The Case of the Curious Bride

"The Case of the Curious Bride" is one of the Perry Mason films of the 1930s that starred Warren William as Perry. Erle Stanley Gardner hated these films with a passion. His 1930s Perry in the books was a passionate young man given to intense speeches. He mellowed later on, of course, and it was Gardner himself who saw Burr at the audition for Hamilton Burger and said, "That's Perry Mason." (The original star of the series was supposed to be Fred MacMurray.) So it's easy to see why Gardner despised everything about this particular Mason incarnation.

Regardless of how Gardner felt, this film is a lot of fun, thanks to a breezy performance by Warren William, who flirts shamelessly with every woman who crosses his path and fools the DA time and time again. The dialogue is fast and witty, and Curtiz keeps the action going at a breakneck speed. Allan Jenkins is Paul Drake like you've never seen him - Perry calls him Spudsy -- and Della is the beautiful Clare Dodd. Margaret Lindsay is the woman Perry is defending, who comes to him with a marital problem, i.e., the husband she thought was dead is alive - at first. Later, he winds up dead, in the person of...Errol Flynn in his first American appearance - and his wife is accused. Flynn doesn't have much to do except appear in flashback. For some reason, instead of Los Angeles, the story is set in San Francisco - more atmosphere, perhaps.

William seems to have had the same approach to this character as he had for Philo Vance and the Sam Spade character he played in Satan Met a Lady, but he's so delightful, it doesn't matter. He always looks like he's having a blast, and the audience does too. Hard to believe that until he hit B movies in the mid-'30s, he generally played heavies, but he did, and played them well. When his leading man days were over, he continued in character roles until his death in 1948. How great that we can see his talent now on Turner Classic Movies.

This film is a great reminder that during the Depression, Hollywood gave audiences films that to enjoy and watch to forget their troubles for awhile. I'm not in the Depression per se; I'm just depressed, but "The Case of the Curious Bride" put a smile on my face. It will yours, too.

There seems to be a wide divergence of opinion on the quality or otherwise of this one, whether it's poor and dull or witty and fast. I plump for the latter, even though Warners' portrayal of the lawyer left something to be desired, turning him into potentially yet another run of the mill private eye for the b market. But the production values in this were pretty high and it was directed by Michael Curtiz with panache.

Woman comes to Perry Mason played again by William Warren for help because her first husband she thought dead has come back to shake her and her new rich husband down. Her first husband gets his instead, from then on the game is on to find whodunit and why, with some witty if sometimes improbable plot twists along the way. From the outset with Perry and his laconic coroner friend buying lobsters for the creation of a new gastronomic sensation to Errol Flynn's flashback appearance it carries you along on a tide of incessant lighthearted repartee and swift soft focus fade out's and in's. Typecast Allen Jenkins plays Perry's helper the brash and loyal Spudsy in what must be one of his finest performances ever, he weaves in and out of the story as a perfect counterpoint to his boss. Favourite bits: The all-too-short scenes in Luigi's restaurant on that "nutty night"; Perry and the coroner's continual smart ass one liners; the cosy relationship depicted between Perry and the newspaper men; Jenkins getting knocked out by the 2nd husband; Flynn's bit.

It should be a great watch for fans of b&w 30's detective films (and maybe screwball comedies too), I certainly have always enjoyed this 2nd entry in the series. But not to be taken too seriously.

Warren William reprises his role as Perry Mason for the second time in The Case of the Curious Bride. This time around Perry must deal with a woman - a young girl that was acquainted with Perry Mason when a child - who wants to marry but has a husband alive now that was supposedly dead four years ago. Just as in the first Mason mystery, we get a pretty taut mystery with lots of red herrings and some fine character performances. This film though is much more fun than The Case of the Howling Dog for two very important reasons: 1)Michael Curtiz(director of films like Casablanca) directs this go round and makes some vast improvements on directorial style, acting changes, and redesigning William's portrayal of Mason. In the first film Warren William was almost stuffy and starch collared, but here William is having a whole lot of fun(very much like his Philo Vance). He is a gourmet chef, a womanizer, a one-of-the-boys, and a witty talker. Curtiz really lets William open up; I am sure to the chagrin of author Erle Stanley Gardner for the even bigger departure from his character's real persona. Nonetheless, Warren William makes this picture work and gets help from Margaret Lindsay as the woman in peril, Claire Dodd as his Friday/Juliet Della Street, and Allen Jenkins in for comic relief as Spudsy Drake. Errol Flynn does have a BRIEF role as the dead man - only really gets to act BRIEFLY in a flashback scene. My favorite character is the mortician friend of Mason's named Wilbur Strong and played by screen stalwart character actor Olin Howard. He is very funny and reprises his role in the next Mason film The Case of the Lucky Legs. Of the four Mason films starring Warren William as the pragmatic Perry Mason, The Case of the Curious Bride is the best in my opinion.

Michael Curtiz, one of the most prolific directors Hollywood had, is at the helm of this film, based on one of Erle Stanely Garner's stories, featuring Perry Mason, the famous lawyer. With a screen play by Tom Reed, this film offers a glance at some of the best players working in films in the Hollywood of the thirties.

Warren William, is Perry Mason, a man who knows a lot about the law, as well as what to cook for dinner. Mr. William is at his best playing the lawyer-detective. Margaret Lindsay, is the lady at the center of the crime that Perry Mason is trying to solve. Ms. Lindsay was a beautiful actress who adds a touch of class, as well as mystery to her take on Rhoda Montaine.

The rest of the cast assembled to back the principals was made up of some of the best character actors of the era. Donald Woods is seen as Carl Montaine. Clarie Dodd plays Perry's secretary Della Street. Allan Jenkins is Perry's assistant Spudsy.

A little gem of a film for lovers of the genre.

Second in the Perry Mason film series starring Warren William as the famed lawyer/detective. It's arguably the best in the series. This time around Perry is asked for help by an old flame and winds up investigating her estranged husband's murder. Fun entry with a weird thread involving Perry's cooking hobby. William is having fun as he usually seemed to be. Allen Jenkins is a hoot as Perry's sidekick. Claire Dodd is an enjoyable Della Street. Errol Flynn has a "blink and you'll miss him" appearance in a flashback. This was his inauspicious feature film debut. One of Humphrey Bogart's wives, Mayo Methot, has a small part. The rest of the fine cast includes the always lovely Margaret Lindsay, the always bland Donald Woods, and the always grumpy Barton MacLane. It's a good-looking film, attractively photographed by David Abel with nice direction from the great Michael Curtiz, who would go on to much bigger and better films, including many starring Flynn.