The Case of the Restless Redhead

Loved it. I remember watching these as a kid . Always a family thing. The first episode, I told my wife. They had no idea of firearms safety. Smell the barrel, look down the barrel. Point them at people , wave them around..😅😅 unreal. Classic tv at its best.

This is my all time favorite television series. I vividly remember watching it with my mom when it first aired and how much she, not a big TV watcher, enjoyed it. Since that time I have re-watched all the episodes at least once and am going through them yet once again. This first entry is a solid one and yet I do find Mason's mucking about with evidence a bit of a turn off and am glad these shenanigans were later discontinued. I agree with the reviewer who said this behavior would have worn thin very quickly. Whitney Blake ( who I most remember from the show Hazel) does a good job as the first of a long line of damsels in distress. The identity of the culprit is suitably satisfying and the court room confession actually believable. The supporting cast, especially Ray Collins as Lt. Tragg is so very good. As throughout the series, the guest actors, even those in small parts, are also excellent. There is a reason this show seems to be playing on some channel somewhere all the time.

This Erle Stanley Gardner based story gets this series off to a good start. Restless Redhead has just the right amount of sleight of hand and a more active Mason that it goes just for the right vein of court room drama. This first show features a Mason who takes more risks and smokes which makes sense because to build a reputation you have to start with one.

The first time we see Paul Drake in this show, Mason calls him at a poker game with some friends in a smoke filled room with Paul puffing away as well. I do not recall ever seeing Paul Drake playing poker again in the series. Still, this is symbolic of the Ace up it's sleeve CBS had here as a series. It was Mason that led the way for other great lawyer court room set series to come like EG Marshall's The Defenders.

This episode hits a full throttle. The entire series never misses a beat, even when they run short of Gardener material later on because at least one of the writing teams works with the author on later plots.

The opening episode is a great introduction to the characters of the series. Perry is full of vigor as he is more involved than in future episode while running down evidence that will help his client. Things that would soon be given to Paul Drake, is done by Perry as he talks with witnesses and finds evidence in this episode that is fully packed.

When Evelyn Bagby finds a handgun in her apartment, she calls Perry and he tells her to leave the apartment with the gun and be at his office in the morning. On her way to a hotel she is nearly wrecked by a man with a hood driving right beside her. For some reason, she fires two shots from the gun near the car. Later the police find the man and he was shot. Perry will defend Evelyn Bagby is court against the charge of murder brought by Hamilton Burger's office.

When we go to court the proceedings, the program becomes somewhat complex as Perry introduces two identical guns that seemed somewhat confusing as we try to keep the two guns separate. But through more cross examination and some evidence twisteroo, Perry is able to get his client acquitted and the true killer arrested.

It was nice to see the first episode. It was like meeting the characters for the first time. Was not too thrilled with the case that Perry defended but the episode is worthy of a watch. For the started episode is was a good watch.

This first entry, a good one, shows how much the series changed over the nine years (1957-1966). Note how Mason (Burr) sports a loud jacket, smokes conspicuously, shakes his devious client, and generally acts in ways contrary to his later ultra-conservative demeanor. That's understandable, since at this point Mason's not yet the embodiment of the criminal justice system that he came to be with his button-down suits, professionally serious manner, and flawless manuevering. Also, the plots do not yet follow the later whodunit formula. Note in this initial 60 minutes how the guessing game concerns the murder gun more than who used it. Note too, how several of the interviews occur outdoors, probably on the studio lot, and not indoors on a sound stage. Later episodes tended to over-use the indoors (even the same staircase set), probably for cost-cutting reasons.

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.