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Can you pass this first season Perry Mason quiz?
How well do you know Mason's early days?
When the first season of Perry Mason aired in 1957, 37 of its 39 episodes were based on novels from the same-named series by Erle Stanley Gardner. In total, there were 82 Mason novels from which the creators drew inspiration.
But we're going to assume your bookshelf isn't lined with rows of Perry Mason books (though if it is, please comment with a picture below). You're going to have to rely on just your smarts to nail these questions. It's a quiz devoted entirely to Perry Mason's first season, so purge all knowledge of the TV movies before diving in.
How well do you recall Mason's first days on our screens? Maybe you saw it the first time, or maybe you're catching up on MeTV. Either way, we'll give you credit if you can correctly answer these ten questions.
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In "The Case of the Restless Redhead," Evelyn Bagby returns home to find what in her cigarette box?
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In "The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife," how does Perry Mason know the accused?
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When a secretary is murdered while spying on an oil tycoon in "The Case of the Daring Decoy," who is the star witness?
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When a woman dies of arsenic poisoning, her nurse is charged with murder in which episode?
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"The Case of the Terrified Typist" reveals that the floor above Perry Mason's office is home to which kind of business?
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"The Case of the One-Eyed Witness" featured a guest star appearance from which actress of Rio Bravo fame?
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Kipp Hamilton, guest star in "The Case of the Cautious Coquette," is the sister-in-law of which comedian?
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In "The Case of the Silent Partner," a man loses shares in what kind of company to a sleazy ex-con in a poker game?
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"The Case of the Angry Mourner" features Perry Mason vacationing where?
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Christine White is most well-known for her role in The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." Which Mason episode does she guest star in?
Can you pass this first season Perry Mason quiz?
Your Result...
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74 Comments
Has anyone noticed that Metv has sped up the Perry Mason episodes and everyone sounds like a chipmunk??
7 out of 10
Got one wrong out of them all...seen all the episodes so many times, love Perry, it was hard not to miss.
You got 5 out of 10
“You got 3 out of 10. Bad news, we all know what you did, and you're going to jail forever!”
Tbh I only knew the answer to one question, #5.
And Perry Mason had 39 episodes its first year?!? Wow! That’s crazy. And some actors today complain it’s tough getting through their 22 episode schedule. Perry had no less than 26 episodes in all his seasons and usually had 30!
Tbh I only knew the answer to one question, #5.
And Perry Mason had 39 episodes its first year?!? Wow! That’s crazy. And some actors today complain it’s tough getting through their 22 episode schedule. Perry had no less than 26 episodes in all his seasons and usually had 30!
Some typical MeTV misinformation here.
"When the first season of Perry Mason aired in 1957, 37 of its 39 episodes were based on novels from the same-named series by Erle Stanley Gardner. In total, there were 82 Mason novels from which the creators drew inspiration."
1) 36 (not 37) episodes of the first season were credited as being adapted from an ESG novel.
2) But actually all 39 episodes were adapted from a novel. But when condensing the novels down to an hour length three of the scripts went so far away from the novel that it was decided to give new titles to the episodes. The three novels were adapted successfully in later seasons.
3) Yes, there were 82 novels (two published posthumously), but that ignores the 3 short novels one of which "The Case of the Crimson Kiss" which was adapted in the first season (with Francis Bavier of Andy Griffith Show.) Another short novel "The Case of the Irate Witness." was reportedly filmed as "The Case of the Violent Village" in the third season. The third short novel "The Case of the Crying Swallow" is the only ESG Perry Mason story written up to 1962 not adapted for the TV series.
"When the first season of Perry Mason aired in 1957, 37 of its 39 episodes were based on novels from the same-named series by Erle Stanley Gardner. In total, there were 82 Mason novels from which the creators drew inspiration."
1) 36 (not 37) episodes of the first season were credited as being adapted from an ESG novel.
2) But actually all 39 episodes were adapted from a novel. But when condensing the novels down to an hour length three of the scripts went so far away from the novel that it was decided to give new titles to the episodes. The three novels were adapted successfully in later seasons.
3) Yes, there were 82 novels (two published posthumously), but that ignores the 3 short novels one of which "The Case of the Crimson Kiss" which was adapted in the first season (with Francis Bavier of Andy Griffith Show.) Another short novel "The Case of the Irate Witness." was reportedly filmed as "The Case of the Violent Village" in the third season. The third short novel "The Case of the Crying Swallow" is the only ESG Perry Mason story written up to 1962 not adapted for the TV series.
8/10, all guesses
Congratulations on the good guesses.
Re "Christine White is most well-known for her role in The Twilight Zone's 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.' Which Mason episode does she guest star in?"
Can't you just write Christine White is BEST-known for her role? Do you really need to turn a simple concept into verbose gobbledygook?
Simplify, simplify, simplify.
Can't you just write Christine White is BEST-known for her role? Do you really need to turn a simple concept into verbose gobbledygook?
Simplify, simplify, simplify.
I'm ashamed to say how I did.
6/10. I tend to forget episode titles on this show.
Five out of 10.
6/10, which isn't too bad considering I'm 76 years old and do have some memory issues. And yet I've seen every Perry Mason episode at least 10 times over the years, so maybe I should have done better.
6/10 but then I did have my wisdom teeth out today.
I got 9 out of 10. I should've looked up Christine White so I could see what she looked like so I could get them all right, but I missed the last one! I do have a copy of the very first Perry Mason novel in paperback, "The Case of the Velvet Claws".
Got 9 out of 10. Not bad. Question #7 was unfair. That's the one I didn't get. That question had nothing to do with the show itself. Here is a bit of trivia. Did you know that Raymond Burr was the FIRST host of the "Unsolved Mysteries" series. Yes, indeed he was. Now, METV, do the RIGHT thing & get rid of that awful "All In The Family" show & bring back the "Perry Mason" movies on Sunday night. Thank You.
5/10 And #7 is unfair. It requires no knowledge of Perry Mason, just "movie star" trivia.
5/10. I don't know them as well as Svengoolie!
2/10 Wow, I have only watched maybe three or four episodes.
4/10, After doing so many quizzes I found that It's harder to get them all wrong than all correct.
7/10 Some good guesses since I recognized only 4 plots. I rarely watch "Perry Mason", but now I watch it almost every night because of the writer's strike (late-night talk shows are reruns).