Tag / Raymond Burr

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Book 27 (of 52) – The Case of the Careless Kitten

The Case of the Careless Kitten – Erle Stanley Gardner

When a mysterious phone call leads Helen Kendal to believe her long-missing uncle is ready to make his return, Perry Mason finds himself caught up in multiple mysteries, including what happened to the missing uncle, who shot Helen’s boyfriend, who poisoned Helen’s aunt and cat, and how does the whole thing tie together.  When Hamilton Burger assumes Mason has stashed the missing uncle out of sight and charges Della with obstruction, it forces Perry to put the puzzle together to prove Della’s innocence.

Originally published in 1942, The Case of the Careless Kitten is 21st entry in Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason series.  This case, though heavily modified, was featured as the 24th episode of season eight in the Raymond Burr version of the show in 1965.  Since this is a little further along in the series, the characters align more closely with those we are familiar with from television compared to the earlier entries.  This was the final book I managed to snag during a New Year’s sale in the Kindle store, so it may be some time before I am able to return to Gardner’s oeuvre.

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Book 9 (of 52) – The Case of the Baited Hook

The Case of the Baited Hook – Erle Stanley Gardner

When a mysterious, late-night meeting with a man and a disguised woman, who may eventually become a client, puts Perry Mason in a bind after a trustee is found dead, he tries to figure out which of the many possibilities surrounding the case the disguised woman may be.  Once he is personally charged with aiding and abetting the homicide, but before he is officially arrested, he manages to track down the truth, both of his mystery client and who actually committed the murder, clearing hiw own name.

Originally published in 1940, The Case of the Baited Hook is 16th entry in Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason series.  This case, though heavily modified, was featured as the fourteenth episode of season one in the Raymond Burr version of the show.  Since this is a little further along in the series, the characters align more closely with those we are familiar with from television.  Thanks to a sale in the Kindle store to celebrate the new year, I was able to pick up a couple additional stories from Gardner’s oeuvre, which I hope to work through over the coming months,

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Post Mortem – Perry Mason

HBO started developing a new version of Perry Mason, based on the character from the series of novels written by Erle Stanley Gardner, moving the setting from the 1950s of the classic Raymond Burr-led series back to the Great Depression-era of the earliest books.  With Matthew Rhys on board to play the title character, the show premiered in June of 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic.

A much grittier presentation than the classic show, it was quickly renewed for a second season.  Delays, due to behind-the-scenes reshuffling and the ongoing pandemic, pushed the second season to March of 2023.  Despite mostly positive reviews, the delay may have taken away any steam the show had built up in its first season and, in June of 2023, HBO pulled the plug.

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You Ought To Be In Pictures Wrap Up

Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  Given those guidelines, it is time once again to look at the now 107 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

Last week, we wrapped up our latest look at the films I’ve seen over my lifetime.  There were six new actors who hit or surpassed the ten-film plateau since the last time we did this three years ago, with Christina Ricci, Gerard Butler, Amanda Seyfried, Kevin Bacon, and Daniel Craig all tied the biggest leaps, going from either eight to ten or nine to eleven.  An astounding 63 actors did not see any change in their totals, with Raymond Burr heading up the top of those actors.

Thanks in part to a global pandemic that shut down theaters and movie sets, thirteen actors tied for the lead by picking up just two additional firms over these past three years.  The remaining 31 actors increased their total by a single film.

 

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You Ought To Be In (26) Pictures

Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  Given those guidelines, it is time once again to look at the now 107 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

We continue today with the two actors that have starred in exactly 26 movies that I have seen, up one from 3 years ago.

Raymond Burr

Raymond Burr is a bit of an anomaly as every single one of his appearances have been TV movies where he has played the same character.  In 1985, NBC brought back Perry Mason, Raymond Burr’s starring vehicle from the 50s and 60s, for a TV movie.   The ratings were high enough to justify a recurring series of films, 26 in fact, over the next several years, ending in 1994 following Burr’s death the previous year.

Tom Cruise

Top Gun was likely my first introduction to Tom Cruise’s starring roles.  2000 was the biggest year for his films, as I saw four of them, the only time I had seen more than one in a year until the second half of the last decade.  Since then, I saw two films in 2015 and 2019 and three in 2018.  I took a five-year break from his films after seeing War Of The Worlds in 2007 but have since made up for lost time.  The most recent film of his that I’ve seen is 2022’s long-awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

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Book 36 (of 52) – The Case Of The Howling Dog

The Case of the Howling Dog – Erle Stanley Gardner

When a man visits Perry Mason to help with both a will and a howling dog, it turns in to a murder trial, with a wife accused of murdering her husband, who had run off with the original man’s wife.  Perry skirts the line of legality while trying to determine what actually happened but uses the results to try and get vindication for his client.

