Perry Mason - Case of Constant Doyle - Part 3/Bette Davis

[kuhske]

What a very pleasant surprise! I didn't know about PM until one of my Speech professor mentioned about it and its logical sequencing of evidence. I watched the colored TV special when it was in color.  Bette Davis is a very good actress. She could have carried the show on by herself. Her scripts were more cutting and sarcastic. I think we need to see more strong portrayal of women in TV and movies.

[BernardProfitendieu]

Bette Davis proves you don't need Perry around to get a "Perry Mason Moment"

[gfpirate]

Correction: There were four replacement lawyers during this period, which is when Raymond Burr was recovering from some surgery, not a heart attack. They were played by Better Davis, Michael Rennie, Hugh O'Brien and Walter Pidgeon.

[terentii]

@gfpirate Mike Connors (aka Mannix) was also a guest lawyer on the series, though I believe it was a year or two later. Seems to me there was at least one other guest lawyer at this time as well. (Perry, I think, was supposed to have gone to Europe, and actually did an episode set in Switzerland. Werner Klemperer, aka Col. Klink, played a Swiss policeman....)

[gfpirate]

Ms. Davis and a few others stepped in for Raymond Burr while he was recovering from a heart attack. Unfortunately, I can't remember the names of the others.

[143AC]

Dear Nemesis,

Thanks for your reply..Mr.Bouchey was always a welcomed performed in many films and tv series..I'm just sorry that he is no longer with us.

[Nemesis7293]

Goddamn, Bette Davis rocks! Just think, if she had only had her own series! That voice, those eyes, that intensity!

[aisako101]

where's part two?

[NorthBay65]

I love it when she hands Hamilton Burger the trench coat, saying "Would you mind?" at 2:57 Kind of like he's a doormat. Classic Bette Davis, and classic Perry Mason. Poor Mr. Burger never got to win anything.

[Songsmirth]

I never liked Betty Davis. Maybe because she usually played such a dramatic, corse person but I enjoyed this. I don't remember her or any others taking Perry Mason's place but this is fun!

My mother was the real fan but I got hooked on the author's books about ten years ago and went through all I could get my hands on.

Thanks for posting this.  :)

[Nemesis7293]

@Songsmirth I'm so glad that you liked this, but her name is Bette....not Betty.....and the word is coarse.....not corse. Comments mean so much more when they are correctly worded. Please, give it just that extra bit. It's not much to ask.

[Desperadorrj]

I love Ms Davis' look at 6:22, classic example of those eyes!

BTW, djuma77 what I heard about her guest starring role was that she took the as soon as it was offered without asking to see a scipt. But had her usual set of demands on set. When asked why she said yes to appearing she said. "I seen the show, I win."

[shadejford]

You're right about Davis' use of her eyes. She was just as adept as Burr himself in using her eyes to enhance a scene.

[justboycrazy45]

My grandma and I are crime show fans and we love this show!

[BCLASSICHORROR]

me too my mother got me into perry , i hated it untill i seen a few , now i'am hooked on them "RIP " ma .

[terentii]

@BCLASSICHORROR I remember my dad watching this when I was a kid. Then I started watching old reruns on KMSP late at night during my first year in college (1979). I actually got to be pretty good at picking out the murderer before the third commercial break. Now I live in Canada six months out of the year and watch it there on the TAC Channel, where they have discriptive narration for the visually impaired. They go through eight episodes a week, not always in the order they were filmed.

[djuma77]

Thanks for posting this! I had no idea Bette Davis appeared on this show. She does a great job, as you'd expect. I wonder what her feelings were about the experience. It's such a treat seeing her here. I love her scenes with Paul Drake. Classic movie fans can spot Neil Hamilton here. We all know him as Commissioner Gordon in the "Batman" series, but he was also a popular leading man in the late-silent, early-sound period. From D.W. Griffith to Fu Manchu movies. And Jane's pre-Tarzan boyfriend.

[terentii]

@djuma77 Neil Hamilton appeared in number of PM episodes over the years, always as different characters. The same was true of several other professional guest stars of the period.

[djuma77]

@terentii Thanks, terentii! You're right- aside from being a great show in its own right, PM had so many interesting old stars playing small parts. I saw one episode with Fay Wray, and here's this one with Bette Davis and Neil Hamilton. I'm sure someone has compiled a list of all the stars who appeared on this show. Davis looks like she's having fun, and I'm guessing she really enjoyed the experience- something different for her. She must have gotten tired of playing those '60s horror roles.

[143AC]

I'm sorry the name of the actor playing the

judge here is Willis Bouchey..My apologies for

submitting the wrong spelling of Mr.Bouchey's

first name.

[Nemesis7293]

@143AC As a fan of Willis B. Bouchey, I appreciate your correction. Mr. Bouchey was a consumate character actor, and a wonderful presence on myriad shows such as "Perry Mason".

[143AC]

This episode also features Mr.Les Treymaine.

Who also appeared on other"Perry Mason shows

and Mr.Williz Bouchey played The Judge.

[Nemesis7293]

@143AC Actually, Mr. Les Tremayne

[11thReality]

I've always loved this show.