Product Details

• Actors: Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper, William Talman, Ray Collins
• Directors: Andrew V. McLaglen, Arthur Hiller, Arthur Marks, Buzz Kulik, Gerd Oswald
• Writers: Barry Trivers, Don Brinkley
• Format: Box set, Black & White, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: CBS Television
• DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007
• Run Time: 774 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000UAE7VS
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,840 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #5 in	Movies & TV > Drama > Television > Perry Mason
  #69 in	Movies & TV > Television > Classic TV

• For more information about "Perry Mason - Season Two, Vol. 2" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 3 in The Perry Mason Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
We strenuously object! Raymond Burr was conspicuously and criminally missing on Entertainment Weekly's list of the top 100 TV icons. This is a TV Land injustice, but this four-disc set of episodes that complete season 2 lays the groundwork for an appeal. Burr was honored with an Emmy for his commendable work this season as Los Angeles defense attorney Perry Mason, as was Barbara Hale, who portrayed his faithful secretary Della Street. Who knows how many impressionable viewers Burr inspired to become lawyers with his masterful portrayal of the unflappable, incorruptible Mason? No matter how much evidence district attorney Hamilton Burger (William Talman) and Lt. Tragg (Ray Collins) collect, and no matter how damning it is, it will usually collapse once Perry gets the real guilty party to break down on the witness stand or, in one case, in a beatnik hangout. In "The Case of the Lame Canary," a woman is discovered over her dead husband's body, gun in hand, and burning a stack of letters. "If she has any sense, she's at the airport waiting for the first plane out of the country," someone cattily remarks. Nope, she has better sense than that; she's at Perry's office.

Filmed in black and white, Perry Mason has a seductive noir sensibility. Here in sunny California are convoluted cases involving corruption, blackmail, scandal, revenge, and greed. Perry, with the help of private detective Paul Drake (William Hopper), sorts it all out, and in the episode codas, further parses the evidence ("I still don't see what put you on the right track" is a typical query) in inscrutable ways that invite replay. Beyond the pleasure of watching an actor thoroughly embody his character, it's also fun to spot familiar character actors. "The Case of the Petulant Partner" stars Will Wright, who played mean old Ben Weaver on the early seasons of The Andy Griffith Show, and that's a rather fetching Marion "Mrs C." Ross from Happy Days in "The Case of the Romantic Rogue." The episodes crackle with some old-school, hard-boiled dialogue. Almost worth the price of the set is hearing Lt. Tragg make with the beat talk in "The Case of the Jaded Joker." "I'm one of the cool ones," he jokes with Della and Perry. "I don't dig slick chicks trying to goof me up, daddy-o." Once again, this set is guilty of providing no extra features, but we'll let them off with a warning. This time. --Donald Liebenson

Product Description
Perry Mason is an attorney who specializes in defending seemingly indefensible cases. With the aid of his secretary Della Street and investigator Paul Drake, he often finds that by digging deeply into the facts, startling facts can be revealed. Often relying on his outstanding courtroom skills, he often tricks or traps people into unwittingly admitting their guilt.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtroom drama at it's best!, August 24, 2007

By	Anthony Caton (Mulberry, AR. USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For nine seasons Raymond Burr ruled the courtroom in "Perry Mason." After serving for almost two decades as a "heavy" in Hollywood noir films, Burr was cast against type as the thoughtful, dogmatic Mason. Burr is surrounded with a first-class supporting cast here -- Barbara Hale as faithful "Della Street," William Hopper as the wise-cracking, woman chasing P.I. "Paul Drake," William Talman as long-suffering D.A. "Hamilton Burger," and Orson Welles favorite Ray Collins as "Lt. Tragg." Along the way you'll enjoy seeing classic T-Bird's and Corvette's, girls in tight-fitting sweaters, and dozens of plot twists and turns. In fact, you won't totally know "who done it" until Perry sweats a confession out of some oily character or shapely dame with about three minutes remaining -- the way crime dramas are supposed to play out. In this set you'll catch terrific character actors Hugh Marlowe, Leo Gordon, Ken Lynch, John Agar, Mala Powers, John Anderson, Dick Foran, R.G. Armstrong, and crooner Frankie Laine. Snap up more of "Perry" today!

