Shark Bytes

great theme song, show itself was kind of a bore sometimes

The "New" Perry Mason! So soon,it seemed back then,after the original they came back with this one! Don't get me wrong,I think Monte Markham was one of the best actors on TV,but you could see the ax coming for this one,as soon as you heard they were gonna do it!Lasted,what,a half season or just a few episodes,maybe?

I was saddened when "Lt.Tragg" had to leave the program due to ill health. Nevertheless, this is one of the best and enduring programs ever to grace the airwaves in my humble opinion!

ANOTHER unusual episode,also a "lost episode)was 1966's "The Case of the Golfer's Gambit"-In this one,which is another good mystery(in this one,Mason successfully defends a golf caddy falsely accused of murdering a very obnoxious golf pro).The unusual part is that Mason cross-examines on the witness stand(sort of)DA Burger(!).

"Perry Mason"ALSO had an unusual episode-and a good one at that.This one,one of the "lost episodes"-by that,I mean those episodes that were not syndicated until the late 1980's-when the movies came out and were ratings hits,1966's "The Case of the Dead Ringer",in which Mason (Raymond Burr)succesasfully defends a woman named Barbara Kramer who has been falsely accused of murder.This is unusual,in the fact that Raymond Burr plays BOTH Perry Mason,AND the REAL murder,a troublemaking English seaman called Mr.Grimes.In addition,Raymond Burr as Mr.Grimes,sings.Also,in this one,Della REALLY sticks up for Perry.A memorable "lost"episode.

Correction:Bernard Fox("Dr,Bombay and Osgood Rightmiere on "Bewitched")played murderer Peter Stange in 1965's good mystery "The Case of the Laughing Lady",NOT as one poster said,1958's "The Case of the Perjured Parrot".Anyway,"Perry Mason",at 50,is(especially from second season to the end)a stylishly done courtroom drama -mystey series rand is indeed a classic series.and is a TV classic.

As soon as I can afford ALL of the episodes on DVD, they will be mine! I have the original Twilight Zone series on DVD (from October 1959 to May 1964.)

Even the episodes that used the "guest" attornies were STILL excellent!

From "The Case of the Restless Readhead" to "The Case of the Final Fade-out" The series never, but NEVER, "jumped the shark."

(God bless you William Tallman, Ray Collins, William Hopper and Raymond Burr... wherever you are!)

Oops!In my post below,I meant the 1964 lost episode "The Case of the Capering Camera"(not 1864)

A weird piece of dialogue that jumped the shark was in the otherwise entertaining 1864 lost episode "The Case of the Capering Camera"-In it,Lt.Tragg,kind of jokingly says to Lt.Anderson"Well why don't you make Perry Mason your prime suspect?".Later,Lt.Anderson says to Lt.Tragg."You know Lt.Tragg,I'll just do that.""What ?"Tragg asks.Then Lt.Anderson says:"Make Perry Mason my prime suspect."Tragg looks at him and probably thnks"Andy,I was just kidding.Are you crazy?"

The movies were ,as I said,were very mediocre.And the movies differed from the series,because in the series the REAL murderer confessed-either in court from the spectators gallery-(1964's "The Case of the Tragic Trophy")or in court from the witness stand.Sometimes,in the movies that happened,but very rarely.Usually,in the movies,the REAL murderer was a lowlife thug who was killed by the mastermind(example of this:"Perry Mason Returns")Verdict on "Perry Mason"-Series:Definitely NOT GUILTY Movies:No Comment.

I agree with the poster below.I also like when they adapt Erle Stanley Gardner's "Perry Mason" novels.And I also agree that sometimes the murder in the book is different than the murder on the episode.Take the book "The Case of the Dangerous Dowager"-In the book,the murderer is a character named Arthur Manning.In the second season 1959 episode,however the murderer is a character named Robert Benson. And in the book "The Case of the Singing Skirt",the real murder is the deceased's husband,Helman Ellis.In the third season 1960 episode ,the murderer is W.W."Slim"Marcus.All in all,they were pretty faithful adaptations of Gardner novels,and made for enjoyable TV.Now wonder "Perry Mason"has held up pretty well over the years(and I DON'T mean those mediocre 1980's and 1990's TV movies or that short-lived 1970's"The New Perry Mason").I mean the original 1950's and 1960's series,which is 50 years old,and the books,a few of the best were in my opinion,1965's "The Case of the Troubled Trustee",1966's "The Case of the Worried Waitress","1967's "The Case of the Queenly Contestant",1968's "The Case of the Careless Cupid" 1969's "The Case of the Fabulous Fake",1972's "The Case of the Fenced In Woman"and the last "Perry Mason" novel published,1973's "The Case of the Postponed Murder",which were written by Gardner after the original show ended,and never included in the 1980's or 1990's movies.

I always liked this series especially when they adapt the Earl Stanley Gardner novels. In several of the novels which I read after seeing the TV show I noticed that in the show builds up to the point where the climax is when they reveal the real murderer. In the novels, sometimes, the climactic moment in the TV show is revealed as an "oh, by the way the murderer is..." afterthought. "The Case of the Perjured Parrot" is one which had a different murderer than in the novel but I thought the TV show's solution to be better. The only downside to the original series was in one episode Guest starring Frankie Laine and Bobby Troup involving beatniks was a little bit too surreal for me.

People have said that the ones WITHOUT the late William Talman as DA Hamilton Burger ,and had other actors playing the assistant DA in the Los Angeles-Based episodes,jumped the shark.Wrong.The L.A based episodes WITHOUT DA Burger are just as enjoyable as those with DA Burger.Grades on those episodes that did NOT feature DA Burger-A+,B+,B and C.And that's pretty darn good.And they are better by far than the TV movies which featured a different DA each time.Verdict on those episodes-NOT GUILTY.

To the poster before me:Point well taken.The "Perry Mason" episodes from the 1962-1963 season that Raymond Burr WASN'T in,were different,to say the least,but their saving grace was that they DID feature Raymond Burr.Verdict:"The Case of Constant Doyle"(w/Bette Davis-B)"The Case of the Two-Faced Turn-a-bout"(w/Hugh O'Brian-B minus) "The Case of the Libelous Locket"(w/Michael Rennie-B+)"The Case of the Surplus Suitor"(w.Walter Pidgeon B+)In the 1964-1965 season,it was totally different:Raymond Burr did NOT appear at all in "The Case of the Bullied Bowler"(W/Mike Connors-C)or that same season's 1965's "The Case of the Thermal Thief"(w/Barry Sullivan-B+-the best of the two from the 1964-1965 that Raymond Burr was NOT in at all)

I submit that Perry Mason jumped the shark towards the end of it's run when Raymond Burr was unavailable and they had to use other actors to fill the role of the lead prosecutor. While some excellent actors, indeed, were employed (Bette Davis, Walter Pidgeon, etc), it just wasn't the same without Perry. I also don't believe this series could have possibly jumped the shark because of the TV movies and the New Perry Mason (starring Monte Markham) because those were projects totally separate from the original PM, and I believe shows like that should never count against the original. For instance, I would never say the original Twilight Zone JTS just because a couple of new incarnations weren't as good. Those should be viewed as completely different shows, in my opinion, and should have no bearing on whether the original show JTS.