PERRY MASON RETURNS(1985):

The famous lawyer, played by Raymond Burr, makes a
comeback in this movie! Along with him is his ever
faithful secretary Della Street(Barbara Hale)! And
since William Hopper(Paul Drake) passed away several
years prior to this(1970), they have replaced him with none
other than his son(Paul Drake Jr.) played by William
Katt(who does a decent enough job, but is truly no
Paul Drake! Also he is Barbara Hale's real life son!!)!
Also in this is Richard Anderson, who was also a semi-
regular on the original series as the police Lt. Steve
Drumm, and Patrick O'Neal(also in the Perry Mason
movie The Case of the Skin Deep Scandal)! Perry is
now a Judge, but decides to step down when Della
is blamed for a murder! A pretty decent return for
the man who never loses! A

From an IMDb.com customer:

The first Perry Mason Series ran from 1957 until
1966, In the mid eighties until it's star's (Raymond
Burr) death in 1993 there was a belated revival
bringing Mason a new generation of fans in several
TV Movies along with original sidekick Della Street
(Barbara Hale) and new P.I Paul Drake JR (William
Katt). This is the first such movie and one of the
better ones for it has Della street accused of
murdering her boss and so Mason and Drake
frantically try to find clear her name.

all in all an above-average TV Mystery

8/10 - liammurphy1

This is rather disturbing to me, and I'm not sure
why! Maybe because it's just a little too preachy
to me! Be that as it may, there are a couple of
great actors in this, including Tom Bosley(Happy
Days, Father Dowling Mysteries) & Arthur Hill
(Owen Marshall, Attorney At Law)! Also,
David Ogden Stiers(M*A*S*H) makes his first
appearance as the District Attorney Michael
Reston! He is in more of these movies than
anyone else(8) other than William Katt(Paul
Drake Jr.)(9), James McEachin(Sgt. Ed Brock)
(18) and William R. Mosses(Ken Malansky)(21)! B+

From an IMDb.com customer:

Interesting that about five years before all the
sex scandals started breaking with the Catholic
Church, this Perry Mason mystery is about a nun
accused of murder because she was trying to cover
up an affair with a priest.

In Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun
the eminent criminal lawyer is now defending
Michele Greene who was working with Father
Timothy Bottoms doing an audit of a Catholic
hospital. But a letter in her room sent to her
by Bottoms implicates her big time when he
turns up dead.

But these two frocked accountants uncover a
lot of pilferage from that hospital, in fact it
was Archbishop William Prince who retains
Raymond Burr to defend Greene. This other
sin, this nonsexual one opens up a host of
other suspects.

Perry Mason always had a G rating and the
sex among clergy is a topic treated most
gingerly. Still Greene's not certain whether
she can take her final vows in the end.

David Ogden Stiers made the first of eight
appearances as the District Attorney and
James McEachin was in nearly all the rest
of the Perry Mason films as Sergeant, later
Lieutenant Ed Brock.

This is one of the better Perry Masons as
we discover just which commandments
are broken that provide a motive for a
homicide. Come to think of it, that's a
commandment as well. - bkoganbing

THE CASE OF
THE SHOOTING STAR(1986):

This actually has some pretty good co-stars, as
well as Perry, Della and Paul! Especially interesting
is Ron Glass, as well as accused murderer Joe
Penny! Alan Thicke(Robin's Father) is also here,
though only for a short time! Another good outing
for all involved! A

From an IMDb.com customer:

Mason takes on another seemingly hopeless case
when a man murders a talk show host on television
in front of 40 million viewers. The blanks he thought
he was firing [the recoil from the .357 magnum should
have told him the round was live] had been replaced
by a nefarious felon intent on making him the patsy.
As usual, Perry puts his brilliant deductive powers
into play and solves another sticky crime. I like
the films with William Moses playing Mason's
detective more than the ones with Katt. Moses
is a more believable performer. - helpless_dancer

Perry is enticed to defend an old love's husband
(Gene Berry[Burke's Law, The Name Of The Game
Bat Masterson]) who is accused of murdering a
blackmailer! The old flame's being considered
for a post in Washington, but this could, of course
change all that! A tough situation for Della, no
doubt!! Also in this is Gordon Jump(WKRP In
Cincinanti) A

From an IMDb.com customer:

Of the series of TV-movies based on the Erle Stanley
Gardner creation, as well as the popular television
drama from the 50's and 60's, this is one of the best.
Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale continue with their
famous roles of Perry and his girl Friday, Della Street,
assisted by William Katt (Hale's real-life son) as the
detective son of Paul Drake, played in the original
by the late William Hopper.

In this teleflick, Mason must defend Gene Barry who
plays the husband of Jean Simmons, a Congressional
hopeful and former love of the robust attorney.
Because of the additional time alloted this presentation,
there is a bit of action with Katt's character being
the "leg man" that must get out in the field and drum
up evidence that will prove Burr's client innocent.

With a cast of old pros like this one has, along with
television stalwarts David Ogden Stiers ("M*A*S*H*"),
Gordon Jump ("WKRP in Cincinnati"), Jonathan Banks
("Wiseguy"), and Robert Mandan ("Soap"), this is one
of the better acted of the film series that ran for
nine years, culminating with the death of Burr.

