry-mason-hbo-limited-series-cast/

Source:   tvline.com

[LexieLily]

It looks as though they are showing all of the Perry Mason movies for the next few weeks. Each weekday at 3/2c on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Woot. Just caught the last part of the Avenging Ace today. Going to try to catch the movies while they're still on. Yay Directv for having HMM on.

[LexieLily]

On ‎1‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 2:44 PM, AntiBeeSpray said:

Got some info on the new Perry Mason series via HBO. They're eyeing Matthew Rhys to play him now.

https://tvline.com/2019/01/14/matthew-rhys-perry-mason-hbo-limited-series-cast/

Source:   tvline.com

I haven't yet read the books but based on Perry Mason the TV show, this reboot seems to have nothing in common with PM but the name.

[GHScorpiosRule]

15 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

I haven't yet read the books but based on Perry Mason the TV show, this reboot seems to have nothing in common with PM but the name.

I've already stated this in the -Fuck you-Reboot thread: I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever accept anyone but Raymond Burr as Perry. The character is based on the series of books that Earle Stanley Gardner wrote. Anything before his career as the defense attorney is all made up. I didn't bother reading the link. Because I'm NOT interested and don't give a figgedity foo. And knowing how Hollywood rolls, if there is a Della in this, it will be all angsty and how they're lovers and if there's a Paul, there will be a fucking triangle or some such shit. They already have him as a bitter, unemployed investigator or something like that for this "limited" series.

Edited January 22, 2019 by GHScorpiosRule

[LexieLily]

3 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I've already stated this in the -Fuck you-Reboot thread: I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever accept anyone but Raymond Burr as Perry. The character is based on the series of books that Earle Stanley Gardner wrote. Anything before his career as the defense attorney is all made up. I didn't bother reading the link. Because I'm NOT interested and don't give a figgedity foo. And knowing how Hollywood rolls, if there is a Della in this, it will be all angsty and how they're lovers and if there's a Paul, there will be a fucking triangle or some such shit. They already have him as a bitter, unemployed investigator or something like that for this "limited" series.

It doesn't mention anything about a Della or a Paul. but if this supposed to cover his career before he becomes "Perry Mason," maybe they won't be there. Apparently this Perry is divorced, which, WTF?

[peacheslatour]

I also liked Warren William's (the king of pre-code) version.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Hallmark Movies and Mysteries isn't showing Perry Mason today. They're showing some lame murder mystery instead. Hard pass.

[GHScorpiosRule]

55 minutes ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Hallmark Movies and Mysteries isn't showing Perry Mason today. They're showing some lame murder mystery instead. Hard pass.

I think I saw a promo last week, that they'll be airing the movies every Wednesday?