This is my all time favorite television series. I vividly remember watching it with my mom when it first aired and how much she, not a big TV watcher, enjoyed it. Since that time I have re-watched all the episodes at least once and am going through them yet once again. This first entry is a solid one and yet I do find Mason's mucking about with evidence a bit of a turn off and am glad these shenanigans were later discontinued. I agree with the reviewer who said this behavior would have worn thin very quickly. Whitney Blake ( who I most remember from the show Hazel) does a good job as the first of a long line of damsels in distress. The identity of the culprit is suitably satisfying and the court room confession actually believable. The supporting cast, especially Ray Collins as Lt. Tragg is so very good. As throughout the series, the guest actors, even those in small parts, are also excellent. There is a reason this show seems to be playing on some channel somewhere all the time.
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Paularoc15 September 2012
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zsenorsock15 September 2008The Perry Mason production team seemed to get it just right from the start of the series. Burr is a bit thinner and plays Mason a bit more aggressively and confrontationally (he seemed to play it more thoughtfully in later seasons) but IS the part. The relationships with Paul (he calls Paul at home where he's involved in a card game and asks he trace a gun in the middle of the night!) and Della are as developed and in character in episode one as they are in season nine.
Based on a novel by Erle Stanley Gardner, Evelyn Bagby (Whitney Blake) a waitress comes home to discover a gun in her cigarette box. Having just beat a burglary rap in Riverside, she fears she's being set up and calls Perry. Amazingly, the operator puts her call through to Perry at home (try calling a lawyer of Mason's stature at 11-12 at night if you've never spoken to them before and see if they'll take your call!) and he tells her to pack a bag and spend the night in a motel. On the way, a man wearing a Klan-like hood tries to run her off the road. To drive him away, she takes a couple of shots at him. When the man turns up dead, Bagby is the obvious suspect.
Burr is great as Mason and I can see why they might have decided to take the rough edges off him and make him a little less confrontational later. It might not have worn well. His scenes with Lt. Tragg are particularly fun. The show missed Ray Collins in the later years. Interestingly, Blake plays the "restless redhead" in this episode, but on her return to the series the next year she was the "black-eyed blonde"! She worked with Burr one more time on "Ironside" almost 20 years later. -
DKosty12313 June 2009This Erle Stanley Gardner based story gets this series off to a good start. Restless Redhead has just the right amount of sleight of hand and a more active Mason that it goes just for the right vein of court room drama. This first show features a Mason who takes more risks and smokes which makes sense because to build a reputation you have to start with one.
The first time we see Paul Drake in this show, Mason calls him at a poker game with some friends in a smoke filled room with Paul puffing away as well. I do not recall ever seeing Paul Drake playing poker again in the series. Still, this is symbolic of the Ace up it's sleeve CBS had here as a series. It was Mason that led the way for other great lawyer court room set series to come like EG Marshall's The Defenders.
This episode hits a full throttle. The entire series never misses a beat, even when they run short of Gardener material later on because at least one of the writing teams works with the author on later plots. -
dougdoepke15 September 2008This first entry, a good one, shows how much the series changed over the nine years (1957-1966). Note how Mason (Burr) sports a loud jacket, smokes conspicuously, shakes his devious client, and generally acts in ways contrary to his later ultra-conservative demeanor. That's understandable, since at this point Mason's not yet the embodiment of the criminal justice system that he came to be with his button-down suits, professionally serious manner, and flawless manuevering. Also, the plots do not yet follow the later whodunit formula. Note in this initial 60 minutes how the guessing game concerns the murder gun more than who used it. Note too, how several of the interviews occur outdoors, probably on the studio lot, and not indoors on a sound stage. Later episodes tended to over-use the indoors (even the same staircase set), probably for cost-cutting reasons.
