I am all set with my Perry Mason merch!

One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was an assortment of Perry Mason supplies from Laurie. I plan to make one of these notebooks my Official Season 12 Notebook! 

Rather chummy look the attorney and the DA are exchanging, eh?

There's more! I especially like the "incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial" notepad:

In the year ahead, you can bet I will be jotting down notes all over the place as I prepare for the podcast! Remember, we discussed Perry Mason in Season 10 as our "Retro-Retro" episode.

For Your Batty Consideration: Perry Mason

Our now-regular "retro retro" show, one looking at a TV series from the "Silver Age" or the 1950s/1960s, is a popular new feature on our BOTNS podcast schedule. This season we talked about CBS' long-running classic legal drama Perry Mason, covering the history of the series and talking about the original novels and even The New Perry Mason as we focused on the show's fourth-season opener, "The Case of the Treacherous Toupee." A young Robert Redford is among the guest cast in a fun Mason installment. We had a great time exploring the world of Perry Mason and hope that you continue to enjoy these steps outside our "official" time frame.

Links:

Our podcast episode
Show notes and YT playlist

Anonymous Batty Insider says: "It's obvious the guys enjoy Perry Mason, but it'll be interesting to see how the Batty committee handles it. Is it fair to throw an older show in there against the usual Seventies and Eighties stuff? I'm not saying it is or isn't, just that the question is going to be asked. Another factor might be the disappearance of the show from FreeVee, which might give the guys some residual anger. If everyone gets past those issues, this could be a big-time Battys player."

Brooks on Books: The Case of the Alliterative Attorney by Bill Sullivan with Ed Robertson

Today I write a bit more about the excellent guide to the original Perry Mason TV series and the TV movies, The Case of the Alliterative Attorney by Bill Sullivan with Ed Robertson. I believe Sullivan is the longtime fan of the show and Robertson does the heavy lifting on the writing; the format follows that of the outstanding books on The Fugitive and The Rockford Files that Robertson authored.

It's possible that many superfans of the series know a lot of the information contained in here, as the book does draw on modern sources like the 50th anniversary collection. However, the authors also conduct some new interviews with the likes of series producer Arthur Marks (who is a big source of info on the aforementioned DVD set), and besides, the organization and presentation of the material is superb. For a relative newcomer to the series like me, it's an essential companion as I go through the episodes.

There is a fine general summary of the character's literary origins and the development of the TV series before we get into the heart of the book: A comprehensive episode guide with production info like airdates, cast lists, and plot summaries (though the authors are scrupulous about not revealing the identity of the guilty) along with notable quotes and trivia. Each season begins with an overview that has valuable info about the direction the series took that year, and many episode entries feature sidebars and information that isn't necessarily only relevant to that particular installment, but is often compelling general material. Therefore to get all the good nuggets about the show, you have to read all of the episode entries, but you can get a real understanding of Perry Mason by reading the beginning and the season overviews, then saving the episode guide entries for when you get to those points in the series.

The hefty book is also filled with amusing appendices, such as "times the killer was revealed outside the courtroom" and notable performers who could have but never were on the series. There is brief coverage of The New Perry Mason, but in-depth treatment of the 1980s TV movies with Burr reprising his role.

In short, the book is not in short; it's over 650 pages of useful info. The writing is professional, as you would expect from a talented veteran like Robertson, but it is playful when appropriate and celebrates the fun and enjoyment of experiencing a classic vintage TV series. The authors appreciate the series and know they are going to be read by diehards, but they also make sure to be accessible to newcomers. The Case of the Alliterative Attorney gets my highest recommendation for television lovers, and I think even "expert witnesses" well versed in Perry Mason will enjoy having all this stuff in one well-organized volume.

Collectibles Corner: The Case of the Beaten-up Book

In honor of last week's Mason episode, I share some photos of a book that was in the family for years (apparently my aunt claimed ownership if one of the inside pages is any indication!) and is now here at Stately Brooks Manor. I give you...THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS BRIDE!

YouTube Spotlight: Will you (or will you not) join them for "Perry Mason"?

Is everyone else as charmed by this promo as I am? 

You can see it and other clips in our Perry Mason video playlist this week!

