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Category:    Home > Reviews > Drama > Crime > Mystery > Legal > TV > Perry Mason – Season Four, Volume Two (1961/CBS DVD)

Perry Mason – Season Four, Volume Two (1961/CBS DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C     Extras: D     Episodes: B-

 

 

In our continued look at the early years of Raymond Burr’s hit version of Earl Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason, the show was still one of the hottest shows in the early 1960s when it hit the second half of its fourth season.  For more on the show, you can look at our previous coverage of the last set (Season Four, Volume One) at this link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8633/Perry+Mason+%E2%80%93+Season

 

 

Season Four, Volume Two continued to deliver good solid storytelling, but adding it up with the first half of this 1961-62 season, some of the shows have not aged as well as others.  Some are stronger than others.  Some have unexpected laughs and surprises.  But most of all, they are all done with a high level of professionalism of a show that was in its early glory.  Guest stars from the 12 hour-long cases included in this set are Barney Phillips, Naomi Stevens, Berry Kroeger, Benny Rubin, Adam West, Bert Freed, Neil Hamilton, Jason Evers, Phyllis Coates, Bert Remsen, Art Lewis, Ray Kellogg, Percy Helton, Erik Rhodes, Richard Arlen, Simon Oakland, William Schallert, James B. Sikking, Charles Stroud, Patricia Barry, Otto Kruger, Gavin MacLeod, William Mims, and Faith Domergue.

 

As usual, the title of every episode began with The Case Of… and there was enough of a mystery in each show for Mason to unravel and neatly end at the end of each episode.  You would not see this today, which some say was less realistic, but I say is a reason for too many lesser writers to drag out bad storylines to the point of thin pointlessness.  The cast is also getting more comfortable with each other and that is fun to watch.

 

The 1.33 X 1 black and white image on all the episodes once again are from great film copies of the show and the show has never looked this good, yet this is only DVD.  Grey scale is as fine as the detail and will surprise many who have not seen the shows looking this good before.  Can’t wait for the Blu-ray.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono sound may be clean, but it is transferred at either too low a volume or is too compressed for its own good in this case.  Be careful at what volumes you play this back, plus when switching to other sources.  There are once again no extras, despite what a hit the show was in its time.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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