As one fan of the series, I do prefer these earlier entries since they're generally livelier, more colorful, and less predictable in format. Nonetheless, it's understandable that the Mason character would have to evolve in a conservative direction with the show's success. After all, as a defense attorney who never loses, he's showing up the prosecution week after week. On one hand, such positive outcomes prove that the system works-- the innocent are exonerated when the guilty confess. On the other hand, the prosecution puts innocent people on trial week after week who might otherwise be convicted without Mason's superb skills. The viewing public would never have tolerated a wise-guy in the Mason role for very long. And it's a tribute to Raymond Burr, the actor, that he manages the changes over the nine years as well as he does.
This first entry plays more like How-can-I-get-my-client-off than the trademark whodunit. Surprise, surprise, Mason's client is a shapely redhead (Blake). At one time or another, it seems Mason rescued about every starlet in Hollywood from Berger's well-intentioned clutches. This one sets that pace. -
gordonl5625 September 2014PERRY MASON – The Case of the restless Redhead – 1957
This is the first episode of the long running lawyer series, PERRY MASON. The series ran for 271 episodes between 1957 and 1966. Raymond Burr plays Mason with able help from Barbara Hale, William Hopper, William Talman and Ray Collins.
Burr gets a late night phone call from a frightened woman, Whitney Blake. Blake has just returned to her rooms and found a gun hidden in her place. Burr tells her to take the gun and drive to a friend's place to stay. On the trip a car tries to run her off the road.
Blake pulls the gun and fires several shots at the other car which careens off the road and crashes. Blake again calls Burr and relates the incident. Burr has her come to the office for a talk. Soon Burr has his team on the case.
Murder, blackmail, plus more than a few red herrings are here for the viewer to sift through.
While the story itself is a bit choppy in spots, it does introduce all the main series players to the future audience. Anyways, the minor story hic-ups would be quickly smoothed out as the series progressed. All in all, an enjoyable use of an hour's worth of my time.
This series was a real change of pace for Raymond Burr. His entire film career had been spent playing thugs and killers. Mind you, he was very good at these roles, but he jumped at being given this role. -
MarcPerroquet17 July 2017This is the first episode of the Perry Mason series and it begins with Evelyn Bagby returning home from her waitressing job. It's clear when she gets out of her car that she is frightened. She looks around to see if she's been followed or if she's being watched. That concern continues as she enters her apartment. After poking around and finding nothing, she concludes that her senses must have deceived her - - But, nope, they didn't. She opens a cigarette box on the coffee table and discovers that someone has planted a fully loaded pistol atop the smokes. To make matters worse, she just beat a jewelry-theft rap and fears she is being set up for yet another false charge.
After dutifully getting her fingerprints all over the gun (as any potential Perry Mason client would do), Bagby calls Mason who advises her to immediately go to a hotel, then come to his office with the gun the following morning. She wants to follow the plan - - honest she does - - but it quickly goes awry when a car pulls up next to hers and the driver (someone disguised as a pillow) tries to force her off the road. Bagby is now obliged to fire two warning shots in the direction of the assailant (Oh boy, we know this ain't gonna end well). She then changes course and goes to Mason's office where she quite understandably collapses on the floor, physically and emotionally overwhelmed by the terrifying events of the evening. Luckily, Della is working late and comes to the rescue with a sip of water. Bagby then surrenders the gun to Mason. What follows is an example of some of Mason's better connivery. I know that a few reviewers thought this segment was long and dull, but I quite liked it.
A very far-fetched story made enjoyable by fine actors. Whitney Blake (as Evelyn Bagby) did a good job of keeping the suspense believable. She returned the following year to guest star in "The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde." Jane Buchanan was a master of the sour expression and was so good that it surprised me to see relatively few acting credits listed for her. Vaughn Taylor was superb and went on to guest star in a total of eight episodes.
A particularly entertaining moment comes in the performance of actress Helen Mayon who plays defense witness Mrs. Mary Thompson. She proves the old saying, "There are no small parts, only small actors." After Mrs. Thompson is questioned by Mason, Burger attempts to impeach her testimony using a condescending approach that falls flat when the actress delivers three simple words with razor-sharp precision.
Burger: "You say you only saw him two or three times, isn't that right?"
Mrs. Thompson: "Yes, sir."
Burger: "So you could be mistaken in your identification, couldn't you?"