I like how they address the potentially awkward standard role of actors straddling the line between themselves and being in character. This is a clever approach, I think, and an effective promo. I also like the courtly way Burr asks if we'll join them. I almost expect him to hand us a note with instructions to check yes or no.

Power Rankings: Perry Mason episodes ranked by title

With 270+ episodes, it's tough to know where to begin with a classic show like Perry Mason. You could seek out episodes that offer something different than the usual formula, as I mentioned on the podcast, or you could look for notable guest stars. How about looking at the titles?

The series has great, usually alliteriative names for its stories--marvelous monikers, if you will. Maybe you can't judge a book by its cover, but I looked at all the episode titles and ranked them in order without having necessarily seen them!

In chronological order:

The Case of the Perjured Parrot S2: I want Perry to call the parrot's testimony incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial!

The Case of the Garrulous Gambler S3: I hope the character in question has a 10-gallon hat and annoys Mason by slapping him on the back all the time.

The Case of the Treacherous Toupee S4: I have to include this one since the title lured us into covering it on the podcast!

The Case of the Loquacious Liar S4: It does roll off the tongue, doesn't it?

The Case of the Shapely Shadow S5: Imagine Mason in court referring to the "rather shapely shadow," with a grin.

The Case of the Dodging Domino S6:  I want to know what the deuce this IS.

The Case of the Illicit Illusion S7: Could this be Perry against the one force that could topple him in the courtroom...MAGIC?

Nah.

I mean, nah, magic couldn't even topple Mason in the courtroom. I still hold out hope that magic is involved in the episode.

The Case of the Frustrated Folk Singer S8: My hope is that somehow it leads to Paul Drake clubbing some hippie over the head with his own guitar.

The Case of the Wrathful Wraith S9: Just a great phrase there, but I wonder if they came up with that first and then built a story around it.

The Case of the Positive Negative S9: This has high letdown potential, but I still love the title.

Show Notes and Video Playlist: Episode 10-7: Perry Mason

*Click below for this week's video playlist, featuring promos, commercials, PSAs, and more! you might even see a glimpse of the NEW Perry Mason!

And remember you can always visit our official YouTube channel for our past podcasts and episode-specific playlists for each one!

*As a reminder, we covered Search, which we mention at the top of the show, right here.

*Shout-out again to the excellent book The Case of the Alliterative Attorney by Bill Sullivan with Ed Robertson.

*Perry Mason aired 9 seasons and a staggering 271 episodes, all on CBS, from 1957-1966. Raymond Burr continued in the role for 26 TV movies on NBC begininning in 1985, and there were 4 more after his death.

*The New Perry Mason with Monte Markham in the title role ran for 15 episodes on CBS in 1973.

*Pitfall is a 1948 film noir directed by Andre de Toth and starring Dick Powell, Lizabeth Scott, Jane Wyatt, and Burr.

*Ironside, starring Burr as a chief of detectives with the SFPD, aired 8 seasons on NBC beginning in 1967.

*The episode we were unable to see is season 3's "The Case of Paul Drake's Dilemma."

*John Gunther's High Road was a 1959-1960 travelogue show on ABC. Gunther, who narrated films of various locales, was most known for his Inside series of books, like Inside Europe, Inside Latin America, and 1947's Inside U.S.A.

*"The Case of the Treacherous Toupee" premiered September 17, 1960 as the fourth-season premiere, though it was produced in March with the third season. It's based on the original novel The Case of the Counterfeit Eye by Erle Stanley Gardner.

*At this point in his career, Robert Redford was 25 years old. He was in a host of other TV guest roles in the early 1960s, including Maverick, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Twilight Zone.

*Rita Duncan's other credits include The Untouchables, M Squad, and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. She left acting in 1961 and opened a Hollywood talent agency that she ran into the late 1980s.

Episode 10-7: Perry Mason

In this season's Retro-Retro episode, we return to the silver age of TV and TV's wiliest lawyer--the great Perry Mason in "The Case of the Treacherous Toupee." You read that right. Crime, shenannegans, and a toupee! Plus a young Robert Redford!

#podcast #tv #retrotv #seventies #eighties #fifties #sixties #perrymason #raymondburr #robertredford #lawyers #courtroomdrama

 

Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...