Customer Reviews

Perry Mason: Season Four, Vol. 2

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Perry Mason is as much a part of American culture as apple pie and mom. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone of any age who doesn't at least recognize the name. Erle Stanley Gardner's books have millions of devoted fans. The television show it spawned was fabulous as entertainment, and today is widely regarded as one of the best shows television ever produced. Perry was the attorney you wanted on your side in a jam.

It was Gardner himself who picked Raymond Burr, even though the studio only agreed to let him test for Perry if he would test for Burger too! Barbara Hale was his pretty secretary, Della Street, who kept Perry human and was in love with him. William Hopper was the dapper detective, Paul Drake. He had a playful and flirtatious relationship with Della but every viewer knew that secretly her heart belonged to Perry. And we liked it that way.

William Talman as D.A. Hamilton Burger would almost be ready to gloat, Lt. Tragg (Ray Collins) not far behind, when Perry would spring his client by revealing the real killer on the witness stand. There has never been anything close to it in genre on television since. Its mix of drama, noir, and humor, and its truly likable central cast of characters, made for terrific viewing.

Season four was terrific. Releasing them in half seasons, the first half on volume one, the second on volume two now, is indeed an effective but annoying marketing scheme. I agree the price should be lowered, but at the same time agree that as entertainment, this is an incredible value. So, much like gasoline and food, you pay what you have to. Hopefully at some point, Amazon or Paramount will make an effort to still make a profit with a sure-fire hit, while giving fans a better purchase price.

Season four episodes, beginning in September of 1960 and ending in June of 1961, are as follows: The Case of the Treacherous Toupee--The Case of the Credulous Quarry--The Case of the Ill-Fated Faker--The Case of the Singular Double--The Case of the Lavender Lipstick--The Case of the Wandering Widow--The Case of the Clumsy Clown-- The Case of the Provocative Protege--The Case of the Nine Dolls--The Case of the Loquacious Liar--The Case of the Red Riding Boots--The Case of the Larcenous Lady--The Case of the Envious Editor--The Case of the Resolute Reformer--The Case of the Fickle Fortune--The Case of the Waylaid Wolf--The Case of the Wintry Wife --The Case of the Angry Dead Man--The Case of the Blind Man's Bluff--The Case of the Barefaced Witness--The Case of the Difficult Detour--The Case of the Cowardly Lion--The Case of the Torrid Tapestry--The Case of the Violent Vest--The Case of the Misguided Missile--The Case of the Duplicate Daughter--The Case of the Grumbling Grandfather--The Case of the Guilty Clients

This was one of the best dramas ever to hit the air. Seeing it today reminds us just how good television can be, but is often not. It's a bit of nostalgia and a lot of entertainment for TV fans. Fred Steiner's "Park Avenue Beat" remains one of the most recognizable themes ever heard. A must for fans of Perry Mason.

The second half of the fourth season suffers from the sporadic appearance of Bill Talman's masterful portrayal of Hamilton Burger, the unluckiest district attorney in history. Talman was exiled for a morals clause violation the previous season but brought back by popular demand. CBS seems to have looked for ways to keep the actor off the show. One of the few positive effects of this experimentation is found in an episode entitled "the Case of the Cowardly Lion" which is shot extensively on location at the San Diego Zoo and the Kona Kai resort. The zoo in 1961 was indeed a wondrous place, and quite unlike zoos of its era.

Another sixties wonder was the space race. "The Case of the Misguided Missile" was shot extensively at Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Pacific missile launch site. Among the cast was William Schallert, later of the Patty Duke Show and the mayor in the Best Picture Oscar winning fim "In the Heat of the Night". Also in the cast of that episode was James B. Sikking, a Hill Street Blues regular.

However most times when Burger and Tragg are absent the courtroom drama lacks real sizzle. The replacement prosecutors are never haunted by Burger's horrendous won-loss record against Mason, and sort of plod along. Talman projects a hunger to win, and when he doesn't he is always gracious. These other prosecutors just disappear. In one episode, Mason with tongue firmly in cheek, tells Paul and Della that he was to rush to the courthouse because "Hamilton Burger is about to win a case."

As always the writers worked closely with Mason's creator Erle Stanley Gardner. They had to. Gardner had final approval of all scripts. And that is the reason this series remained true to Gardner's vision. After Gardner died in 1970, the series was revised as TV movies starring Raymond Burr. Not one of the TV movies approaches the quality of any episode in this box set. And that is all the reason in the world to add it to your DVD collection.

Perry Mason Season 4 Volume 2

These twelve TV films from 1961 are mostly stories based on the characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner. The books are more complete and informative and tell stories about life that is not experienced by most people. The books can tell you why certain things are done, the films only show you what happened. The books tell you about "ropers", rough or smooth shadows, and how to evade surveillance and avoid leaving a back trail. Some may question the legality and ethics of Perry Mason's tactics but most stories were written before the modern legal rules of the 1960s. The backgrounds tell about life in Los Angeles. It is difficult to film a scene at night but easy to describe it in a book. The seeming reality of these stories is due in part to characters who don't look like Hollywood actors.

