Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of Perry Mason was also a pulp writer. He labored in the pulp arena for 10 years before the first Perry Mason book came out. And once he hit the big time, he continued writing for the pulps. Black Mask was probably the best known, among pulp fans, but there was also Top-Notch Magazine, Sunset, Fawcett’s Triple-X, Argosy, Flynn’s Detective Fiction, Clues, Ace High, Dime Detective, Double Detective… and that’s a partial list.
‘The Case of the Restless Redhead’
The Case of the Restless Redhead was the third Perry Mason book to be published in 1954. Yes, Gardner was really churning them out that year. Perry Mason walks into the middle of a trial for theft and helps out the young attorney for the defense. Little does he realize that shortly after the defendant, Evelyn Bagby, is found innocent she will be embroiled in murder. And Perry will have to take the case to defend her in a death case.
It’s a nice touch, here, having young Frank Neely as an associate attorney of Perry Mason. It gives Perry a chance to explain the how’s and why’s of his behavior to Neely, and at the same time to the readers. It gives us a peek into the psychology of lawyers, and why they do what they do. Previously, Perry would explain things to Della Street and the readers could pick up on it in that manner. But that was getting old by the 45th novel. This was an excellent alternative.
Paul Drake gets the short straw in this story. He’s here, but his part is de-emphasized. Perry and Della carry most of the action. Sergeant Holcomb and D.A. Hamilton Burger both appear, but Lieutenant Tragg is a no-show. He’s been missing for several novels, now.
And here’s a first! Instead of having Della take notes during his meetings, Perry now activates a hidden recording device to keep track of everything that happens. Tape recording technology makes its second appearance. (The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister was first.)
In 1957, Raymond Burr brought the Perry Mason series to television. And this story was the first one that viewers saw. “The Case of the Restless Redhead” was the first broadcast, airing on Sept. 21, 1957. Sergeant Holcomb, Mason’s original adversary, showed up here, as does Lieutenant Tragg, who gradually replaced Holcomb in the book series. When a TV series makes its debut, they always like to start off with a strong episode. And this one was just that. Try to catch it, if you can.
‘Case of the Glamorous Ghost’
In the 1955’s Case of the Glamorous Ghost, it’s beautiful young Eleanor Corbin who’s flitting around Sierra Vista Park at night in nothing but a diaphanous bit of fluff. Yes, she’s the glamorous ghost. But she’s also soon the main suspect in the murder of her new husband, Douglas Hepner. The next day, his body is found not far from where she frolicked in the moonlight, shot through the back of the head… with Eleanor’s gun! And the legitimacy of their marriage is in question.
The cast of regulars continues to appear here, with the exception (again) of Lieutenant Tragg. He hasn’t shown up for the past three novels. But the rest of the gang is here: Perry, Della, and Paul for the defense. D.A. Hamilton Burger and Sergeant Holcomb for the prosecution. Telephone operator Gertie gets her usual cameo, and law-clerk Jackson has been pretty much forgotten about by this time.
The one somewhat disconcerting thing about this story is that at the end, we still don’t know who the murderer was. Oh, young Eleanor is proven innocent. And I guess that’s the important thing. But all we know of Douglas Hepner’s murderer is that it was some unspecified member of a gem-smuggling ring. The big plus, here, is the copious amounts of courtroom time Perry sees. Over half the novel is spent in court. And it’s time well spent, to boot. A great mystery that kept me turning the pages!
The television series waited until the fifth season to adapt this story for TV. It was broadcast Feb. 3, 1962. And on TV, the killer was identified. The hand of CBS “Standards and Practices” at work again!
If you’ve been missing out on the fun of reading a Perry Mason mystery, I think that now’s about the time to do something about it. Don’t rely on the television series for your Perry Mason fix. Read the books! You’ll love them.