Though it plods along at times, the movie still holds
the interest, all the way up to the surprising
denouement. - Reginald D. Garrard

THE CASE OF
THE SINISTER SPIRIT(1987):

A friend of Perry's(Robert Stack[The Untouchables])
is accused of killing a writer(Dwight Schultz[Star Trek:
TNG]) who has gathered a group together that he has
written into his latest book, an expose about each "guests"
past!! That, along with some mysterious happenings
makes this quite entertaining!! A

From an IMDb.com customer:

I am not a big Perry Mason fan, but this is the movie
that got me hooked more on the movie series than
the tv series. It starts out with a pretty good ghost
story which I wanted to know a lot more about than
the murder. We don't even see much of this spooky
old edifice that the plot revolves around, but what
we do see has a wonderful shadowy "Dark Shadows"
Collinwood kind of feel. The murder mystery, don't
get me wrong, is excellant; it has more twists and
turns than a politician in a confessional booth.
Raymond Burr and Barbera Hale fit into their old
roles very well, but William Katt will always remind
me of "The Greatest American Hero." Robert Stack
emotes a great character just a few shades away
from his character of Elliot Ness and Dwight Schultz
plays a nervous and slightly shady character not
that far unlike Lt. Barclay of Star Trek. Kim
Delaney's acting reminds me too much of too
many other actresses, particularly that of Joanna
Going, but it may be because of too many Dark
Shadows parallels: the spooky location, the ghosts,
the painting, hidden rooms and the squirrely
maintenance man who is almost too similar to
ohn Karlen's Willie Loomis. In short, if it hadn't
been for my fondness for ghosts and that series,
I might never have seen this movie at all. - aesgaard41

A friend of Della's is accused of killing his wife,
who use to be a "madame"!! This episode has one
of my favorite "character actors" in it, John
Rhys-Davies(Raider's Of The Lost Ark), who
does his typical great job here! Also guest
starring is Bill Macy(Maude) and James Noble
(Benson), who are also excellent in this! A

From an IMDb.com customer:

Della Street bumps into an old friend, Tony, who
tells her of his happy recent marriage to Susanne.
Next time they meet he is accused of her murder
and the police have found papers in his car about
Susanne's past that point to motive. As a favour
(and for the money) Perry takes Tony's case and
begins to investigate, uncovering shady business
partners that Susanne had put in difficult positions.
Meanwhile Paul Drake searches for a woman who
was at Susanne's house during an important business
meeting.

As this is an early one of the Mason TVM's it looks
dated more than some of the ones made in the
early nineties, however this is only really a visual
problem usually and not so bad. In this film however,
part of the plot has dated quite badly, with the
surveillance equipment that holds the key to the
killer's identity looking so basic it's almost funny -
compare that to the technology you could buy
now for the same sort of household use and it
really pales. Despite this the plot still hangs
together as well as in all the other films. Mason
interviews the suspects one by one to give us
red herrings galore until the courtroom scene
while Drake chases a girl (who is involved in
the murder somehow). It isn't anything new,
but this film does have some nice comic touches
(a sprinkle going off and an unintentional dig
at Drake's hairstyle - which must have looked
dated even then!).

The cast are reasonable but no more. Burr is
comfortable enough in the role but is strangely
immobile here; the script puts it down to an
ankle injury but I'm sure that was added to cover
his health problems. Hale has some nice moments
with Burr but is really just a shadow in the story.
Katt is OK but his storyline is just the same old
same old and he looks like he's tired of it at times.
The support cast has only famous cameo that will
stand out - Rhys-Davies, he of LOTR and Indiana
Jones fame (here in his first of two Mason
appearances). Stiers is usually a good DA but
has no good scenes here, and the new black
detective looks to have been cast solely due
to his resemblance to the usual actor.

Overall this is par for the course and will keep
fans such as myself happy. For others it is very
basic, not exploring the `past' of the madam
very far or in any detail for fear of censors
and not having any real characters among all
the red herrings. It is as good as the usual
Mason films but even I have to accept that
that isn't saying a great deal. - bob the moo

THE CASE OF
THE SCANDALOUS SCOUNDRAL(1987):

This continues a continuing theme of someone that
the main three(Perry, Della and Paul) are either related
or friends of, get wrapped up in a murder plot!! In this
one, it's Paul's friend, who is a writer for a sleaze tabloid!

Robert Guillaume(Benson) as a bad guy! And really
the only name guest star here! He is very convincing
I must say!! Unfortunately, the rest of the cast is
not so blessed with ability! However, the story is
interesting, and it's always good to watch Raymond
Burr and Barbara Hale at work! B+

From an IMDb.com customer:

Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel
finds the famous defense attorney almost a victim
himself here of blackmail. The blackmailer in question
is the scandalous scoundrel in this case played by
Robert Guillaume.

Guillaume is the publisher of the National Informer
one of the more notorious supermarket rags who's
got himself a blackmail racket and the means to
make good for threats of exposure.

