Did Perry Mason solve these cases in the original series or a later TV movie?
He reteamed with Della Street two decades later. Did they encounter the perjured parrot, angry astronaut, notorious nun and telltale talk show host in the Sixties or the Eighties?
Image: The Everett Collection
Though there have been many adaptations of Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason books, the Raymond Burr series is by far the most popular. The classic court drama enjoyed a successful nine season run from the late 1950s into the '60s. “The Case of the Final Fade-Out” in 1966 appeared to be Burr’s last time onscreen as the famous attorney.
But like many Sixties shows, Perry Mason got an Eighties reunion movie. Barbara Hale was back as Della Street along with Burr in 1985’s “Perry Mason Returns.” Two more TV movies came out the next year and four followed the year after that. By the Nineties, over 20 new Perry Mason mysteries had aired. It was practically a new show!
The Eighties cases used the same clever names as the episodes of the original show. In fact, it’s almost impossible to tell the difference unless you’re a Perry Mason expert. Try to guess if the mysteries below are from the original series or the later TV movies!
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The Case of the Terrified Typist
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The Case of the All-Star Assassin
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The Case of the Perjured Parrot
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The Case of the Singular Double
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The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal
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The Case of the One-Eyed Witness
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The Case of the Glass Coffin
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The Case of the Angry Astronaut
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The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host
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The Case of the Lady in the Lake
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The Case of Constant Doyle
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The Case of the Notorious Nun
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The Case of the Mythical Monkeys
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The Case of the Sinister Spirit
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The Case of the Fiery Fingers
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The Case of the Purple Woman
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The Case of the Reckless Romeo
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The Case of the Musical Murder
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The Case of the Golden Girls
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The Case of the Fatal Fashion
Did Perry Mason solve these cases in the original series or a later TV movie?
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Umm ... I was ... I was trying to get them all wrong, so that's not a bad score.
For me, Sunday night's movie was brand new, like seeing an episode for the first time. Pretty cool. It was a great who-dunnit. And clever that the murder was committed right away, so the plot was about who killed, the one who killed the victim! Although it was a bit of a stretch to make the suspect Della Street, already knowing her squeaky clean reputation. But I get it, they needed a legitimate reason to pull Mason back in. But she wouldn't murder anyone. Unless it was someone who murdered PM first. And then there would be no movie in the first place.
I LOVED William Katt as Paul Drake, Jr., that was really clever. How you think he's going to be a bust, and then surprises every time. And saves the day at the end, with PM's very, very clever twist. The writers were wise to know the character Drake, Sr. could never be replaced. So why not invent one more interesting. Not quite the ladies man, but nice try.
The only thing really bad was the film quality. The aspect ratio was off, and I don't know whether the filter was to make all the women look perfect or what. But not up to our digitally perfect expectations. I hope they grab the Master print on the next movies so we can enjoy more details. Oh, and Dean Hargrove and his partner were also the perfect choices, they have a wonderful reputation for exciting action/dramas!
Having said that, I was really looking forward to the Perry Mason movies being aired again on MeTV since I've never seen any of them. BUT...
The first movie aired last night was just terrible. I mean, shockingly bad. Horribly acted with a horrible plot. I really enjoyed seeing Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale reprise their roles but they were under underutilized. Especially Raymond Burr.
I can only hope that the movies get better from here on. God knows they can't get any worse...I hope!