Perry's client is menaced by a car driven by a hooded man, whom she shoots at with a gun that was planted in her room. When the guy winds up dead from a bullet, Perry confuses matters by fir... Read allPerry's client is menaced by a car driven by a hooded man, whom she shoots at with a gun that was planted in her room. When the guy winds up dead from a bullet, Perry confuses matters by firing an identical gun later at the scene.Perry's client is menaced by a car driven by a hooded man, whom she shoots at with a gun that was planted in her room. When the guy winds up dead from a bullet, Perry confuses matters by firing an identical gun later at the scene.
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As one fan of the series, I do prefer these earlier entries since they're generally livelier, more colorful, and less predictable in format. Nonetheless, it's understandable that the Mason character would have to evolve in a conservative direction with the show's success. After all, as a defense attorney who never loses, he's showing up the prosecution week after week. On one hand, such positive outcomes prove that the system works-- the innocent are exonerated when the guilty confess. On the other hand, the prosecution puts innocent people on trial week after week who might otherwise be convicted without Mason's superb skills. The viewing public would never have tolerated a wise-guy in the Mason role for very long. And it's a tribute to Raymond Burr, the actor, that he manages the changes over the nine years as well as he does.
This first entry plays more like How-can-I-get-my-client-off than the trademark whodunit. Surprise, surprise, Mason's client is a shapely redhead (Blake). At one time or another, it seems Mason rescued about every starlet in Hollywood from Berger's well-intentioned clutches. This one sets that pace.
i recall being surprised during my viewings of the series - to see how Perry Mason would be so actively involved behind the scenes - visiting the scene of the crime - manipulating the people involved - to me - it seemed unrealistic - like the more recent tv series of forensics technicians or medical examiners in later tv series - where they would interact with the people involved in ways that i thought only a police investigator should
but this episode was based on a novel written by a lawyer - Earle Stanley Garner himself - if i assume it is faithful to the novel - i'll just have to accept the appropriateness of that behavior in Perry
this plot pivots on a clever trick he pulls - involving the 2 revolvers - i won't give it away - but i had difficulty anticipating the final result of that trick - and was immensely impressed
like most of the PERRY MASON episodes i've seen - this script has a simplicity and clarity - to match the visual clarity of its direction and cinematography - in the same way that the black & white photography suits the theme and style of the show.
The first episode establishes Mason's dedication to his clients. His office connects him to the waitress in the middle of the night when she calls wanting help. Perry is shown, suavely dressed even for bedtime, reading in his library. Of course he'll come to the office at 1 AM. I could find Vladimir Putin napping in my spare bedroom and my attorney wouldn't return my calls at 1AM.
Likewise, Perry's secretary Della Street is shown to be completely OK at coming into the office at 1AM, cheerful with handy coffee thermos in hand. Private eye Paul Drake is tossed a job to do with only an hour to do it in and of course he comes through. Lieutenant Tragg is grumpy right out of the gate, and notice he does not read anybody their rights at this point. The Miranda case is almost a decade in the future.
Perry Mason is a much more conservative lawyer as the series progresses. But here he takes some chances and walks right up to the edge of what the law allows. He plays games with the alleged murder weapon, and actually takes it out to the scene of the crime and fires it randomly into a tree just to mix things up and confuse the police.
A humorous moment occurs when Perry shows up at the scene of the accident/murder and the cop at the scene keeps saying - "Somebody get me a winch!" Hey, buddy. Nobody is interested in your dating needs right now!
In Season 1, all but a handful of episodes were directly or adapted from Gardner's books. For the obvious reason he wrote a finite number, with each season we saw fewer from his works in favor of what came from the mind of the screenwriter. Many of those are fine episodes, but there was something special (at least to me) about the scripts based on the original source material.
The Case of the Restless Redhead was a great introduction to the series and the cast. It was not the first episode filmed; which was the outstanding episode, Case of the Moth Eaten Mink.
Did you know
- TriviaThe early episodes of the TV series were very much like the radio series and the movies from the 1930s in that conversations are more dramatic, Perry is generally tougher on his clients, and he walks a fine line on legal ethics and the law (such as firing a gun identical to his client's at the murder scene in order to confuse matters). Beginning with the third or fourth season the series had a mellower tone and Perry took fewer liberties with ethics and the law.
- GoofsIn Evelyn Bagby's apartment in scene one, (at 01:45) there is no entry button to buzz open the building's door. When Mason visits her at 17:43, there is still no entry buzzer. But, at 19:12, a small square box with a white button has appeared next to the front door intercom which Evelyn pushes to admit Tragg to the building.
- Quotes
Lt. Tragg: What were you doing on Sunset Canyon Road in the middle of the night?
Perry Mason: What was homicide doing... same place?
Lt. Tragg: Well, we have an unnatural interest in murder.
- Alternate versionsThe version of this episode on DVD ran longer than an hour (1.5.hours?). ME-TV trimmed it down to fit into a 1 hour time slot.
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- 550 South Flower Street, Los Angeles, California, USA(The Brent Building)
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- Runtime
- 52m
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- 1.33 : 1