The Pulpy Roots of Perry Mason -- More Disreputable Than His TV Image

[@jakecarlstad6192]

I definitely want to check these out now! I'm starting to get into pulp detective stories now (stuff like Raymond Chandler) and this seems up my alley! Thanks for letting me know!

[@thelibraryladder]

I'm a big fan of the early mystery/crime pulps. Although the quality of the writing in the magazines was highly inconsistent, there were some truly gifted authors who got their start within those pages (including Cornell Woolrich, John D. MacDonald , Dashiell Hammett, Robert Arthur, and Erle Stanley Gardner, to name a few). I plan to make more videos featuring some of those authors. Thanks for watching!

[@angelaholmes8888]

If the library has any of the Perry Mason books then I might give them a try 🤔📖📚

[@thelibraryladder]

Used paperback versions of Perry Mason mysteries can occasionally be found in bulk on eBay for around $3-5 per book. Kindle editions might also be available on Amazon for $1-3 during sale periods. I hope you can find them.

[@tinamac916]

They are also great in audiobooks. This was a really helpful video. Thanks for posting!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! I'm so glad you found it helpful. I'm looking forward to the second season of the HBO series. I hope it stays true to the feel of the early books.

[@angelaholmes8888]

I really enjoyed the perry Mason tv series that raymond burr starred in and the tv movies he was in 🙂💯

[@thelibraryladder]

I agree. I spent a summer in my youth watching reruns of the original Raymond Burr series. The TV station would run 2 or 3 episodes back-to-back every weekday morning, so by the end of the summer, I had seen a large part of the entire series.

[@apex2000]

That's how most people remember him I think.

[@secretsauceofstorycraft]

Woah! I have never even heard of this writer... This is exactly why I am so glad you are doing videos, wonderful exposure on new stuff. The info on how Della was at first independent then changes is rather disappointing- I must say. And I'm interested in the HBO series now! And I like that you answer the questions your audience is already thinking... should we read them.... yes. HAHA. Your edit there was awesome. I love how your edits incorporate some humor- which adds a little more to these videos. And Excellent choice of background music. I would like to know which single book to read if I was only going to read one. I'm never sure what author you are doing next- makes it so fun. keep it up, I will continue to watch every single one!

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! In the video, I might have oversimplified Della's transformation. She certainly doesn't become a useless lump. It's disappointing, though, that she starts out as a strong and savvy character and then fades somewhat into the background or becomes more of a tool to forward the plot in later books. The HBO series portrays Della as an even stronger foil to Perry than Gardner originally wrote her, which I thought was a good choice, given how flawed Perry is in the show. If you're going to sample only one Perry Mason book, I wouldn't start with the first one, The Case of the Velvet Claws. Although it provides some of the best examples of early, flawed Mason and strong, savvy Della, it doesn't hew to the typical story formula. Notably, there's no final courtroom scene. Instead, you might start with the second book, The Case of the Sulky Girl, or skip ahead to book four, The Case of the Howling Dog. Up next in my video to-do list is a retrospective of Gnome Press, the pioneering publisher of early SF. Stay tuned!

[@angelaholmes8888]

The HBO series is really good 🙂

[@mteresavaldes2251]

@@angelaholmes8888 must check it out! Didn’t even know it was on!

[@bmdeleon5]

I’ve read most if not all the books. You described Perry in the a gray shade leaning mostly to black. But I would describe him as mostly leaning to the brighter side:

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for your comment! I think you might have misinterpreted my description of Perry. I definitely consider him 'gray' in his actions (particularly in the early books), but his motives are aimed at exonerating his (innocent) clients, so he'd fall on the brighter side for me too. He does show some flashes of unprincipled aggression or vindictiveness in the earliest books, but they're brief, inconsequential and don't really show up again in the series.

[@jeremyhennessee6604]

Nice work buddy. I enjoyed the earlier works as well. The " Anti-Hero" characters of various ilk always strike me as more fundamentally human (for better or sometimes worse) and therefore more enjoyable/relatable than the unrealistically hyper-ethical heroes who always seemingly do the right thing, as if endowed with higher virtues bordering on the metaphysical. You've got the perfect voice for a channel like this and i could also imagine you doing very well with radio/podcast presentations. (but i digress, so back to Mr. Mason.) The HBO show is pretty decent. Especially by todays standards. (I'll spare the "certain hyper-politicized elements of modern culture are effectively destroying film/theater" rant. But suffice it to say good work and character building is far rarer than it used to be .) The Actor selected to portray Mason was pretty well casted. He is very good at his delivery and is convincing in his role. I DO wish the writer (or writers) on the show would incorporate more legal/procedural aspects than they have so far but that is just a personal/preferential gripe really. * This is my first time visiting your channel sir, but It certainly won't be tne last. Your Work is top-notch and im surprised you dont have MANY more subscribers than you currently do. as for me though: Subscribed and sharing. Have a good day.

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I'm very happy with how quickly my channel has grown in a little over a year, but I'm also somewhat frustrated with KZbin's recommendation algorithm, which caters to niche channels that focus narrowly on specific genres of books (making it easier for the algorithm to identify the target audience for a channel). In my case, though, I enjoy many different book genres and I'm trying to make videos that appeal to a diverse mix of audiences. That has the unfortunate effect of confusing the algorithm because it can't identify a typical viewer profile for my channel, leading it to limit how often it recommends my videos to new viewers. I'm exploring the possibility of adding a podcast at some point. In the meantime, I hope to record some classic stories as audiobooks and make them available here on the channel. Regarding Perry Mason, I'm enjoying season two of the HBO series, but not as much as the first season. Like you, I wish the show would focus less on the characters' personal lives and more on the mystery and Perry's knack for legal procedure and courtroom theatrics. The original books provide almost no character backstory or development for Perry, Della and Paul, so it's understandable that HBO would want to remedy that. Unfortunately, I think they've pushed the pendulum too far in that direction, making the series feel bloated with filler material to pad the plot.