Mrs. Thompson (with stone-cold intonation and impeccable timing): "No. I couldn't."
Mayon's delivery of those three words and Talman's "comeuppance" expression are as priceless as they are fleeting. -
darbski14 April 2017Great start for the series. Whitney Blake is sumptuous as the defendant. However, my little sister wasn't THAT scared the first time she saw "THe Wolfman". Still, she sure looks good. Lt. Tragg's (the terrific Ray Collins) attitude changes from downright hostile to almost courteous by the end of the show. Burger's presentation is well placed and played. Vaughn Taylor is great as always as the browbeaten prisoner of his wife; Jane Buchanan, who plays his harridan mate to despising perfection. Now two more brief points. First, I was wrong in an earlier review when I stated that Mason had started out driving a Cadillac. In this one he drove a sweet "57 Fairlane. It is true that Ford produced some very pretty cars in the fifties, it was later that they went into the styling ditch. Second, Mason almost traps himself with the gun switch. Now, he plays tricks with the evidence in other episodes, so it actually IS a part of Gardner's strategy as writer of this great series. Loved it.
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joenic-292792 June 2022I am a fan of the Perry Mason TV series, Season 1-9. However, I find Season 1 to be superior for the reasons many have stated here. I also love the film noir quality of these episodes (and to some extent in Seasons 2-3). As the series progressed this aspect was lost as the production quality became more polished; something seen on television as a whole.
In Season 1, all but a handful of episodes were directly or adapted from Gardner's books. For the obvious reason he wrote a finite number, with each season we saw fewer from his works in favor of what came from the mind of the screenwriter. Many of those are fine episodes, but there was something special (at least to me) about the scripts based on the original source material.
The Case of the Restless Redhead was a great introduction to the series and the cast. It was not the first episode filmed; which was the outstanding episode, Case of the Moth Eaten Mink. -
bkoganbing3 June 2013The Perry Mason series literally began with a phone call and a bang as Whitney Blake, recently acquitted from a robbery charge, calls Raymond Burr up saying she's found a loaded revolver in her apartment. When Burr tells her to bring the weapon to his office on the way there someone in a bandaged mummy like mask tries to run her off the road. Blake fires to defend herself while driving. Later on a man who had gotten her framed in the first place for that robbery is found dead, run off the road with a bullet in his head.
Of course Blake is innocent and the case revolves around a pair of duplicate 38 caliber revolvers and some blackmail involving film star Gloria Henry. Ironic both Blake and Henry would wind up as TV comedy moms in Hazel and Dennis The Menace respectively.
When Perry gets to unraveling the case, the murderer turns out to be one rather sad individual. I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that the one trying to force Blake off the road and the victim at the bottom of the canyon are two different people.
A nice beginning for the series. -
AlsExGal25 November 2022This first case concerns a waitress who is chased down the highway in the middle of the night by a man with a pillow case over his head. She had found a gun in her apartment that does not belong to her, and with it she shoots two shots in the direction of pillow guy, his car swerves and goes off the road, and she continues on to Perry Mason's office. She is ultimately charged with murder. And of course there is a complex involved tale behind all of this.
The first episode establishes Mason's dedication to his clients. His office connects him to the waitress in the middle of the night when she calls wanting help. Perry is shown, suavely dressed even for bedtime, reading in his library. Of course he'll come to the office at 1 AM. I could find Vladimir Putin napping in my spare bedroom and my attorney wouldn't return my calls at 1AM.
Likewise, Perry's secretary Della Street is shown to be completely OK at coming into the office at 1AM, cheerful with handy coffee thermos in hand. Private eye Paul Drake is tossed a job to do with only an hour to do it in and of course he comes through. Lieutenant Tragg is grumpy right out of the gate, and notice he does not read anybody their rights at this point. The Miranda case is almost a decade in the future.
Perry Mason is a much more conservative lawyer as the series progresses. But here he takes some chances and walks right up to the edge of what the law allows. He plays games with the alleged murder weapon, and actually takes it out to the scene of the crime and fires it randomly into a tree just to mix things up and confuse the police.
