“Well, Lieutenant Tragg. We weren’t speaking of the devil, but come right in.” – Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) upon Lt. Tragg’s arrival at his office
Perry Mason: 50th Anniversary Edition DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
DVD collectors often bemoan the fact that some series are released as only “Best of” compilations, while others are given full season treatments. Fans of Perry Mason can have the best of both worlds. The first two seasons have already been released, and now they can savor the Perry Mason: 50th Anniversary Edition, which collects twelve memorable episodes and a casebook of special features. The earliest episode included here is from season three, so you don’t have it on DVD...yet. The episodes chosen for this special edition contain special guest stars, are milestone episodes, or both.
Fans already know that Perry Mason, based on a series of books by Erle Stanley Gardner and a subsequent radio series, follows the cases of Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), a defense lawyer who has successfully defended almost everyone in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. With the help of his trusty assistant Della Street (Barbara Hale), and ace P.I. Paul Drake (William Hopper), Mason is always ready to poke holes in the cases of Los Angeles Homicide Division's Lieutenant Tragg (Ray Collins) and District Attorney Hamilton Burger (William Talman). Even when the situation looks grave, Mason is generally able to pull a coup in court, clearing his client and fingering the guilty party in the process.
So, which episodes are included in the 50th Anniversary Edition? Here they are (with the original airdates):
“The Case of the Wary Wildcatter” (2/20/1960):
Barbara Bain (Mission: Impossible) guest stars as a woman who believes a crooked oil entrepreneur killed her sister. When he turns up dead, it’s up to Perry to dig up the truth.
“The Case of the Treacherous Toupee” (9/17/1960):
The fourth season opener features Robert Redford as one of the suspects in the murder of a company executive who turned up after having disappeared for two years.
“The Case of the Envious Editor” (1/7/1961):
James Coburn gives a masterful performance as a sleazy Hugh Hefner-like magazine editor who wants to turn a trio of once-popular family magazines into cheesecake mags. Coburn’s performance is so convincing that it is easy to understand why nearly everyone around his character wanted him dead. But who was the real killer?
“The Case of the Barefaced Witness” (3/18/1961):
Set in a small California town, this episode involves a festival of beards, embezzlement, and, of course, murder. Future crime fighter Adam West (Batman) guests.
“The Case of the Counterfeit Crank” (4/28/1962):
Perry’s latest client seems a little crazy when he throws handfuls of money out of his office window onto the street below. But is he crazy enough to kill his own nephew? Guests include Burt Reynolds (Evening Shade) and Connie Hines (Mr. Ed),
“The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe” (1/3/1963):
Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek), Lurene Tuttle (Father of the Bride), and Margaret O’Brien (Meet Me in St. Louis) guest in this episode about a doddering shoplifter who may be covering up another crime.
“The Case of Constant Doyle” (1/31/1963):
When Burr had to miss several weeks of the series due to an operation, the producers decided to bring in special guest stars to play defense attorneys in his place. In this episode, Bette Davis plays Constant Doyle, a recently widowed attorney who must both clear her late husband’s name and defend a young hood (Michael Parks, Twin Peaks, Then Came Bronson) from murder charges. This episode is a treat from start to finish. Davis manages to accent every word, giving everything an overly dramatic (yet somehow laid back) inflection. Filmed the year after Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Davis doesn’t exactly chew the scenery, but she looks like she’s about to at any second. Her scenes with Parks are electric—it definitely seems as if she wants to do more than defend him. It’s also funny when she practically blows off Perry who calls from his hospital bed to offer advice.
Other familiar faces in this episode include Frances Reid (Days of Our Lives) and Dick “Please Don’t Squeeze the Charmin” Wilson.
“The Case of the Deadly Verdict” (10/17/1963):
Did Perry Mason ever lose a case? Well, he lost at least one. At the beginning of this episode, his client is found guilty and sentenced to death. Mason and his team spend the rest of the episode trying to dig up new evidence. This episode is fun because it overturns the notion of Mason as infallible. It is also extremely creepy, often taking on horror movie overtones. Don’t miss it.
“The Case of the Beautiful Beauty” (2/6/1964):
A young writer concocts a bestseller out of the supposedly fictional stories her boyfriend (Ryan O’Neal, Love Story) told her. As it happens, the lurid stories are true, and the actress who inspired them threatens to sue. When the actress turns up dead, it’s up to Perry to find the murderer.
“The Case of the Twice Told Twist” (2/27/1966):
Perry Mason is known for its beautiful black and white cinematography, but did you know that there was one episode that was filmed in color? While trying to decide whether or not to bring the series back for another season, CBS had the producers film an episode in color. The series was cancelled, so no other color episodes were produced.
Victor Buono (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?) guest stars in this Oliver Twist-inspired tale as the ringleader of a group of juvenile car-strippers. They are so efficient that the even take the cigarette lighters! Perry’s car is stripped, but he decides not to press charges against the teen accused of the crime. Instead, he suggests to the police that they follow him in order to find the group’s leader.
This episode is interesting as an anomaly, but luckily the series never made the switch to color. In color, it looks like just another crime show. With its well-scrubbed hoodlums and candy-colored palette, this could have easily been an episode of The Mod Squad.
“The Case of the Dead Ringer” (4/17/1967):
Raymond Burr faces off with the series’ most unusual guest star...Raymond Burr! In addition to Perry Mason, Burr plays a salty seaman who is hired by a corporation to impersonate and discredit the lawyer. The mystery itself is a little bland, but the split screen technique—Burr interrogates himself—is astonishing.
“The Case of the Final Fadeout” (5/22/1966):
This episode brings this set...and the series...to a close. It follows a murder that takes place on the set of a TV show and features appearances by many Perry Mason crew members. Dick Clark (American Bandstand), Erle Stanley Gardner, Estelle Winwood, Denver Pyle (The Dukes of Hazzard), and Jackie Coogan (The Addams Family) guest in the series’ final episode.
This is one of the most well-produced special edition sets to come along in quite some time, and we haven’t even talked about the extra features yet.
The twelve episodes that make up Perry Mason: 50th Anniversary Edition are divided onto three discs. A fourth disc contains a large set of extra features (see below). The discs are housed in two slim, clear plastic keepcases, both of which hold two discs apiece. The fronts of the cases feature color production and publicity stills of Raymond Burr. The backs of the cases include titles, original airdates, and brief synopses for each episode. The keepcases slide into a cardboard outer sleeve.
The static DVD menus are easy to use. Viewers can play all episodes or choose them individually. Upon choosing an episode title, viewers have the option of watching the episode with or without a video introduction by Barbara Hale. The episodes are divided into chapters, but there are no scene selection menus.
