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Post by Zone Fighter on May 17, 2006 7:44:38 GMT -8
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Post by Zone Fighter on Jul 29, 2006 20:49:28 GMT -8
It's a five disc set. I've seen the first 4. Each disc holds 4 episodes, no bonus materials.
These early episodes are actually based on Earl Stanley Gardner's books (later episodes will be "Based on characters created By Earl Stantley Gardner"), although of course changes are made. They have to be squeesed into an hour and some characters are made more likeable on the screen then they were in the book. In later seasons the real murderer is always revealed in court, in some of these early episodes Perry gets them to confess outside the courtroom.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Jul 31, 2006 12:08:55 GMT -8
i've always liked the show, but only on a casual basis. it ran for several years, right? did anyone else ever play Perry Mason, other than in the show?
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Post by Zone Fighter on Jul 31, 2006 16:48:31 GMT -8
There was a radio series before the tv series and I think a couple of movies.
Disc 5 has 3 episodes not 4 like the others. As its turned out I've already seen most of these episodes.
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Post by Gwangi on Jul 31, 2006 21:19:08 GMT -8
Amusingly, I always felt that this show was putting the LAPD in bad light. I mean they always caught the wrong guy!!  I always wondered how Lieutenant Tragg, then later on his successors were able to keep their jobs! Then there is DA Burger, the lawyer equivalent to the Washington Generals! I could be wrong, but I think that first season featured Kipp Hamilton, as a defendant whom Mason defends and of course wins (thus allowing her to go to Japan and sing "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat", before the arrival of Gaira!). |
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Post by Zone Fighter on Jul 31, 2006 21:34:13 GMT -8
Seems to me that as soon as Tragg (or later Anderson) finds out the man or woman he arressted has Perry Mason for his/her lawyer the officer should realise he has the wrong person and let him/her go.
Perry Mason did lose 3 cases, but two convictions were overturned on appeal and third Perry proved the person who was put on trial was an imposter. So the case had to be thrown out and the man retried under his right name. And presumably without Perry defending him.
Here's what I found about Perry Mason movies and radio before Raymond Burr:
Movies:
Warren William
1934 The Case of the Howling Dog
1935 The Case of the Curious Bride
1935 The Case of the Lucky Legs
1936 The Case of the Velvet Claws
Ricardo Cortez
1936 The Case of the Black Cat (based on The Case of the Caretaker's Cat)
Donald Woods
1937 The Case of the Stuttering Bishop
Radio series ran 1943-1955, 15 minute episodes
TV series:
1957-1966 Raymond Burr
Earl Stanlety Gardner did not like the radio series so he formed a production company and helped create the tv series, choosing Raymond Burr who had showed up to try out for the role of Hamilton Burger, to play Perry Mason.
1973-1974 Monte Markham, only ran for 15 episodes.
Raymond Burr played Perry Mason again in series of tv movies beginning in 1985.
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Post by Gwangi on Aug 1, 2006 8:03:21 GMT -8
Seems to me that as soon as Tragg (or later Anderson) finds out the man or woman he arressted has Perry Mason for his/her lawyer the officer should realise he has the wrong person and let him/her go. No kidding! I wasn’t aware that he lost three cases. The only case I saw him lose was the defendant who was posing as an imposter (and who really did the crime), but that Mason was able to get the real person in question cleared. It was a great show to feature older stars and newcomers. It was nice to see Fay Wray in a couple of episodes. Same with Robert Armstrong. (Oh why oh why did they not put them together in a same episode!). I once recall Bette Davis filling in for Raymond Burr in one show. Saw James Coburn in a couple of episodes. Saw a pre-Batman Adam West as a folk singer(!), and he was pretty good. One episode that interested me in particular involved the theft of a King Seasar statue (though they didn’t call it that on the show) and everyone assumed it was from China, but Mason himself, naturally, knew it came from Japan! |
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Post by Zone Fighter on Aug 1, 2006 11:38:21 GMT -8
Perry was replaced in several episodes. He was either in the hospital or on a trip to Europe. There are episodes in which Perry's arm is in sling from an automobile accident. Raymond Burr must have been in a real accident.
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