The Case of the Howling Dog

The Perry Mason series of mysteries from the 1930s are some of the best mysteries one could watch. One needs to pay attention to details throughout the film to follow the twists in the plot. The movies closely follow the Erle Stanley Gardner mystery novels on which they are based. The Case of the Howling Dog holds one's interest from beginning to end as Perry Mason cleverly addresses the case of a woman accused of murder. Warren William is a pleasure to watch as Perry Mason, and Helen Trehnolme expertly plays Perry's faithful and efficient secretary, Della Street. Mary Astor also stars in this selection from the series. If you are a fan of old, intriguing mysteries, you won't be disappointed with this gem.

This is the first of the Perry Mason movies. Warren Williams brought the famous lawyer to life in much the same way that Raymond Burr would breath life into the Erle Stanley Gardner character for television in 1957. Surprisingly the first incarnation of Perry Mason is not that far from the later television creation. In the first movie as in the first television episodes Perry is a conniving shrewd barrister who not only bends the law but at times uses tricks that may actually be illegal. The Warren William incarnation would change with his next three films with Perry becoming a womanizing boozer. In "The Case of the Lucky Legs" Warren Williams' Mason has trouble staying sober long enough to do his job. After Warren Williams left the role, Ricardo Cortez and Donald Woods tried the part on for size and did fairly decent portrayals of the sharp-witted counselor. Television's Perry Mason also changed with time, but rather than going in the direction of playboy souse, being the McCarthy era, Raymond Burr's portrayal made Perry a scholarly type who won his case through sheer knowledge of the law and thorough investigation procedures.

The first Perry Mason movie, "The Case of the Howling Dog," is possibly the best in the entire series. It was remade for television, turning out to be one of the best in the Raymond Burr series. Much of this is owed to the cleverness of the original book written by mystery writer Erle Stanly Gardner, but Warren Williams and later Raymond Burr should also be given credit for making the whole thing work.

Warren Williams is ably assisted by a covey of fine actors and actresses including Mary Astor who would later make a permanent mark on movie history playing Brigid O'Shaughnessy in John Huston's classic "The Maltese Falcon." Della Street is there to aid Perry with a hint, as with the later TV series, of a romantic connection between the two. The character of Paul Drake does not appear but would appear in the next film, "The Case of the Curious Bride," as Spudsy Drake, played by the fine character actor Allen Jenkins, who plays Det. Sgt. Holcomb in the first film. Unlike William Hopper's TV Paul Drake, Spudsy is more of a comical sidekick for Perry, more in line with William Katt and William Moses' Paul Drake in the made for TV Raymond Burr Perry Mason movies. Also missing from the Warren Williams Perry Mason's are Hamilton Burger and Lt. Arthur Tragg. In their places we find Det. Sgt. Holcomb and District Attorney Claude Drumm, ably played by Grant Mitchell.

The case this time is extremely complicated. The viewer has to follow the events concerning the Cartwright's and the Foley's very carefully, especially in the beginning. Talk about wife swapping! Gradually Perry and his associates are able to unravel the mystery but wait, there is a twist at the end that you don't want to miss just when you think the whole thing has been worked out and the guilty person exposed by Perry.

Warren Williams not only plays Perry with gusto but adds much humor to the goings on. If you think Raymond Burr is the definitive Perry Mason, seeing this film may change your mind.

Case of the Howling Dog, The (1934)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Warren William plays Perry Mason in Warner's first film in the series. In the film, an apparent crazy man shows up at Perry's office complaining about his neighbor's dog who keep barking through the night. The following day the man making the complaint disappears and the dog and its owner are dead. A woman (Mary Astor) takes the blame but Perry thinks there's more to the story. This film really isn't too much different than the countless other mysteries of the period. The first fifty-five minutes has Mason investigating the case and then the final fifteen take place in the court room. The story is pretty difficult to figure out but it leads to a very good ending when the case is finally unraveled. William is his typical good self and Astor makes for a good client, although she isn't given a lot to do. Allen Jenkins and Grant Mitchell co-star.

Perry Mason runs a big operation: Windows all across the front of his office building feature his name printed in big letters. He's so successful he can't even handle every case personally. –Such is our introduction to the great lawyer before we even meet him.

Warren William is appropriately self-assured as the super-successful lawyer in this classy and well-plotted murder mystery.

The complicated story involves a very nervous-looking man named Cartwright (Gordon Westcott) who comes to Mason with questions about his will—and about a neighbor's dog that has been howling for 48 hours. We soon learn that that neighbor, Clinton Foley (Russell Hicks), had once run off with Cartwright's wife…Cartwright had sworn to get even with them both and tracked them down and moved in next door….and soon enough the man Foley is shot dead in his house.

The murder scene is particularly well done: We see Foley and his dog in the house, we see Mrs. Foley walk in, and we watch their brief confrontation. And then we hear the shots: We see Mrs. Foley's face and her reaction but not who fired the shots. A door swings shut….

Mary Astor is excellent as Mrs. Foley—her expressive face never quite giving away all she is thinking. Allen Jenkins is good as always as the skeptical police sergeant looking for answers. Warren William gives a smooth performance as the masterful investigator whose work and methods are in the interest of justice but not necessarily popular with the police.

It's well written and fast moving, too—with an ending that surprised me. Very enjoyable!

"The Case of the Howling Dog," made in 1934, was the first Perry Mason film, and it's from an actual Erle Stanley Gardner Perry Mason novel. One way you can tell is that it's not an easy plot to follow. Mason becomes embroiled in defending a woman (Mary Astor) for the murder of her husband. Meanwhile, her husband and the dead man's wife are missing. And then there's that howling dog.

A really excellent story, but Erle Stanley Gardner loathed what the movies did to his passionate young Depression lawyer. Perry here has a huge office and is too big to take certain cases; Della is there, but not Paul Drake or even Gertie the switchboard operator. Warren William is a clever, serious Perry, and gives the impression of a lawyer to be reckoned with. He also has occasion touches of humor, though if memory serves, there's a lot more humor in the later films.

As one who read the original Perry Mason books, the character matures and becomes less given to speeches about the law - William would perhaps have been better as the later Perry, though Gardner himself never would have chosen him. He wanted Fred MacMurray until Raymond Burr walked in to read for the role of the D.A. He then said, "That's Perry Mason." Despite some of the stilted dialogue, this is still a very good story and well worth seeing. Mary Astor is lovely as the defendant.

As one of the comments pointed out, the very talented Lightning the Dog is uncredited, but to say more would give away the plot. Let's just say Lightning is a fine actor and leave it at that.