Did Perry Mason solve these cases in the original series or a later TV movie?

He reteamed with Della Street two decades later. Did they encounter the perjured parrot, angry astronaut, notorious nun and telltale talk show host in the Sixties or the Eighties?

Image: The Everett Collection

Though there have been many adaptations of Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason books, the Raymond Burr series is by far the most popular. The classic court drama enjoyed a successful nine season run from the late 1950s into the '60s. “The Case of the Final Fade-Out” in 1966 appeared to be Burr’s last time onscreen as the famous attorney.  

But like many Sixties shows, Perry Mason got an Eighties reunion movie. Barbara Hale was back as Della Street along with Burr in 1985’s “Perry Mason Returns.” Two more TV movies came out the next year and four followed the year after that. By the Nineties, over 20 new Perry Mason mysteries had aired. It was practically a new show!

The Eighties cases used the same clever names as the episodes of the original show. In fact, it’s almost impossible to tell the difference unless you’re a Perry Mason expert. Try to guess if the mysteries below are from the original series or the later TV movies!

  1. The Case of the Terrified Typist
  2. The Case of the All-Star Assassin
  3. The Case of the Perjured Parrot
  4. The Case of the Singular Double
  5. The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal
  6. The Case of the One-Eyed Witness
  7. The Case of the Glass Coffin
  8. The Case of the Angry Astronaut
  9. The Case of the Telltale Talk Show Host
  10. The Case of the Lady in the Lake
  11. The Case of Constant Doyle
  12. The Case of the Notorious Nun
  13. The Case of the Mythical Monkeys
  14. The Case of the Sinister Spirit
  15. The Case of the Fiery Fingers
  16. The Case of the Purple Woman
  17. The Case of the Reckless Romeo
  18. The Case of the Musical Murder
  19. The Case of the Golden Girls
  20. The Case of the Fatal Fashion

Did Perry Mason solve these cases in the original series or a later TV movie?

Your Result...

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Pellentesque nec ante ipsum. Mauris viverra, urna et porta sagittis, lorem diam dapibus diam, et lacinia libero quam id risus.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Close

47 Comments

kirie1776 22 months ago
Got 20/20! I have seen them all.
Pacificsun 22 months ago
But it wasn't the Case of Constance Doyle.
JDWJDW2 22 months ago
15 out 20. Many of the movie titles threw me a curve ball.
RichLorn 22 months ago
7 out of ...... 20?!
Umm ... I was ... I was trying to get them all wrong, so that's not a bad score.
Pacificsun 22 months ago
I don't remember seeing these made-for-TV movies when they came out, but I think my parents watched because they liked the series a lot. And I do too, now.

For me, Sunday night's movie was brand new, like seeing an episode for the first time. Pretty cool. It was a great who-dunnit. And clever that the murder was committed right away, so the plot was about who killed, the one who killed the victim! Although it was a bit of a stretch to make the suspect Della Street, already knowing her squeaky clean reputation. But I get it, they needed a legitimate reason to pull Mason back in. But she wouldn't murder anyone. Unless it was someone who murdered PM first. And then there would be no movie in the first place.

I LOVED William Katt as Paul Drake, Jr., that was really clever. How you think he's going to be a bust, and then surprises every time. And saves the day at the end, with PM's very, very clever twist. The writers were wise to know the character Drake, Sr. could never be replaced. So why not invent one more interesting. Not quite the ladies man, but nice try.

The only thing really bad was the film quality. The aspect ratio was off, and I don't know whether the filter was to make all the women look perfect or what. But not up to our digitally perfect expectations. I hope they grab the Master print on the next movies so we can enjoy more details. Oh, and Dean Hargrove and his partner were also the perfect choices, they have a wonderful reputation for exciting action/dramas!
FLETCH 22 months ago
The original Perry mason series ended before I was even born but like a lot of old shows, I discovered PM on MeTV and am a big fan of the show.

Having said that, I was really looking forward to the Perry Mason movies being aired again on MeTV since I've never seen any of them. BUT...

The first movie aired last night was just terrible. I mean, shockingly bad. Horribly acted with a horrible plot. I really enjoyed seeing Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale reprise their roles but they were under underutilized. Especially Raymond Burr.

I can only hope that the movies get better from here on. God knows they can't get any worse...I hope!
Shatner1 22 months ago
Nice quiz--even though 14/20!
RBM1969 22 months ago
You got 20 out of 20
You were the star of this quiz! Great job!
Jeffrey 22 months ago
''You got 11 out of 20'' -----------Even Perry Mason isn't perfect. ----Better luck next time!
cuddles1954 23 months ago
I got 20 out of 20. I love the Perry Mason show!
MarkSpeck 23 months ago
Three notable episodes were among the questions in this quiz. "The Case of the Terrified Typist" was a case that Perry LOST, but won when he proved that someone else was posing as his client. "The Case of the Perjured Parrot" featured Perry questioning said parrot on the stand (!), and the parrot was voiced by none other than the great Mel Blanc! Lastly, "The Case of Constant Doyle" was one of several episodes that featured a famous star standing in for Raymond Burr...in this case, none other than Bette Davis, playing the titular character of Constant Doyle.
MarkSpeck 23 months ago
19 out of 20. I thought that the 'Purple Woman' was the TV-movie where artist David Soul was the murder victim. Obviously I don't know my Perry Mason trivia as well as I think!
dodgebob 23 months ago
14/20, I object, and request a side bar. Had you asked these questions prior to the obvious memory loss I would've aced it.
RichardPniewski 23 months ago
Wait - 7 on Sundays? Not happy with losing Monk!
Pacificsun RichardPniewski 22 months ago
It's on H & I !
FLETCH 23 months ago
15 out of 20. Big Perry Mason fan but I had to guess every question

Pacificsun FLETCH 22 months ago
Great .gif. Wherever did you find it.
LoveMETV22 Pacificsun 22 months ago
It is one of the gifs for the quiz result.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?