When Perry gets retained by a potential victim,
Guillaume actually goes to try and get dirt on him
and Della Street. I mean, come on people, we are
talking about two very consenting adults who are
way past the age of consent. That part I found just
a tad too ridiculous so this particular entry in the
Mason film series.

But this turns to murder when Guillaume is killed
with a blunt object and of course given his profession
there are a lot of suspects. The police of course
focus in on Susan Wilder a disgruntled former
employee of the Informer and she retains Raymond
Burr as all innocent folks do.

The three leading blackmail candidates seem to
be General Yaphett Kotto, international banker
Rene Enriquez and cheating wife Morgan Brittany
and her older husband George Grizzard and all
give a good account of themselves.

David Ogden Stiers is the worthy successor as
DA Michael Reston to the famous Hamilton
Burger. But strangely enough James McEachin
who appeared in a few Mason films is cast as
a caterer here. He has a key role in the homicide
in fact though he's not aware of it. I think I can
safely say he wasn't the culprit. I guess the writers
thought he had not firmly established his presence
as Lt. Brock yet.

It's one of the weaker entries in the Mason
series, but still enjoyable for the devoted
fans of Erle Stanley Gardner's famous
lawyer/sleuth. - bkoganbing

Another great entry into the Perry Mason movie
lore!! The nice thing about this one is that William
Katt(Paul Drake Jr.) isn't a bumbling idiot in this
one! That's the one thing in these movies that has
been rather irritating to me, as William Hopper's
Paul Drake was always very competent!! This is
the first appearance of James McEachin who
appears as Sgt. Clifford Brock(later Lt.) in
several installments! A

From an IMDb.com customer:

Perry Mason: The Case of the Avenging Ace is one
of the more far fetched episodes where the murderer
and the individual behind the murders will do
anything, kill anybody to keep a particular family
scandal from seeing the light of day.

If you remember in Perry Mason Returns, Raymond
Burr was an appellate judge who resigned the bench
to defend Della Street from a murder charge. This
film begins with a flashback to those times on the
bench where he votes to sustain a conviction for
murder on procedural grounds of Larry Wilcox, a
decorated Air Force colonel who allegedly murdered
a woman he was allegedly involved with.

Fast forward to the present when a witness has
come forward who on the day of the hearing reneges
on his testimony under threat. Then Wilcox is busted
out of jail and later the recanting witness is shot to
death and Wilcox is found with murder weapon in hand.

This far fetched set of circumstances would defeat
any lesser lawyer, but we're dealing with Perry Mason.
You know this top gun will eventually be free of all
charges, including the original murder that sent him up.

This particular Mason film I found a bit too bizarre
for my taste, but fans of the series will love it. - bkoganbing

THE CASE OF
THE LADY IN THE LAKE(1988):

This has the great David Hasselhoff in it! I figured
that with him, this would be a guaranteed hit! He
of course is framed for murdering his wife, which
a-la Columbo-style, we see who did it right away!
Or at least it looks that way throughout the movie!
David and the rest do a great job!

An aside here, this is William Katt's last shot as
Paul Drake Jr., as he is replaced with William
R. Moses from here out(until the last four "Perry
Mason Mysteries", where he comes back and
Raymond Burr[who passed away before these
last movies were produced] is absent!)! A-

From an IMDb.com customer:

If you are a fan of Perry Mason, as I am, you would
have figured that out there was something strange
from the beginning of the movie. Normally Perry
Mason spends his entire show defending his client
and piecing together the crime and identifying the
real criminal at the very end of the show. When
the movie began, it seems that the killer was
identified in the first few minutes of the movie.
But obviously, things were not what they seemed.
I was not sure what it was, but Raymond Burr
and Barbara Hale seemed very flat and uninspired.
At least William Katt and David Hasselhoff kept
the movie alive. The ending was very interesting.
I definitely did not see that coming. As a mystery
the movie was worth watching, but as a "Perry
Mason" movie, it was disappointing. - sixpence1106

As an introduction to a new character, Ken
Malansky is Perry's newest client, accused of
killing his rival in love!! As noted in the last
review, Paul Drake Jr. is not present from
here on out! Instead, this is a venue to bring
in Ken as Perry's protege! Perry is now an
instructor in a law school where Ken, and
others, including the killer and the victim
attend his classes! Very interesting movie!! A

From an IMDb.com customer:

Raymond Burr returns as Perry Mason, this time
defending young law student Ken Malansky of
the murder of a fellow student.

This episode introduces William R. Moses as Malansky,
who in future stories would take over the job of Mason's
law associate and investigative legman.

Alexandra Paul also debuts, for a much shorter
stay as Ken's "fiance", Amy Hastings.

The story follows the same tried and true formula
as all Mason stories tend to do with the guilty
party exposed in court at the end. In this case
the histrionics were exceedingly effective when
the guilty party was revealed.

I have always had the feeling the producers had
planned to make Amy and Ken a sort of younger
version of Mason and Della Street, but upping
the romance angle. Sadly, Alexandra Paul made
the decision to leave before the plan could come
to fruition.

All in all an above average entry in the series
and well worth your time. - Mark-129

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