George E. Stone Movies
Probably no one came by the label "Runyon-esque" more honestly than Polish-born actor George E. Stone; a close friend of writer Damon Runyon, Stone was seemingly put on this earth to play characters named Society Max and Toothpick Charlie, and to mouth such colloquialisms as "It is known far and wide" and "More than somewhat." Starting his career as a Broadway "hoofer," the diminutive Stone made his film bow as "the Sewer Rat" in the 1927 silent Seventh Heaven. His most prolific film years were 1929 to 1936, during which period he showed up in dozens of Warner Bros. "urban" films and backstage musicals, and also appeared as the doomed Earle Williams in the 1931 version of The Front Page. He was so closely associated with gangster parts by 1936 that Warners felt obligated to commission a magazine article showing Stone being transformed, via makeup, into an un-gangsterish Spaniard for Anthony Adverse (1936). For producer Hal Roach, Stone played three of his oddest film roles: a self-pitying serial killer in The Housekeeper's Daughter (1938), an amorous Indian brave in Road Show (1940), and Japanese envoy Suki Yaki in The Devil With Hitler (1942). Stone's most popular role of the 1940s was as "the Runt" in Columbia's Boston Blackie series. In the late '40s, Stone was forced to severely curtail his acting assignments due to failing eyesight. Though he was totally blind by the mid-'50s, Stone's show business friends, aware of the actor's precarious financial state, saw to it that he got TV and film work, even if it meant that his co-stars had to literally lead him by the hand around the set. No one was kinder to George E. Stone than the cast and crew of the Perry Mason TV series, in which Stone was given prominent billing as the Court Clerk, a part that required nothing more of him than sitting silently at a desk and occasionally holding a Bible before a witness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1960
To test the honesty of his two nephews, old Adam Thompson (William H. Wright) tells them about a secret map leading to a valuable piece of land, then lets them know that the map is locked in his safe. He then sets up an infrared camera in front of the safe to find out if either nephew is capable of robbery. Unfortunately, the map vanishes even though the safe is never opened--and when Adam's foreman Frank Jarrett (Crahan Denton), who ends up in possession of the map, is murdered, Adam's nephew Harry (a young Bert Convy) is arrested for the crime. It looks like Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is up against a good old-fashioned "locked room" mystery this time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
At the height of a nasty corporate power struggle, embezzling accountant Robert Doniger (Phil Terry) is murdered. The man accused of the crime is Edward Nelson (Herbert Rudley), who had earlier hired Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to protect him from threats he'd received from his spiteful wife Sylvia (Virginia Arness) and from business rival Frank Avery (John Stephenson). Now Perry must assemble enough evidence to prove that Nelson is not a murderer,and that someone else in his circle of "friends" is the guilty party. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
It looks as if Karen Lewis (Pat Breslin), a minor employee of lipstick manufacturer Silas Vance (James Bell), has been caught red-handed as an industrial spy when a bank book containing two huge deposits and a rival manufacturer's phone number is found in her desk. Her boss accuses Karen of selling his secret lipstick formulas to the "enemy", but is willing to forget everything if the girl agrees to, er, "be nice" to him. Not long afterward, Vance is murdered--and because she is the sole beneficiary in his will, Karen is charged with the crime. Calling Perry Mason (Raymond Burr)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Lewis Martin (Wynn Pearce) considers himself lucky to be alive; he has been kidnapped, driven way in the country, and forced to get drunk, apparently as part of an elaborate frame-up. After his ordeal, Martin contacts Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), accusing his stepfather Judson Bailey (Bruce Gordon) of arranging the abduction in order to get Martin out of the way so that Bailey could take over the family business. Perry is asked to locate a photograph showing Bailey conspiring with the mysterious kidnapper--but the lawyer ends up defending Martin when Bailey turns up dead. H.M. Wynant makes his first appearance as Deputy DA Sampson, one of several temporary replacements for absentee series regular William Talman (DA Hamilton Burger). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
It looks like suicide when hasbeen concert pianist David Carpenter (Gregory Morton) plunges off a cliff. Then the suspicion arises that Carpenter was actually murdered so that his wife Anita (Virginia Field) could collect his life insurance. But Anita is not the client of Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) in the subsequent preliminary hearing: instead, Carpenter's sexy protegee Donna Ross (Kathie Browne) has been charged with the murder. (Trivia note: the original TV Guide listings identify the suspect as "Donna Loring", a name presumably changed at the last minute for legal reasons). Robert Karnes makes his first appearance as Deputy DA Chamberlin, one of several temporary replacements for absentee regular William Talman (DA Hamilton Burger). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
