This is the Storrer Perry Mason / Erle Stanley
Gardner Web Site.
FREE PERRY MASON! YES. THE ENTIRE SEASON ONE (except episode 25) and, at last check, only 1 episode from SEASON TWO are available online at http://www.cbs.com/classics/perry_mason/ FOR FREE.
HOLD THE PRESSES! SEVERAL WEBWALKERS HAVE REPORTED INTERNET SITES OFFERING ALL 271 EPISODES ON DVD! Don't buy them!
We have a report from a purchasor of the set from TVAddicts.tv, summarized as follows;
a) Two blank discs
b) A complete disregard for continuity. While disc no.1 was blank, disc no.2 contained episides from season eight. All other discs have episodes from different seasons in a total mix.
c) Some episodes are cut long before the end.
d) The recording quality is lousy. Some are recorded in SLP-mode.
e) The DVD's were shipped in flimsy cases and unsufficiently packaged. All eight cases were cracked, broken up and completely ruined.
Another has named allmyfavoriteshows.com as a source without inventory, who run your credit card, then have nothing to send. This happened to me via TVAddicts.tv.
As far as I know, NONE of the "complete" sets have complete shows. They are all corrupt, using off-the-air broadcasts from Hallmark Channel or other sources, 46 minute cut versions of the original 50+ to 52+ minute episodes. One must hope CBS/Paramount finishes what they have started, now thru Season 2, Volume 2 (both Seasons 1 and 2 are now complete).
PLEASE CONTACT ME AT <michiganbill@storrer.com> WITH YOUR EXPERIENCES. THANK YOU!
PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT ME ABOUT THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE RECEIVED A COMPLETE SET THAT IS truly COMPLETE WITH ALL 271 50+ MINUTE-LONG EPISODES. I RECEIVE TOO MANY EMAILS ASKING IF THE SITUATION CONTINUES AS ABOVE. YES, IT DOES, UNTIL SOMEONE OBTAINS THAT ELUSIVE COMPLETE SET.
This main Perry Mason page was updated 25 January 2009 and is copyright ©MMIX by William Allin Storrer.
All episodes are complete.
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This 50th Anniversary Edition was released in April 2008. It includes bonus materials such as Screen Tests of Raymond Burr for both the parts of Hamilton Burger and Perry Mason, and William Hopper as Perry Mason. Della Street, looking as beautiful as ever, provides comments to each of the shows. Of the 12 episodes included, only three have not appeared on CBS/Paramount Classic Edition tapes, the Cases of the Envious Editor, Constant Doyle and Bountiful Beauty.
Fortunately, the new CBS-Paramount half-season sets are complete for all but 1:12 of episode 49, The Case of the Fancy Figures, which is complete on CBS Videotape 24377. Using the new complete-season sets, I have begun upgrading my synopses. Most often this consists of adding direct quotes from the shows. Both Seasons One and Two are now fully upgraded. Other episodes in later seasons have been upgraded by further viewings of air-checks. Episodes range from a word count {including the DVD codings}of 1400 to 2100. If this seems a wide range, it must simply be noted that some shows are filled with quotables, others not, and details can vary widely in terms of what is relevant and what not, and what is intentional distraction so needs to be noted.
THERE ARE 176 episodes to come in the complete-season DVDs. Of these 176, 15 have been issued on DVD, and all of these are now upgraded. This still leaves 161 awaiting DVD release. 33 of the 161 have been issued in complete form on tape in the original CBS Collector's Edition. So 128 episodes have never been issued in reliable, complete form. But this means that those of us who have all the tapes and earlier DVD versions, we have 53% of the episodes in complete versions. There is much to look forward to in coming months and years. Season 3 has brought us 13 first-time tape/DVD episodes, fully half the season!
FOR all further complete-season releases, we will have to be wary. The 50th Anniversary Edition contains, in very small print, the following caution; "Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions." Which statement protects CBS-Paramount from having to provide corrected DVDs when you or I discover some section missing from what they issue, as the 1:12 of episode 49.