A humorous moment occurs when Perry shows up at the scene of the accident/murder and the cop at the scene keeps saying - "Somebody get me a winch!" Hey, buddy. Nobody is interested in your dating needs right now! -
kfo949415 February 2013The opening episode is a great introduction to the characters of the series. Perry is full of vigor as he is more involved than in future episode while running down evidence that will help his client. Things that would soon be given to Paul Drake, is done by Perry as he talks with witnesses and finds evidence in this episode that is fully packed.
When Evelyn Bagby finds a handgun in her apartment, she calls Perry and he tells her to leave the apartment with the gun and be at his office in the morning. On her way to a hotel she is nearly wrecked by a man with a hood driving right beside her. For some reason, she fires two shots from the gun near the car. Later the police find the man and he was shot. Perry will defend Evelyn Bagby is court against the charge of murder brought by Hamilton Burger's office.
When we go to court the proceedings, the program becomes somewhat complex as Perry introduces two identical guns that seemed somewhat confusing as we try to keep the two guns separate. But through more cross examination and some evidence twisteroo, Perry is able to get his client acquitted and the true killer arrested.
It was nice to see the first episode. It was like meeting the characters for the first time. Was not too thrilled with the case that Perry defended but the episode is worthy of a watch. For the started episode is was a good watch. -
rlda-3832921 July 2022Loved it. I remember watching these as a kid . Always a family thing. The first episode, I told my wife. They had no idea of firearms safety. Smell the barrel, look down the barrel. Point them at people , wave them around..😅😅 unreal. Classic tv at its best.
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Often, the first episode of a new series is a good one...and often the networks will move around the shows to get the best one on first. Well, this was not the case with "The Case of the Restless Redhead", as it was very weak in many ways...all due to the writing.
When the story begins, a rather hysterical woman contacts Perry. It seems a gun has just appeared in her apartment and she's afraid because she has already been in trouble with the law....and doesn't want it again! However, as she drives to Perry's office to meet with him, a hooded stranger tries to run her off the road. She responds by firing at that car with the gun she just found. The mysterious car runs off the road and she manages to escape.
When she arrives at Perry's, she seems not just hysterical but a really bad actress. Terrible in fact. Regardless, soon the police contact Perry. It seems that the car chasing his client had run off the road and the masked driver was dead. Soon, she's brought before the court for a pre-trial to see if there's enough evidence for a prosecution. However, during the cross examinations, Perry is able to demonstrate that the gun she had might not be the same one that killed the masked man. Further, he's able to get the real killer to divulge it on the stand...even though he might have been able to get away with it had he kept his fool mouth shut!
So, the show features a woman who wasn't a good actress and relied on the awful cliche of the real killer breaking down on the stand and admitting their guilt. All in all, a very disappointing show. -
tforbes-29 July 2016This first outing of "Perry Mason" is a very nice watch. It's hardly perfect, but the series was just beginning to feel its way as it began in September 1957.
Gotta say that the night locations and shots were very good, and it added to a certain noir feel to the show. Also, there's a lot more spontaneity in this episode--and in the first two seasons or so-- than in later seasons.
Of course, we have Perry Mason wearing plaid sports jackets and hats here, driving Ford coupes; later on, we have him in more conservative attire and driving Lincolns. But that was as much a reflection of how life was in 1957. America had only fully recovered from the Great Depression in 1954, and the prosperity of the post-war era would really swing into high gear from 1960 on.
As for the plot, it is a decent one, and the cast is fine, too. Overall, a fine start to a great show. -
williammaceri31 January 2024As the first episode of season 1 this episode has all the qualities of a complete example of the show. I have several favorite lines."Perry to Paul: plenty of time" Paul: for the love of Pete" Trag: " well, looks like old home week ", Aldrich to Perry " have you seen the hotel? Then you know its hardly a place I would suggest", and many more. I can't identify Evelyn Bagby's car. I know it's a late 30s, or early 40s Ford, but the grill doesn't match any of those model years, it's not a Mercury or Lincoln. There are a few subtle differences on the Bagby car that just don't fit. Only a true Gearhead like me would even notice. This is one of my all-time favorite episodes, and I like them all. I love Perry Mason.