The much-despised Allan Sheridan (William J. Campbell) is going to need the $162,000 he is due to inherit: deeply in debt to several people, Sheridan had better pay up in a hurry if he doesn't want his list of enemies to increase. As it turns out, one enemy is more than enough to bludgeon Sheridan to death with an ashtray. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) enters the scene to defend the chief suspect, Sheridan's cousin Sarette (Lurene Tuttle) (who curiously was identified as the victim's aunt in the original TV Guide synopsis!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
In a most unusual episode, Perry Mason's client is his friend and business associate, private detective Paul Drake (William Hopper). After confronting Frank Thatcher (Bruce Gordon) for concealing evidence in a hit-and-run case, Paul knocks the man down--and is promptly rendered unconscious himself. When he awakens, Paul finds Thatcher dead and himself charged with murder. DA Burger (William Talman) is reluctant to prosecute, but does so anyway, making Perry's job even more emotionally draining than usual. Key players in the proceedings include singer Donna Kress (Vanessa Brown), with whom the very married Thatcher had been carrying on an affair, and the dead man's extremely wealthy father-in-law Henry Dameron (Basil Ruysdael). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Swimsuit manufacturer Wally Dunbar (John Lupton) is none too happy when his new summer line of bikinis is pirated after the design sketches are stolen. It gets worse when Dunbar's girlfriend Kitty Wynne (Terry Huntingdon) is charged with the murder of Dunbar's top designer Rick Stassi (Stephan Bekassy), with Lt. Tragg (Ray Collins) offering as motive the fact that Stassi was systematically blackmailing Kitty. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) agrees to defend Kitty in court--never imagining that DA Burger (William Talman) intends to put Perry's detective friend Paul Drake (William Hopper) on the witness stand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Richard Vanaman (Arthur Franz) was secure in the belief that he was up for a promotion at the investment firm where he works. Alas, someone seems determined to sabotage him--and worse, he is targeted by a blackmailer. But this is not the end of Vanaman's woes: when Sylvia Welles (Joyce Meadows) is murdered, he is arrested for the crime--and now Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) must somehow make sense of the whole sordid affair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
The third season of Perry Mason begins with a typically baffling set of circumstances. Just before he left for a business trip, henpecked Bruce Chapman (Karl Weber) stumbled upon the strangled body of his hateful wife Marie (Peggy Knudsen). Deciding not to press his luck, Bruce did not report the crime. Upon his return, Bruce is charged with murder--even though all evidence suggests that his wife is still very much alive! To be sure, there has been a murder, and there is a culprit; it's up to Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to figure out who did what to whom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Jo Ann Blanchard (Patricia Hardy) seeks the help of Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) in reclaimed her ranch and her prize stallion, both of which have been claimed in a foreclosure by neighboring rancher John Brant (Trevor Bardette). Subsequently, Brant is killed, and at first it appears as though the horse kicked him to death. But murder will out, and Jo Ann is charged with the crime--whereupon Perry really begins to earn his retainer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Bob Hope plays a 19th-century insurance agent whose miserable sales record prompts his boss to send him out West, where he can (supposedly) do little harm. Hope manages to sell a $100,000 life insurance policy--to outlaw Jesse James (Wendell Corey), one of the worst "risks" in history! In his efforts to get the policy back, Hope finds himself being mistaken for Jesse, which is all part of the outlaw's plan to get Hope killed and thereby collect the policy money himself. But with the help of beauteous Rhonda Fleming (the essentially honest beneficiary to Jesse's policy), Hope gains a reputation as a lightning-fast gunslinger. In the inevitable shoot-out with the James gang, Hope is helped out by several famous Westerners, including Gary Cooper, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, James "Maverick" Garner, and even Tonto (Jay Silverheels). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hope, Rhonda Fleming, (more)