PLEASE HELP IDENTIFY THESE INCISIONS from the broadcast versions. If you see a gap that is in your off-the-air tape, let me know exactly where. I'll check it against my tapes. Right now, the surest way I have of telling if something is missing is comparing the CBS tape against the new DVD. The DVD should always be longer. But 141 episodes, slightly more than half, have never been issued on tape or DVD. Timing air-checks is problematical at best. Whatever you can do to help us all, I will appreciate.PLEASE CONTACT ME AT <michiganbill@storrer.com>
This site was first put on the web in December 1999. It is complete in terms of plots. Plot synopses are now provided for all 271 TV episodes and all 82 novels. You can click on a title in the index of each season series (see below) and reach the particular show directly. Or you can do this directly from this main Perry Mason / Erle Stanley Gardner index page for both the television series and the novels. Where a novel was used for a series show (or two), these are fully cross-indexed with direct access from novel to TV or vice versa. All episodes in all seasons have been upgraded with full spell and grammer checks.
The Storrer Perry Mason site is different from others in two ways;
1. It provides full plot synopses of each one-hour television episode
of the original series. Those wanting the 2-hour shows will have a
long wait unless someone else wants to do it, and, 2. This site
provides full plot synopses of each of the 82 Perry Mason novels and
3 novelettes by Erle Stanley Gardner, allowing for comparison with
what the script writers did to make the books suitable for broadcast
television. We may one day add the1930s Perry Mason films (The Case
of the 1. Howling Dog [1934], 2. Curious Bride [1935], 3. Lucky Legs
[1935], 4. Velvet Claws [1936], 5. Black Cat [1936], and 6.
Stuttering Bishop [1937]) though, of course, Raymond Burr is not
Perry Mason. The later 2-hour TV movies may have Burr, but no
supervision by Erle Stanley Gardner, so they cannot be considered
authentic.
SEASON FOUR Volume One is now available.
Volume Two has seven items new since broadcast, and 9 are new to DVD. A quick check of timings of the 14 episodes suggests that all the shows are complete. CBS does not have the disclaimer "Some episodes may be edited from thir original network versions" anywhere on the disc or packaging. Yet they are out to scalp us, raising the price and reducing packaging; 4 discs are fitted into one case, but it is better made than Volume 1 of the season.
In SEASON ONE, the first volume presents episodes 17 and 18 for the first time in any format and presents episode 19 in complete form, not cut as was the Columbia House edition. Two more never-before-released episodes appear in the second volume, which completes the 39 episode first season.
SEASON TWO is also complete. Volume One includes only HALF the items from the 30-episode Second Season. 20 of the 30 were originally issued on tape and 14 later transferred to DVD. So ten episodes, never before released in public issue, are available for the first time on DVD. Seven episodes of Season Two Volume 1 are new to DVD. Five episodes of Season Two Volume 2 are new to DVD.
CBS HAS SCREWED UP AGAIN, omitting 1:12 from Chapter 3, the scene with Carolyn Ellis in Perry Mason's office in The Case of the Fancy Figures, episode 49. If you buy the set, or even if you don't, phone 323-956-8070 (Paramount Consumer DVD Hotline) and ask when a corrected version of Season 2 Volume 1 will be available.
The Perry Mason show began at the height of auto-design mania, big fins and all that. Greg Cockerill has provided me with a complete listing for the first two seasons of all the cars that appeared in the shows. To view the cars in Season 1 Volume 1, CLICK HERE. To view the cars in Season 1 Volume 2 CLICK HERE.
For Season 2, Volume 1, CLICK HERE. For Season 2, Volume 2, CLICK HERE.
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CBS with Paramount (a Viacom company) are bringing out the Perry Mason TV series BY THE SEASON in BOXED SETS. Seasons One, Two and Three are already out, each as two volume sets. Let us hope they will do all nine seasons, and not stop halfway thru (or less) as did Columbia House, which ripped us off royally on price.
