DVD Review: Perry Mason: Season Eight, Volume One

The original Perry Mason series ran on the CBS Network for nine seasons, from 1957 to 1966. Frankly, I wish it were still on, in all of its black and white glory. Watching the newly released, four-DVD set Perry Mason: Season Eight; Volume One is a reminder of just how good television once was. Every one of the 15 episodes in this set are excellent, you never see the resolution of the mystery coming, but you do know that whoever Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is defending is innocent.

That may be the one slight flaw in the series, the knowledge that Mason never lost a case. A lot of the people he defends are not exactly goody-two shoes though, and while they may not be guilty of murder, many are not exactly role-models either. I did get tripped up in the assumptions department during “The Case of the Ruinous Road.” This involved Mason’s associate Paul Drake (William Hopper). When Drake takes pains to describe a hard-drinking newspaperman as a “friend,” I instantly let him off the hook. After all, how could a friend of Drake’s be involved in a murder?

Mason’s loyal secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale) gets a bit of the spotlight during “The Case of the Blonde Bonanza.” Typically, we see Della taking dictation or delivering important telephone information to Perry, and she is almost always in the background. During “The Case of the Blonde Bonanza,” she is quite involved as the “Blond Bonanza” in question is the niece of a friend who has just moved to Los Angeles. It is funny watching Della exercising and dieting to try and compete with the young, beautiful girl, but the story itself is heartbreaking.

The show rarely gives much of a nod to the times. Once in a while, Perry or Paul will find themselves at a gathering of kids who are playing for what passes for rock n’ roll, which is generally pretty bland. In “The Case of the Frustrated Folksinger” we get a full-on (if two years behind the times) look at the folk music scene. Bing Crosby’s son Gary Crosby is a guest star in this one, as the owner of a happenin’ folk club, where Perry’s client is working.

Article Author: Greg Barbrick

Greg Barbrick is a Seattle native who was first published in 1988, in his hometown music magazine, The Rocket. Since then his work has appeared in print and online for numerous sources. He Googles himself so often that his mother told him it would make him go blind.
…

Visit Greg Barbrick's author page — Greg Barbrick's Blog