The launching pad for Billy Wilder's comedy classic was a rusty old German farce, Fanfares of Love, whose two main characters were male musicians so desperate to get a job that they disguise themselves as women and play with an all-girl band in gangster-dominated 1929 Chicago. In this version, musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) lose their jobs when a speakeasy owned by mob boss Spats Columbo (George Raft) is raided by prohibition agent Mulligan (Pat O'Brien). Several weeks later, on February 14th, Joe and Jerry get a job perfroming in Urbana and end up witnessing a gangland massacre in a parking garage. Fearing that they will be next on the mobsters' hit lists, Joe devises an ingenious plan for disguising their identities. Soon they are all dolled up and performing as Josephine and Daphne in Sweet Sue's all-girl orchestra. En route to Florida by train with Sweet Sue's band, the boys (girls?) make the acquaintance of Sue's lead singer Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe, in what may be her best performance). Joe and Jerry immediately fall in love, though of course their new feminine identities prevent them from acting on their desires. Still, they are determined to woo her, and they enact an elaborate series of gender-bending ruses complicated by the fact that flirtatious millionaire Osgood Fielding (Joe E. Brown) has fallen in love with "Daphne." The plot gets even thicker when Spats Columbo and his boys show up in Florida. Nominated for several Oscars, Some Like It Hot ended up the biggest moneymaking comedy up to 1959. Full of hilarious set pieces and movie in-jokes, it has not tarnished with time and in fact seems to get better with each passing year, as its cross-dressing humor keeps it only more and more up-to-date. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, (more)
- 1959
Theatrical "angel" (and former gangster!) Frank Brooks (Stacy Harris) is charged with the murder of playwright Ernest Royce (Jerome Cowan), who has been killed in the same manner as the main character in one of his unproduced plays. It turns out that Royce has based his play on the real-life murder of underworld figure Rick Valponi back in 1947. In order to clear Brooks in court, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) must locate the "lost last act" of Royce's play, which may not only solve the present crime but also the one that occurred 22 years earlier. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Someone has stolen the confidential tapes of conversations between psychiatrist David Craig (Dick Foran) and his patients, and is using those tapes for blackmail. It so happens that Dr. Craig is in love with his nurse Edith (Marianne Stewart), whose brother Mark (Barry McGuire) who is in big trouble with the "mob" and is the primary suspect in the theft of the tapes. When Mark is murdered, Craig is charged, and Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) swings into action. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
When the body of wealthy Peter Baxter (Anthony Joachim) is found in the charred ruins of his mansion, caretaker James Hing (Benson Fong), who'd been made Baxter's sole heir in his will, is accused of the crime. Hing admits to burning down the mansion, but insists that he did so on the orders of Baxter, who'd planned to fake his death in order to test the loyalty of his heirs. Can it be that someone else got wind of Baxter's scheme and decided to bump him off for real? That's what Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) must find out before the final commercial. This episode is based on Erle Stanley Gardner's novel The Case of the Black Cat, previously adapted as a 1935 theatrical feature, with Ricardo Cortez as Mason. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
A man claiming to be Australian Bishop Arthur Mallory (Vaughn Taylor) arranges a reunion between orphanage alumnus Carol Delaney (Rebecca Welles) and her millionaire grandfather Charles Burroughs (Carl Benton Reid. Shortly thereafter, Burroughs is murdered and Carol is arrested for the crime. While preparing Carol's defense, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) unearths some disturbing information about the so-called Bishop. This episode is based on a 1936 novel by Earl Stanley Gardner, which was previously adapted (and considerably rewritten!) as a 1937 theatrical feature with Donald Woods as Mason. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Hoping to divorce her husband Walter (Walter Prescott) so she can marry her sweetheart Jimmy McLain (Biff Elliot), Ruth Prescott (Stacy Graham) is terrified that Walter is trying to kill her. Actually, it may be the other way around: Walter turns up dead, and Ruth is charged with the crime. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is convinced that Ruth is innocent, and that there is more to this seemingly open-and-shut case than meets the eye. Based on a 1936 novel by Erle Stanley Gardner, this is the final episode of Perry Mason's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
