Perry Mason - L'affaire des feuilles à scandale

Magazine publisher Harlan Wade has become rich and powerful by printing malicious stories about the rich and famous, it has also left him the target for murder. The police and popular press have a prime suspect for the deed - but the accused calls in Perry Mason.

A rather entertaining Perry Mason TV movie with a nice selection of guest stars. This time the victim is a sadistic editor of a National Enquirer-type of rag, dishing the dirt on people, mainly the fictional kind, and naturally he has a long list of well wishers who would like to plunge a dagger into his gizzard. But a young journalist he fires is accused, mainly as she was the last to see him and her finger prints are on the statue which was used to cave the creep's head in. Robert Gulliume plays the creep and does really well in his portrayal. William Katt does the usual running around. It's gloriously fun 80's-90's fun. Nice soundtrack by hard rock/AOR band Silent Rage. It ends with standard courtroom reveal and it's a grabber.

Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel finds the famous defense attorney almost a victim himself here of blackmail. The blackmailer in question is the scandalous scoundrel in this case played by Robert Guillaume.

Guillaume is the publisher of the National Informer one of the more notorious supermarket rags who's got himself a blackmail racket and the means to make good for threats of exposure.

When Perry gets retained by a potential victim, Guillaume actually goes to try and get dirt on him and Della Street. I mean, come on people, we are talking about two very consenting adults who are way past the age of consent. That part I found just a tad too ridiculous so this particular entry in the Mason film series.

But this turns to murder when Guillaume is killed with a blunt object and of course given his profession there are a lot of suspects. The police of course focus in on Susan Wilder a disgruntled former employee of the Informer and she retains Raymond Burr as all innocent folks do.

The three leading blackmail candidates seem to be General Yaphett Kotto, international banker Rene Enriquez and cheating wife Morgan Brittany and her older husband George Grizzard and all give a good account of themselves.

David Ogden Stiers is the worthy successor as DA Michael Reston to the famous Hamilton Burger. But strangely enough James McEachin who appeared in a few Mason films is cast as a caterer here. He has a key role in the homicide in fact though he's not aware of it. I think I can safely say he wasn't the culprit. I guess the writers thought he had not firmly established his presence as Lt. Brock yet.

It's one of the weaker entries in the Mason series, but still enjoyable for the devoted fans of Erle Stanley Gardner's famous lawyer/sleuth.

An editor in charge of a gutter tabloid (Harlan Wade) has many enemies dues to the many rumours and secrets he has on many powerful people. When he is killed at the end of a garden party all clues point to Marianne Clayman who had just been fired by Wade that day. However Mason takes the case and realises that many people had opportunities and motives, while Paul Drake digs behind the scenes.

I have happy memories of watching Perry Mason TVM's in summer holiday weekday afternoons on BBC1 with my Dad who loves these things. I think I've seen the majority of them and they all go the same way – the obvious suspect in any murder is defended by Mason who doesn't so much defend his client as go and find the real killer, eventually forcing them to confess in a courtroom with a shout of `wasn't it you……etc….Wasn't it?!'. They're all the same but they're all semi-enjoyable.

The story here allows for more suspects but is a weakness of the film. Drake's investigation is sidelined more than usual as we have Mason doing the rounds instead to no real benefit to the story. The overall effect is that this drags a bit and lacks action or excitement. The usual twist is nobody you would have suspected but still doesn't make it feel exciting. However if you enjoy these films then you'll know what to expect and be happy with it as I was.

The cast has some famous faces in support. Burr is the same as ever in a role that is like a second skin, as is Hale and William Katt despite that terrible perm thing he has! Hayden is one of the terrorists from Die Hard and is one example of the many faces you'll recognise from other programmes. The biggest let down for me was Yaphet Kotto who only had a small role where he failed to show his quality in the way he can. Don't know why he did this as he was more than famous at this point – and look at the wig they make him wear (please tell me that's not his real hair!). He looks absurd but at least Katt looks pleased that he hasn't got the worst hair in the place!

Overall it's average Saturday afternoon entertainment for most people. However if you like the Perry Mason films then you'll find all the usual things repeated here to good effect. If you like one you'll like them all.

Unlike the original series of the late 1950s and early 1960s, that featured many highly respected motion picture actors, these made for TV movies instead draw upon the very limited talents of soap opera performers. The result is precisely what might be expected. The soap opera actors perform according to a formula without subtlety or nuance. The result is what would be expected - stiff performances played according to formula. These TV films are okay but only for soap opera aficionados. Even Ray Burr seems to have lost his edge

Susan Wilder is a writer for a National-Enquirer-like newspaper. It is run by Robert Guillaime. He fires her for pursuing serious stories. She goes to his estate to harangue him and leaves.... and he is found dead soon afterwards. Miss Wilder is on trial for murder, but fortunately she has Raymond Burr as Perry Mason for a lawyer, and Erle Stanley Gardner's lawyer-sleuth never represents a guilty client. Random witnesses confess on the stand Especially when you have a murder victim with lots of blackmail-style material in his safe, much of which vanishes after the death.

Rene Enriquez and Yaphet Kotto are two of the well-known actors who appear in this nicely ornamented episode in the series of TV movies in which Burr starred from 1986 through his death in 1993.