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j_eyon24 October 2022Altho i watched many PERRY MASON episodes when i was younger - i don't recall seeing this one - so when i saw it available on my Freevee app - and that it was the debut episode of the entire series - i decided i needed to see it - and i'm glad i did
i recall being surprised during my viewings of the series - to see how Perry Mason would be so actively involved behind the scenes - visiting the scene of the crime - manipulating the people involved - to me - it seemed unrealistic - like the more recent tv series of forensics technicians or medical examiners in later tv series - where they would interact with the people involved in ways that i thought only a police investigator should
but this episode was based on a novel written by a lawyer - Earle Stanley Garner himself - if i assume it is faithful to the novel - i'll just have to accept the appropriateness of that behavior in Perry
this plot pivots on a clever trick he pulls - involving the 2 revolvers - i won't give it away - but i had difficulty anticipating the final result of that trick - and was immensely impressed
like most of the PERRY MASON episodes i've seen - this script has a simplicity and clarity - to match the visual clarity of its direction and cinematography - in the same way that the black & white photography suits the theme and style of the show. -
Mason creates a deft red herring that is great TV entertainment but leaves a gaping plot hole in the narrative. Regardless of this missing link of logic, the end result is a very satisfying story. The plot hangs on the existence and location of two nearly identical guns purchased by Aldritch - one of which he gives to his fiancee Chaney. The Chaney gun is the murder gun. The second gun is the Aldritch gun. The Chaney gun was stolen from her by the murderer prior to the start of the show. The murderer plants the Chaney gun in Bagby's apartment and it is discovered by Bagby in the first few minutes of the narrative. After seeking Mason's help, Bagby hands the murder weapon to Mason. Acting with his trademark prescience, Mason marks it with a file. At minute 28:44 Mason hands Aldritch the marked Chaney gun and asks Aldritch if it is Aldritch's gun. Aldritch says he keeps his gun in the glove compartment of his car and takes the marked gun into his garage to see if his gun is still in his car. Aldritch comes back and tells Mason that his gun was not in his car and that it must have been stolen. (As an aside, it seems a lot of Mason's clients have guns stolen from their cars). He hands a gun back to Mason saying he would swear it was the gun stolen from his car. But Aldritch switched guns keeping the Chaney gun and giving Mason the Aldritch gun. So, if Aldritch were telling Mason the truth, that would mean he would have no gun in his possession because his "stolen" gun was in Perry Mason's hands when Mason left his house. At trial, it is proven again that the Chaney gun was stolen at the motel before the murder occurred. At the trial, Aldritch who is supposed to be gunless, brings in the marked Chaney murder gun and it is admitted into evidence with no explanation as to how or why the seemingly gunless Aldritch came into possession of the marked Chaney gun. It is merely produced by him for the trial. The mystery and dramatic impact of the show advanced by this slight of hand, but the illogicality asks the viewer for a willing suspension of disbelief.
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tcchelsey9 November 2023I agree with the last reviewer that it's interesting to see the early, pre-conservative Perry Mason, especially as the series was just beginning. He wears a sporty 50s jacket, not basic black attire, which I always thought kind of made him look like an undertaker at times. In a way it was an inside joke, as Perry came in contact with a lot of bodies!
The most factual statement ever made.
Of course, Perry based his office in Hollywood, and up against the rather flashy detectives and lawyers on 77 SUNSET STRIP, HAWAIIAN EYE, SURFSIDE SIX... you kind of get the cool and crazy picture.
Whatever the case, Raymond Burr is fun to watch, and the choice of author Erle Stanley Gardner, which was a compliment.
PERRY MASON had it beginnings on the screen in the 30s. Warner Brothers produced the series of B whodunits, which were quite good, but Gardner was always at odds at the way Perry was portrayed, more in the tradition of the THIN MAN. Perry drank a lot, was a kidder, and very sociable with ladies, although he would marry Della Street! In those films Perry was portrayed by Warren William who had more fun with his role. Obviously. Gardner was NOT laughing.