Season Four, the first sixteen items as Volume 1, is available as of June 2009.
The strange tale of how Columbia House has ripped us all off regarding Perry Mason, the Collector’s Edition, and some (all too limited) alternatives.
Columbia House is currenttly offering various DVDs in their Perry Mason Collector’s Edition at Sale Price of $4.98 (Reg List $9.95) and one 10-episode set for $34.97 (Reg List $49.95; first 3 DVDs in the 3-episode per disc sets) and one 16-episode set for $69.95 (No discount; first 5 DVDs in the 3-episode per disc sets). Please note that the “2004” sets currently available are volumes 1-5, 7-9, 11 and 13 of the 23 volumes so far issued. The 2003 volumes are the 2-episode per DVD issue.
It is galling that Columbia House charged over $20 per DVD, never refunded for those who got the original 2-episode discs, and now offer these discs at 1/4 to 1/5 original cost. Columbia House is clearing out their stock. They plan no new issues. Two of the most recent 3 DVDs had a single Hallmark-length episode per disc with two correct full-length episodes. Two letters, signature required on delivery, have gone unanswered by the Legal Department as to what they intend to do about this. One suspects we have been shilled by Columbia House. Columbia House is at a standstill regarding future releases. None are scheduled, and they have stopped with tape 61 and DVD 23.
Their biggest mistake was to issue episodes in the same order as the original tape issues, even tho these had to be redone from the master tapes and coded for DVD. Like other TV shows on DVD, they should have issued the entire first season as a package to gauge the interest in Perry Mason. If sufficient, they could have moved ahead season by season as packages. Fair warning; avoid Columbia House unless you want to be cheated. BUY ONLY THE CBS-DVD "RAYMOND BURR IS PERRY MASON" SETS.
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WARNING TO ALL
PURCHASERS OF "PERRY MASON; THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION."
Volume 20, DVD 35228,
has a MASSIVE content error.
"Perry Mason in The Case of the
Haunted Husband" is missing 6:35 of the
original broadcast. The Columbia House tape 20457 is 52:42 in
duration, the DVD 35228 is 46:07 long. Missing are three full scenes
and snippets of at least two others. The synopsis of this shows what
is missing. This is Episode 19 in the first season and you may access
it by clicking here: <Haunted
Husband>
I have notified Columbia House Video of the
problem and asked them to issue a corrected disc and send those who
already have the faulty disc a new copy. If you have the disc, please
write Columbia House Video and ask for a replacement with the full
Episode 19.
Volume 22, DVD 35230,
has a MASSIVE content error.
"Perry Mason in The Case of the
Lavender Lipstick" is missing 5:30 of the
original broadcast. The Columbia House tape 20457 is 51:44 in
duration, the DVD 35230 is 46:14 long. This is Episode 100 in the
fourth season and you may access it by clicking here:
<Lavender
Lipstick>
If you have the disc, please write Columbia
House Video and ask for a replacement with the full Episode
100.
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Raymond Burr acted in many movies. WolfHound's Golden
Movie Retriever, the standard reference to movies, has
at least one omission. They do not list "Blue Gardenia,"
Burr's sixteenth movie, released in 1953. Burr is a
womanizer who gets murdered, and the plot is remeniscent of
at least two or three Perry Mason mysteries. Directed by the
famous Fritz Lang, it featured Anne Baxter as the accused
murderer, defended by Richard Conte. Ann Sothern and Nat
King Cole also appear.
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To GO TO A SEASON (or part), click on it below. To find a specific show/Episode and its order, use the
alphabetical tables at the bottom of this site.
For single episodes A through I, click HERE. To
view J through W, click HERE.
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CAST LISTS! ACTORS!
ROLES PLAYED!
All on one very long web page. Find your
favorite actor and all the episodes in which s/he
played a part. Or find a character and who played
her/him. CLICK HERE.