Erle Stanley Gardner’s The Case of the Howling Dog, originally published in 1934, is just the fourth entry in his Perry Mason series.  Being that early, the characters of Perry Mason, Della Street, and Paul Drake are a little rougher around the edges than they would eventually become.  This case, though heavily modified, was featured as the 23rd episode of season two in the Raymond Burr version of the show.  With the HBO version of the show cancelled, there’s no push to continue to re-publish these old novels, so they will continue to become hard to come across, but when I do, I’ll be sure to add them to my collection.

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Book 8 (of 52) – The Case Of The Green-Eyed Sister

The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister – Erle Stanley Gardner

Catching up on the books I read while in Hawaii while on vacation.

When a blackmailer comes after the Bain family, threatening to implicate them in a crime if they don’t pay, a daughter hires Perry Mason to negotiate the deal.  When the blackmailer is found dead and his client is arrested for murder, Perry, along with Della Street and Paul Drake, have to get to the bottom of the case.

Erle Stanley Gardner’s The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister, originally published in 1953, is the 42nd entry in his Perry Mason series, the fourth of six novels re-released two years ago in conjunction with the new adaptation on HBO, and the sixth that I’ve read.  This entry spent more time in the courtroom than some of the others and felt more in-line with the classic television show we all know and love.  I look forward to seeing the TV adaptation from the Raymond Burr version of the show, the 21st episode of its first season, so I can compare the filmed version with the original.

This was the last Perry Mason novel I had waiting to be read.  A second season of the HBO program should be released later this year, so hopefully they re-release another batch of novels along with it.

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Book 50 (of 52) – The Case Of The Gilded Lily

The Case Of The Gilded Lily – Erle Stanley Gardner

When a blackmailer is found dead in a motor lodge, Perry Mason tries to stay a step ahead of the police while trying to determine if his client, or his client’s wife, were responsible.  After his client is arrested, Perry, along with Della Street and Paul Drake, have to get to the bottom of the case: who killed the blackmailer, who was his partner, and who is framing his client and his wife.

Erle Stanley Gardner’s The Case of the Gilded Lily, originally published in 1956, is the 50th entry in his Perry Mason series, the sixth of six novels re-released last year in conjunction with the new adaptation on HBO, and the fifth that I’ve read this year. This was not the best entry in this series that I’ve read, but does spend plenty of time in court, where Perry Mason and Hamilton Burger are much more adversarial than they are in the classic TV series.  I look forward to seeing the TV adaptation from the Raymond Burr version of the show, the 34th episode of its first season, so I can compare the filmed version with the original.

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Book 38 (of 52) – The Case Of The Dubious Bridegroom

The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom – Erle Stanley Gardner

When Perry Mason catches a woman on the fire escape outside of his office, he becomes entangled with the a businessman whose first wife is trying to steal his company out from under him as payback for his getting a Mexican divorce and quickie re-marriage.  When she turns up dead, Perry has to defend his client for both bigamy and murder, unless he can figure out who the true killer is.

Erle Stanley Gardner’s The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom, originally published in 1949, is the 33rd entry in his Perry Mason series and the third of six novels re-released last year in conjunction with the new adaptation on HBO.  Things were going along well, until the abrupt ending, where Perry figured out what really happened.  Rather than him showing it in court, which is what usually happens in the TV show, it just ended, with the trial still happening and without a definitive ending.  I look forward to seeing the TV adaptation from the Raymond Burr version of the show, released during its second season, so I can compare the filmed version with the original.

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Book 26 (of 52) – The Case Of The Lonely Heiress

Erle Stanley Gardner – The Case of the Lonely Heiress

When a publisher comes to him to investigate a woman who has placed a questionable ad in his magazine, Perry Mason gets himself involved in a contested will and, ultimately, a murder case.  When his new client is charged with the murder of the one witness threatening to scuttle her claims on an inheritance, he needs to figure out who the real killer is without putting his own neck on the line.

Erle Stanley Gardner’s The Case of the Lonely Heiress, originally published in 1948, is the 31st entry in his Perry Mason series and the second of six novels re-released last year in conjunction with the new adaptation on HBO.  While this tale wasn’t my favorite of what I’ve read so far, it was adapted for an episode of the Raymond Burr version of the show during its first season, so I’d like to catch that sometime soon and compare the filmed version with the original.