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TV's Finest Returns, November 12, 2007

By	Bobby Underwood "starlighthotel" (Bakersfield, California United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Perry Mason fans waited a long time for a DVD release of the finest courtroom drama ever to be broadcast into homes. It was entertainment that kept viewers glued to their seats, waiting for that moment when Perry would nail the killer on the witness stand and free his client. Once the first season was released it was only a matter of time until season two followed. As with the first season, it has been released in two volumes, this being the second half of season two.

Raymond Burr had some good roles in films, but will always be remembered for the tough defense attorney you wanted on your side in the toughest jam. 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.

William Talman as D.A. Hamilton Burger was the perfectly cast guy you almost felt sorry for, as just when he was ready to gloat over his victory in court, Perry would spring his client by revealing the real killer, once again defeating poor old Burger. The relationship of these four people made the mood and mystery of the often gripping conclusion fun to watch. There has never been anything close to it in genre on television since. Its mix of drama, noir, and humor, and its truly likable characters, made for terrific viewing.

Erle Stanley Gardner's original creation of Perry Mason was a bit more two-fisted pulp type reading, but slowly grew into something resembling the show when it became so popular. Gardner's Perry Mason novels, begun decades before the show and continuing for decades more, are still fun to read. The same can be said of every single show in the series.

The second season cemented Perry, Della, Paul, and even Burger and Lt. Trag as weekly visitors into the homes of a large section of Americans. Like the novels, the title of every episode began with "The Case of-" and each one had some wonderful moments, both in and out of the courtroom. As previously stated, the second season is also split into two releases, half the season's episodes on each release, this being the second half of Mason's encore season. The full episode list for season two is as follows:

The Case of the Corresponding Corpse---The Case of the Lucky Loser---The Case of the Pint-Sized Client---The Case of the Sardonic Sergeant---The Case of the Curious Bride--The Case of the Buried Clock---The Case of the Married Moonlighter---The Case of the Jilted Jockey--- The Case of the Purple Woman---The Case of the Fancy Figures---The Case of the Perjured Parrot---The Case of the Shattered Dream---The Case of the Borrowed Brunette---The Case of the Glittering Goldfish---The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll---The Case of the Fraudulent Foto---The Case of the Romantic Rogue---The Case of the Jaded Joker---The Case of the Caretaker's Cat---The Case of the Stuttering Bishop---The Case of the Lost Last Act---The Case of the Bedeviled Doctor---The Case of the Howling Dog---The Case of the Calendar Girl--- The Case of the Petulant Partner---The Case of the Dangerous Dowager---The Case of the Deadly Toy---The Case of the Spanish Cross---The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom---The Case of the Lame Canary

It seems that almost everything on television is getting a DVD release as of late, many of little or no significance. Perry Mason was not only a terrific show, but an important part of television history, and our culture as Americans. TV didn't get any better, and only on rare occasions was it as good. Just a fantastic show, both entertaining and, today, nostalgic. A can't miss.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, November 28, 2007

By	Too Cold in Madison (Madison, WI, USA) - See all my reviews

I remember watching Perry Mason reruns on local independent channels when I was a single-digit kid in the late '60s. I loved it then and I think it has held up well over the ensuing decades. I enjoy the flashback to 1950s culture, including the jazzy music.

I admit that the 1/2-season format is frustrating, but this seems to be becoming the norm with older series. I might be dead before all of the episodes are released. If I am still alive, they will immediately release the complete series in a box set at a lower overall price and with some nice extras, just like some other series are doing now. I'll be bitter of course, but I'll console myself with the knowledge that I didn't have to wait many years to see the early episodes. I am glad that they are using single-sided discs. This is much better than some other old favorites (e.g. The Outer Limits) that have all kinds of quality problems because the are on junky two-sided discs.

I just finished watching this set on my new 73" HDTV using and HD-DVD player that upcodes standard-def DVDs. Fantastic! The picture quality is incredible and truly is "glorious black and white."