That all said.... one would guess the flashy sportcoat was a "minor" thing.
This very first case involves a young waitress called Evelyn (played by Whitney Blake) and a gun, which gets her in a ton of trouble. She fires at a mysterious hooded man and comes the homicide investigation. You'll also notice these early epiodes take on a quasi-detective slant, Perry also playing master sleuth in league with private eye Paul Drake.
The supporting cast is good with steely eyed Vaughn Taylor and pre-DENNIS THE MENACE mom Gloria Henry as Helene. In fact, this was directed by William D. Russell, who specialized in sitcoms; Dennis the Menace, Hazel and Father Knows Best to name a few he handled. Russell directed 28 episodes, a director at Paramount in the 40s.
Also note the on location filming in 50s Hollywood, which is always fun to watch, especailly all the classic cars, a tradition on the show. Perry later drove a sleek Lincoln, of course not to be outdone by Paul Drake (Bill Hopper) and his T-Birds!
SEASON 1 EPISODE 1 remastered CBS/Paramount dvd box set, released 2006. -
lukebernstein327 March 2024The first episode of perry mason is i beleive based off the case of the restless red head the perry mason novel by earl stanley gardner. It is a decent first episode with a decent reveal of the killer. But in the cast pf charectors in this particular story other charectors with stronger motives against the victim might have made a more interesting reveal. I did find the killers break down in court quite funny at one point though. Funny acting.
If your interested to know a full spoiler review you may find it on my utube channel. Luke's video game lets plays. It was decent for a first one but i would have preferred one of the stronger motives. Regular cast does a good job. Raynond burr is on screen the majority of the time. I think his screen time gets cut back to more formulatic scenes over the years, with the majority of the first half of the episode focusing on the guest star that will come to need mason's defense. But with raymond burr still being the star of course. I imagine the cut back of scenes must have been to not over work raymond burr who must have been exuasted from the work load. Granted this episode is just as much formulatic and procedural as the later episodes, just with more raymond burr.
And with that i conclude my thoughts on the case of the restless redhead. Case one is closed. -
Prismark1028 October 2020The first episode of Perry Mason but the episode is rather hit and miss.
Evelyn Bagby has been recently acquitted of a jewellery theft at a trial. Now she returns to her apartment and finds an unfired revolver.
She calls Perry Mason who tells her to get out of the apartment. As she drives on the road she is harassed by a man wearing a white hood in another car. Everly shoots at the car.
The police later find a dead man in the car. He was someone who claimed to be an acting coach who once fleeced Evelyn for a lot of money.
Perry Mason does a lot of legwork in this episode as he goes to see the witnesses. It is very much Raymond Burr who is front and centre of the episode.
What lets the episode down is the courtroom wrangling about the two identical guns and the switcheroo. What takes the biscuit is the actual culprit breaking down in court and confessing everything without the slightest of pressure. -
Hitchcoc28 October 2021The acting and the pacing of this opening offering just seemed out of sync. Of course, the actors, Burr included, were just getting off the mark. The plot has to do with two guns and a hysterical woman who is apparently being framed. The courtroom stuff is like most of the Mason shows, filled with discoveries where the confident Perry throws Hamilton Burger under the bus.
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dinky-419 June 2015True, opening episodes in a series tend to be burdened by having to make a series of introductions. This one is no exception but the introduction of the main characters as well as several recurring settings is done reasonably well. The real problem lies in the story-line which begins with a hokey scene featuring a hooded figure chasing a pretty young women on a deserted highway and which then drifts into a tiresome discussion about which gun is which in a virtually identical pair. Fortunately for the series, the scripts got better, and also fortunately for the series, Barbara Hale was soon given a bit more to do than make coffee. As for the episode's title, the "redhead" is apparently described as "restless" only for reasons of alliteration, and how does a young woman on a waitress salary afford such a fine-looking apartment?
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pmike-1131215 June 20229 years of ridiculous plots, awful dialogue writing, bad direction, and mediocre acting begins here. And this one sets the pace for all the others.... It does provide laughs, though.