This is a VERY large file
(550k), so requires a fast computer with a lot of
memory to load in a reasonable time. If you need
everything in one place, this is where you should
go. However, if all you need is the main characters
or those who appear often, such as judges and
autopsey surgeons, CLICK
HERE. This is a small site (71k) which will
load quickly. If you are looking but for some actor
who appeared only once or perhaps twice,
except for judges, court
clerks, autopsey surgeons and the like, CLICK
HERE for that listing which, though still long
(488k), will load much more quickly than the full
file.
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VIEWER BEWARE!
The currently televised versions of the Perry Mason mysteries with Raymond Burr as our hero that you are viewing may be corrupted. Television stations, in an effort to maximize profits, allocate 12 minutes every hour to commercial advertising. This leaves only 48 minutes for the show. The Perry Mason episodes were produced at 52 minutes back when only 8 minutes were taken for commercials. Something had to go. (The German cable system was running the 271 episodes, all in their original 52 -- or whatever was originally broadcast -- minute length. Maybe they still are.)
Most often, Gertie got cut. She added much needed color,
even occasional humor, to the program, but little to the
plot line. In one show, The Case of the Fiery Fingers
for instance, a scene opening after a commercial break has
her telling a phone caller that Mr Mason will be back
shortly. She hangs up, reaches for a chocolate in an open
box on her desk just as Paul Drake walks in. He says,
cheerily, that the chocolate has 200 calories. Gertie puts
it back in the box. (Gertie never saw a chocolate she didn't
like, yet she was at most pleasingly plump, even on the
thin side of plump.) Just then Mason arrives. This is where
you will see the action resume after the commercial break in
current broadcasts. Our latest upgrades show who actually
appears in a show. By the second season Della Street answers
the phone from Gertie, but Gertie has been written out of an
appearance. Gertie appears only once in the second season,
once in the fourth season, and thrice in the seventh season.
A further problem arises when some scene with important
information is cut. Consider The Case of the Fan-Dancer's
Horse, (Columbia House eliminates the "Fan-" in every
reference over which they have control; it is correct in the
video episode title) where the landlady scene, in which
Mason receives an important bit of information, is entirely
cut, in 48-51-minute broadcasts. Also, scenes may be
rearranged to bring in the needed information where it is
revealed at a later point. Often humorous bits which enliven
the episode are cut.
Almost always an entire scene early in the episode is cut
to get as many minutes cut in a single slice as possible.
Then the information we lose in that scene, which often is
with one without Mason, is presented in dialogue in a later
scene which includes Mason. There is thus no way one can
know this from viewing a broadcast, unless one follows the
script synopsis provided on this web site.
All seasons have been re-previewed and the sites updated. 100%, are currently completed from Columbia House tapes and known full-length or multiple air checks. Upgrades from this point depend on release of DVD versions of the episodes in the CBS season boxes. As of the date of this upload, Season One and Season Two are complete.
We really need congressional consideration of any
altering of original shows, by time editing, cropping (from
wide screen movies, for instance, to "pan and scan"
versions), to be a violation of the copyright of the
original creating artists.
The CBS tapes from Columbia House Video correct all of this for us serious Perry Masonites, giving us a complete air check with the original sponsors in the credits. Their tapes, as once available, presented only 122 of 271 episodes (45%). We have reviewed all these tapes to upgrade our synopses for this web site. We have also compared an early 80s set of tapes (1983-1984 broadcasts), which seem complete, to a set of late 80s tapes which were time doctored (=shortened) for those episodes which are not (yet?) available from CBS.
A minor point; Columbia House often gets air dates wrong,
sometimes by a day, other times by weeks. The Case of the
Crimson Kiss is given an October 19, 1957 air date by
Columbia House, but that is the correct air date of The
Case of the Sulky Girl. The Kiss was aired on November 9, 1957.
To view the complete list of available Columbia House
videos of the Perry Mason episodes in the order they have
been released, CLICK HERE.