The theme music is typical for that era. Note the style of clothing and culture; ladies wore white gloves. People seldom lock their doors. The prices date these films. One advantage is seeing the many automobiles from the late 1950s. How many can you identify? Note the slimness of people then, and the familiarity with pistols. Smoking was very common [a tobacco sponsor]. Watch how the actors express their emotions by their facial expressions. The camera sharpness and quality is excellent on these films. There is nothing like these dramatic stories on today's broadcast TV. When was the last time you saw a trial lawyer as a hero? These stories often use the misinterpretation of circumstantial evidence to provide dramatic effects. The courtroom scenes are usually the Preliminary Hearings. A story adapted from a Gardner novel has the year.


Wintry Wife; Angry Dead Man
Blind Man's Bluff; Barefaced Witness

Difficult Detour; Cowardly Lion
Torrid Tapestry; Violent Vest

Misguided Missile; Duplicate Daughter (1960)
Grumbling Grandfather; Guilty Clients

I love Perry Mason and this portion of the series is no exception, it's great. BUT, CBS TV is ripping us off. This segment has only 12 episodes on it! When other TV series feature a whole year's worth of episodes, Perry Mason's producers or whoever owns these rights has divided them up to make more money and it's a real turn off. Over $30 for just 12 episodes is just greed.

I AM A HUGE PERRY MASON FAN AND HAVE BEEN SINCE 1974. OF COURSE BY THEN THE SHOW HAD LONG BEEN IN RERUNS. MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE EPISODE IS "THE GUILTY CLIENTS". I BELIEVE IT MAY HAVE BEEN IN SEASON 5. OF COURSE AS A CONSUMER I HAVE TO SIT BACK LIKE EVERYONE ELSE AND WAIT ON THE NEXT SEASON.

THIS SERIES HAS BEEN RELEASED IN VOLUMES FROM THE START. THERE ARE NINE SEASONS. I CAN ONLY WONDER HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RELEASE THE REMAINING 5. THIS SERIES IS BEING RELEASED SO SLOWLY IT COULD TAKE AS LONG AS THE SERIES WAS IN PRODUCTION TO FINISH COLLECTING IT.

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. I ALREADY BOUGHT ABOUT SEVENTY TWO EPISODES, BROKEN INTO VOLUMES, FROM COLUMBIA HOUSE. I EXPECTED THEM TO CONTINUE COMING BUT JUST LIKE THE PERSON WHO BOUGHT THEM ON VHS I WAS DISAPPOINTED WHEN THEY STOPPED. AND I PROBABLY PAID ABOUT $500 DOLLARS. I STILL HAVE THEM TOO. HOWEVER I HAVE NOT BOUGHT PERRY MASON BY SEASON YET. EXCEPT THE ANNIVERSARY EDITION, WHICH I WAS DISAPPOINTED IN.

WHOEVER IS RELEASING PERRY MASON IS LITERALLY MILKING THE CONSUMER. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OTHER SERIES RELEASED THIS WAY. I'M NOT SURE WHEN I'LL START BUYING THE SEASONS. I'M JUST NOT HAPPY WITH THE MARKETING OF "PERRY MASON"

I GAVE THIS SEASON 5 STARS BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A GOOD SHOW. BUT IT HAS ONLY EARNED A HALF OF A STAR FOR THE WAY IT IS BEING RELEASED AND THE WAY IT IS BEING MARKETED.

Have collected this set since the beginning. Just hope this doesn't end like the VHS series did (just stopped with no notice). Video quality on these sets equals or even betters the VHS tapes. My only problem with this series is the breaking up of the seasons into two sets. Would gladly pay more to get complete seasons. Keep them coming.

My husband and I watch one Perry Mason show every night and enjoy them to the max. All the characters are just perfect. Raymond Burr IS Perry and no one else could possibly play the role. Barbara Hale is gorgeous and efficient and wonderful in the role of Della Street. Paul is pefect, Burger is viscious but plays fair and I have begun to like him; Lt.Tragg is funny and pefect in the role. I enjoy the way the actors look. The men look so sharp and the women look lovely in the fashions of the times. These are thoroughly enjoyable stories and worth watching. [[SINA:B002OID512 Perry Mason: Season Four, Vol. 2]]

I am very happy with my Perry Mason purchase. But I am tired of waiting and waiting and waiting for the next season to come out. STOP PLAYING GAMES!!

I used to watch Perry Mason with my grandmother ... it was our shared time together. Rewatching them today, it is not just the memories, but I enjoy seeing the clothes, interiors and cars of my college years.

These DVD's are of excellent quality, and do the series justice, pun intended.
I prefer the box and individual folders packaging they started out with, as opposed to the layered in one box format. Also, knowing that the entire series is available, I also don't understand the trickling out half a season at a time either, but so far I'm hanging in there because the shows are so good and I do want to complete them.