[@Dumpsterfiregrace]

William Powell and Myrna Loy were a gem of a duo! Loved them both

[@thelibraryladder]

They're one of my favorite movie couples!

[@GenghisWanghis]

We just binged this new series. Surprisingly good. The score was incredible. Very refreshing music. "Home alone" is a great track.

[@thelibraryladder]

I agree. I just started watching the second season and I'm curious to see what direction they take the character -- leaning into his pulpy origins or giving him more of a moral purpose as a fighter for justice (which is what the author, Erle Stanley Gardner, was in real life).

[@davis0730]

Have you thought about taking on the works of Mickey Spillane

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks for the suggestion! Yes, I enjoy classic mysteries and pulpy crime fiction, and I plan to feature more of those authors in the future, including Spillane. John D. MacDonald is likely to be the next crime author I feature in a video. KZbin's algorithm gets confused when I focus on multiple genres, so I'm expanding my non-SFF content slowly but steadily.

[@eriklemerle4711]

Great video! Are theese books avaiable on the public domain?

[@thelibraryladder]

Thanks! To my knowledge, they won’t start entering the public domain for another 6-7 years. You can probably find bulk lots of Perry Mason paperback editions from the 1950s-1970s relatively cheaply on eBay.

[@wildfood1]

You can find many of them at Open Library, a free, nonprofit, online lending library.

[@johanjoseph4802]

I like s2 of the HBO show better than s1. Would love to know your thoughts too. 💚

[@thelibraryladder]

I have mixed feelings about the second season, and my negative thoughts are mostly related to the significant departures the writers and producers made from the original books. In the first season, the focus is on Perry, and as I noted in my video, his portrayal is quite close to how Gardner originally conceived the character, although the HBO show invented his backstory largely from scratch. In the second season, though, Della and Paul become a (if not the) primary focus, which is not at all how Gardner wrote the books. Even in the earliest books, where Della is portrayed as highly competent and not just window dressing, she is clearly Perry's assistant, and it's Perry who ultimately gets the job done with small assists from Paul. The pivotal courtroom scene in season two where Della cross examines a hostile witness was well-written, but it _never_ would have happened in the books (and not just because Della lacks training as a lawyer in the books). Also, Perry himself is badly abused by the writers in this latest season. Part of Perry's mythic status within the books is that he doesn't lose cases, even ones that seem unwinnable, and he'd never end up in jail himself. Thus, season two didn't really feel like a Perry Mason story to me. However, if I set aside my expectations of what constitutes a Perry Mason story and simply evaluate the season on its own merits as if it had no connection to its original source material, then most of my reservations about it disappear.

[@johanjoseph4802]

@@thelibraryladder well I'll be damned. Thankyou so much for taking the time to reply with this 💚🤌. Very valid points that I'll take into consideration as I've not read the books the series is based out off ✌️

[@angelaholmes8888]

I really enjoyed the limited series of Perry Mason 😀👍

[@thelibraryladder]

I was pleasantly surprised by how good the recent HBO adaptation is. Casting Welsh actor (Matthew Rhys) as Perry seemed counterintuitive at first, but he did a very nice job with the role (and likely better than Robert Downey, Jr., who was originally slated to play the part, but stepped down due to other movie commitments).

[@angelaholmes8888]

@@thelibraryladder yes Matthew is great as perry

[@apex2000]

Did he say 50 books?

[@thelibraryladder]

If you're asking how many Perry Mason books Gardner published, the number is 82.

[@mteresavaldes2251]

I don’t know why but this reminds me of Jon Hamm

[@thelibraryladder]

I've never heard _that_ comparison before. Thanks (I think)! :)

[@mteresavaldes2251]

@@thelibraryladder I think the Free association my brain was trying to make is JM character in Mad Men resembles a gritty Perry Mason, not suave TV Perry Mason played by R Burr !I think !😳🐾😁

[@thelibraryladder]

[chuckle] _Now_ I get the comparison! I was a little worried _I_ was being compared to Don Draper. :) Jon Hamm would make an ideal Perry Mason. He has the sturdy, imposing build, necessary gruffness, and subtle craftiness to fit Gardner's description. Great casting suggestion (although I think Matthew Rhys did an admirable job in the recent HBO series)!

[@M-T-123]

@@thelibraryladder ok! You’re so persuasive , I started watching New PM on HBO, not suave but PM is a Columbo PI type character ( my first impression) keeping tuned, right of the bat he makes reference to literature, Lipstick Girl ( I’d never heard of this one but , interesting anyways! Thank you again for being a catalyst!

[@thelibraryladder]

You're welcome! The HBO adaptation is an origin story for Perry that takes more than a few liberties embellishing his backstory, since Gardner never provided much information about the character's history in his books. However, the way the character is written in the show, and the high degree of self-assurance, scrappiness and aggression portrayed by Matthew Rhys in the role, are consistent with the early books in the series. Rhys is a little too small to fit the physical description of Perry, but he makes up for it with his feistiness. As an aside, the show was executive produced by Robert Downey, Jr., who also was originally slated to play the role of Perry. He had to drop out due to other film commitments, allowing Matthew Rhys to play the role. I have a hard time imagining Downey in the role, and I'm glad Rhys got it instead. It's my understanding that a second season of the show is currently in production, so there's more to come.

[@BluGiant14]

helluva voice lol