To view a listing of the Columbia House videos of the
Perry Mason episodes in the order they were broadcast,
CLICK HERE.
Of course, the CBS-Paramount box sets of half seasons are now the standard by which all must be checked. As they are released, this web site will update its listings accordingly.
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There are other good web sites devoted to the original Perry Mason
black & white (with one exception) television series of 271
episodes. Cast lists, short plot synopses and other information is
contained on these sites. I have relied on some of these to check my
own information for accuracy.
The first alternate site that you might wish to explore should be
Dave M. Brockman's Big Dave's Perry Mason TV Site at
<http://www.perrymasontvseries.com>.
Dave's "Perry Links" will take you to other useful sites.
You might also wish to pursue
<http://www.drberlin.com/perrymason2.htm>
where you will find a listing of the 2 hour shows from 1985-1993 as
well as a bulletin board for posting questions to other Perry Mason
fans.
The Perry Mason TV
Show Book is at
<http://www.perrymasontvshowbook.com>
To email me, use
<michiganbill@storrer.com>
Please report any problems or errors you discover, in particular,
links that don't work, and missing scenes. Thank you.
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The First Ten Novels, 1933 - 1937; click
HERE
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The Second Ten Novels, 1937 - 1942; click
HERE
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The Third Ten Novels, 1942- 1947; click
HERE
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The Case of the;
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The Case of the;
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The Case of the;
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To GO TO A SPECIFIC NOVEL, click on its title.
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The Fourth Ten Novels and two novelettes, 1948 - 1952;
click HERE
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The Fifth Ten Novels, one novelette, 1953 - 1956; click
HERE
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The Sixth Ten Novels, 1956 - 1959; click
HERE
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The Case of the;
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The Case of the;
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The Case of the;
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To GO TO A SPECIFIC NOVEL, click on its title.
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The Seventh Ten Novels, 1960 - 1963; click
HERE
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The Final Ten Novels, 1963 - 1969; clicked
HERE
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Two Posthumous Novels, 1972; click
HERE
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The Case of the;
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The case of the;
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The Case of the;
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A NOTE ABOUT HOW THE VIDEO SYNOPSES ARE DONE. The first
round of synopses, done prior to 1997 and from deficient air
checks, were "on the fly." Notes were taken at the computer
as the tape played. Many mistakes were made, as characters
were often misidentified, and there was little detail. The
second round was done with available Columbia House tapes,
filled in with a variety of air checks, some full-length,
others edited, and at the time we did not know of the
problem. A third round, currently in progress, is done only
from Columbia House tapes and known full-length air checks,
so should be complete in terms of representing all credited
characters and all scenes. We will continue this, which is
currently complete thru Season Three, with Columbia House
tapes as issued, and full-length air checks where not. A
fourth round will run parallel with the third, and will be
done from the DVDs. As we do and redo the synopses, we get
better at delineating significant or interesting details,
and we often find glitches in what transferred from computer
word-processed page to web page. For instance, two whole
sentences that were missing in the web rendition were
discovered in the viewing of the DVD "The Case of the
Restless Redhead."
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To aid you in finding a specific show/episode, the following is a
list of the shows/episodes, by the first word of the title that
follows "Perry Mason in the Case of the" (except, of course, the two
shows without the second "the," namely, "The Case of Paul Drake's
Dilemma" and "The Case of A Place Called Midnight"). Thus, Rolling
Bones will be under "R" not "B". There are some 72 listings in which
the television show has the same title as, or is clearly derived
from, an Erle Stanley Gardner novel. In the first television season,
only four of the shows were not related to one of the novels. Only 14
of the second season's 30 shows come from novels. Thereafter, no more
than five shows in a season are derived from the novels.
To view J through W, click
HERE.
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A through Ch
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Cl through Fe
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Fi through I
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To go back to the top of A through I, click
HERE.
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J through O
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P through Sk
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Sl through W
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To go back to the top of A through I, click
HERE. To go back to the top of J through W, click
HERE.