On probation for car theft, young Jimmy Morrow (Peter Miles) tries his best to "go straight", only to be accused of stealing a priceless Spanish cross. Worse still, Jimmy is charged with the murder of the relic's owner, Curtis Runyan (Donald Randolph). Out of sympathy for Jimmy's beleagured parents, Perry (Raymond Burr) agrees to handle the boy's defense. (Trivia note: Peter Miles is the brother of actress Gigi Perreau, who'd played Perry's client in the first-season episode "The Case of the Desperate Daughter".) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Determined to win Claire Allison (Mala Powers) for himself, no-good Martin Selkirk (Dennis Patrick) has Claire's boyfriend Dirk Benedict (Robert Rockwell) beaten up, and also besieges Claire with threatening news clippings. Thus, when Selkirk is murdered (and if anyone "needed killing", it was him), Claire is charged with the crime. While putting together Claire's defense, Perry is surprised to learn that even Selkirk's five-year-old son (David Brady) might have had "motive and opportunity"--not to mention a toy gun that is anything but a toy! This episode is based on a 1959 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner, though the ending has been considerably altered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Wealthy widow Matilda Benson (Kathryn Givney) rules over her children like a dowager empress, threatening to cut them out of her will for the slightest infraction. Even so, the children can't help but get involved with crooked gambler Danny Barker (Robert Strauss), who ends up murdered after threatening to bring scandal upon the Benson family. It is Sylvia Benson (Patricia Cutts) whom the police arrest for the crime, and it is Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) who rushes to Sylvia's defense. This episode is based on a 1937 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner, which was previously adapted as the 1940 theatrical film Granny Get Your Gun--with Perry Mason written out of the story! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Not long after trying to strike a deal with political "fixer" Wilfred Borden (George Neise), building contractor George Andrews (John Anderson) is in a car accident. When Borden is murdered and Andrews arrested for the crime, Perry (Raymond Burr) hinges his defense on locating swimsuit model Dawn Manning (Dolores Donlon), the girl who was with Andrews at the time of the accident--and that, folks, is why Mr. Mason is posing as a professional photographer. This episode is based on a 1958 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Having escaped from a mental institution, Evelyn Forbes (Ann Rutherford) is the primary suspect in the murder of her ex-husband Arthur Cartwright (Robert Ellenstein). Things get worse for Evelyn when another person is killed, as well as a strange dog that has been howling nonstop throughout the proceedings. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) sets about to save Evelyn's life, even though the evidence against her is overwhelming. This episode is based on a novel by Erle Stanley Gardner, which was previously adapted as a 1934 theatrical feature starring Warren William as Mason (in the movie, it is implied that the heroine is actually guilty, but Perry manages to get her off in the spirit of "justifiable homicide"!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
The only person who can clear Perry's client Robert Crane (Denver Pyle) of a murder charge is his sister Helen (Constance Ford), the wife of the murder victim. But Helen suffers from schizophrenia: by day, she is "herself" and by night she is her wild-and-reckless alter ego Joyce Martel. Unfortunately, it was "Joyce" who witnessed the murder, so Perry (Perry Mason) must figure out a way to put "Joyce", rather than Helen, on the witness stand! Though not based on an Erle Stanley Gardner original, this episode would seem to have been inspired by such multiple personality-themed films as Three Faces of Eve and Lizzie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After the success of From Here to Eternity, pairing Frank Sinatra with another James Jones novel made perfect sense. Set in the aftermath of World War II, the film stars Sinatra as a recently discharged soldier whose promising writing career has derailed. After a drunken card game, Sinatra finds himself aboard a bus for his Indiana hometown of Parktown, with recent acquaintance Shirley MacLaine in tow. An unrefined good-time girl, MacLaine allows her affections to settle on the hard-drinking Sinatra, who wants little to do with her as he reluctantly sets about re-establishing ties he thought to have abandoned over a decade before. These include a brother (Arthur Kennedy) unable to discard his salesman's persona, his disapproving wife (Leora Dana), and their teenage daughter (Betty Lei Keim). Meanwhile, Sinatra makes a variety of new acquaintances both respectable and otherwise, including a local gambler (Dean Martin) and a creative writing instructor (Martha Hyer) smitten with his writing and possibly with him. Shaking up the complacency of his small hometown more by accident than design, Sinatra forces all those around him to reevaluate their behavior. After a variety of smaller parts, this is the role that cemented MacLaine's name, earning her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. ~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, (more)
