25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What Television Can Be, October 4, 2009
This review is from: Perry Mason: Seasons 1-4 (DVD)
Perry Mason was certainly the finest courtroom drama ever on television. 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. TV fans waited a long time for a DVD release of the finest courtroom drama ever to be broadcast into homes.
Over the decades, Perry Mason has become as much a part of American culture as apple pie and mom. You'd have difficulty finding anyone who doesn't at least recognize the name. Erle Stanley Gardner's books have millions of devoted fans. Beginning in more pulp style fashion, they gradually grew more to resemble the Perry of network television. Warren William had starred as Mason in a couple of nifty films during the early 1930's, but left after four films, Ricardo Cortez and Donald Woods following in his footsteps as it became a "B" entry. All those were actually based on Erle Stanley Gardner's original novels. The television show it spawned was fabulous entertainment, however, 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. Warren William did, in fact, propose to Claire Dodd (Della) in the films, and had a honeymoon interrupted by mystery in his final entry as Mason.
A great cast for the other side made the television series sparkle as well. 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. Those who haven't picked up any of the prior offerings, can catch up in this set of seasons 1-4! Here is the entire list of episodes for those checking against what they own, trying to decide if it's worth picking up everything, or perhaps just a certain season missing from your library.
The Case of the Restless Redhead -- The Case of the Sleepwalker's Niece -- The Case of the Nervous Accomplice -- The Case of the Drowning Duck -- The Case of the Sulky Girl -- The Case of the Silent Partner -- The Case of the Angry Mourner -- The Case of the Crimson Kiss -- The Case of the Vagabond Vixen -- The Case of the Runaway Corpse -- The Case of the Crooked Candle -- The Case of the Negligent Nymph -- The Case of the Moth-Eaten Mink -- The Case of the Baited Hook -- The Case of the Fan-Dancer's Horse -- The Case of the Demure Defendant -- The Case of the Sun Bather's Diary -- The Case of the Cautious Coquette -- The Case of the Haunted Husband -- The Case of the Lonely Heiress -- The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister -- The Case of the Fugitive Nurse -- The Case of the One-Eyed Witness -- The Case of the Deadly Double -- The Case of the Empty Tin -- The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife -- The Case of the Desperate Daughter -- The Case of the Daring Decoy -- The Case of the Hesitant Hostess -- The Case of the Screaming Woman -- The Case of the Fiery Fingers -- The Case of the Substitute Face -- The Case of the Long-Legged Models -- The Case of the Gilded Lily -- The Case of the Lazy Lover -- The Case of the Prodigal Parent -- The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde -- The Case of the Terrified Typist -- The Case of the Rolling Bones -- 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 -- The Case of the Watery Witness--The Case of the Garrulous Gambler--The Case of the Blushing Pearls--The Case of the Startled Stallion--The Case of Paul Drake's Dilemma--The Case of the Golden Fraud--The Case of the Bartered Bikini-- The Case of the Artful Dodger--The Case of the Lucky Legs--The Case of the Violent Village--The Case of the Frantic Flyer--The Case of the Wayward Wife--The Case of the Prudent Prosecutor--The Case of the Gallant Grafter--The Case of the Wary Wildcatter--The Case of the Mythical Monkeys--The Case of the Singing Skirt--The Case of the Bashful Burro--The Case of the Crying Cherub--The Case of the Nimble Nephew--The Case of the Madcap Modiste--The Case of the Slandered Submarine--The Case of the Ominous Outcast--The Case of the Irate Inventor--The Case of the Flighty Father -- 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. Being offered now for release just in time for Christmas, this would make the perfect gift for the Mason fan in your family. A fine example of great television.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
response, January 17, 2010
This review is from: Perry Mason: Seasons 1-4 (DVD)
The product is great if you are a lover of the series. I was then and still am as the quality is super which was the only part I was worried about. I have bought series before and were copied off of VHS crappy quality. This product is super!
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Classic Courtroom Drama, February 2, 2010
This review is from: Perry Mason: Seasons 1-4 (DVD)
Perry Mason Seasons 1-4 DVD
The "Perry Mason" TV show lasted nine seasons, a record in that era. Some TV series lasted longer by replacing the actors to keep viewers interested ("ER" and "Law & Order"). Erle Stanley Gardner was "the World's Greatest Author" in his time, his books outsold the combined totals of his competitors. His stories were as stylized as baseball games. Season 1 used 36 of his novels for its 39 episodes, Season 2 used 15 of his novels for the 30 episodes. That was half of his Perry Mason novels. The later episodes became a formula where someone would confess in the last minutes. The original novels were much better, read them for comparison. The films were the simplified and condensed versions of the novels, or new material.
Gardner's novels would educate the readers by using examples from law and science or new technology. He dedicated novels to an important person in medicine or law. Gardner founded "The Court of Last Resort" to exonerate the convicted innocent. Gardner's stories warned of the dangers of invalid eyewitness identification, drawing the wrong conclusions from circumstantial evidence (guilt by inference), or prematurely accusing a suspect before all the evidence was gathered and evaluated. Some of this stories made the point that while ballistics can identify the gun that fired a bullet it cannot tell when it was fired (before or after the crime). "Perry Mason" advised his clients to never lie to the police, it was better to say nothing except call for a lawyer. No story dealt with a false confession as in the 1947 movie "Boomerang", which was based on a true crime.
There is a famous true crime that has the above elements. You can read about the case of Sacco & Vanzetti where they were convicted of robbery and murder in spite of their alibis. Many believed they were innocent and were convicted as part of the repression of the 1920s. The fall in agricultural products in 1921 was worldwide and resulted in falling income. This worked its way through the economy and led to business failures in 1927. The looting of shareholder value made this worse. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 was the result, it was not the cause of the Great Depression. This was avoided after WW II by government actions such as keeping a large standing army to prevent unemployment and other policies from the New Deal.
Erle Stanley Gardner generally avoided politics in this "Perry Mason" novels. Some of the "A.A. Fair" novels used political corruption in the stories. The 1967 novel "The Case of the Queenly Contestant" was publicized for the remark that a bullet found on a stretcher was not proof of anything. Dr. Milton Halpern was blacklisted by the government for criticizing the autopsy of JFK for its lack of an experienced medical examiner. A book written about the TV show said William Talman was not the first choice for DA Hamilton Burger. Raymond Burr played a DA in "A Place in the Sun" and a villain in earlier films like "Borderline". A book about the Sacco & Vanzetti case has the picture of DA Frederick Katzmann, who resembles William Talman. Perhaps the selection of William Talman as the DA was Gardner's comment on the Sacco & Vanzetti case? In its day "Perry Mason" was criticized for never losing a case. What is the record for newer TV shows like "Law & Order"?
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