'The Mouthpiece' has Warren William at his best

The Mouthpiece (1932)

Starring: Warren William, Sidney Fox, Ailine MacMohan, Ralph Incee, Willam Janney, Walter Walker, and Guy Kibbee

Directors: James Flood and Elliot Nugent

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

An attorney (William) who has grown rich and powerful by using every trick to get gangsters and other criminals is reminded that there is more to life than money and winning when a naïve young woman (Fox) enters his life.

"The Mouthpiece" is equal parts courtroom drama, melodrama, and comedy, with Warren William delivering a fantastic performance in which he brings life to Vince Day, a brilliant man who finds his faith in the justice system shattered and his spirit broken when a man he sent to the electric chair turns out to be innocent. Instead of confronting his anger, as well as his feelings of guilt and self-doubt, he loses himself in a maelstrom of booze, womanizing, and partying... while using his knowledge of law and his ability to manipulate juries to prove over and over to himself that the courts and legal system are useless as vehicles to bring about justice. In the hands of a lesser actor, this character would come across as loathsome and pathetic beyond redemption, especially during the scenes where he starts to engage in some self-reflection and he initially retreats deeper into his protective cocoon of destructive behavior and self-gratification. William plays the character with such charm and energy that rather than joining in on his self-hatred by hating him, too, viewers instead will be rooting for him to rediscover the decent person he still is deep down.

As the film unfolds, viewers have an ally in Vince Day's no-nonsense legal secretary, Hickey (played by Ailine MacMohan). She sees the person that Vince could be if he would confront his demons, and she is a rock that keeps him slightly grounded by stepping in to curb his worst excesses and negative impulses. While it's the naivete and purehearted devotion to doing what is right (not to mention her absolute refusal to be drawn into Vince's dark world) of young the young typist, Miss Farraday (portrayed by Sidney Fox) that finally makes Vince rethink his life, it's Hickey whom he turns to for the support and encouragement he needs to change his life. It's also Hickey who is there when Vince ends up paying a heavy price for rejecting the man he'd become.

The relationship between Vince and Hickey are the most important one in the movie, and it is made even moreso by the fact that Warren William and Ailine MacMohan give the best performances in it. They are also great together, and each scene they share together are among the best in the film. The only parts that are better than William and MacMohan playing off each other are the courtroom scenes.

"The Mouthpiece" is one of five movies included in "Forbidden Hollywood Vol. 10", and it's such a good film that it's almost worth the price of the set by itself.

The good and the bad balance each other in the second Perry Mason film

The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)

Starring: Warren William, Margaret Lindsay, Allen Jenkins, Owlin Howland, Donald Woods, Thomas E. Jackson, Claire Dodd, and Barton MacLane

Director: Michael Curtiz

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Famed defense attorney Perry Mason (William) must uncover the truth buried beneath lies and police corruption when a former lover (Lindsay) comes to him for help with a blackmail case but ends up being accused of murdering the blackmailer.

"The Curse of the Curious Bride" was the second Perry Mason film produced by Warner Bros. during the mid-1930s. Reportedly, although film reviewers said nice things about it at the time, and it did well financially, Perry Mason's creator, Earl Stanley Gardner strongly disliked it. And I think it's clear why.

Although the film is fast paced, features an engaging mystery with stakes that keep getting raised as it goes, and a suspect pool that keeps getting larger instead of smaller as the story unfolds, it spends too much time trying to be a comedy. From banter that isn't entertaining, to scenes that are supposed to be funny but are mostly just dumb, and renaming and reshaping of Paul Drake into the third-rate comic relief Spudesy Drake, just about every attempt at humor in this film falls flat and just lays there on the floor, stinking like a dead fish in the sun. They only supposed-to-be-funny bits that come close to working is when Perry Mason is being overly dramatic and flamboyant in front of newspaper reporters.

It's a shame that the filmmakers decided to lean so heavily on badly done comedy in this picture, because, unlike so many other Perry Mason tales, this one gives a lot of insight into what he does for fun and who he spends time with outside of the law offices and courtrooms. In some ways, Mason feels like a more fully rounded character in this film than he did even after the total of two decades of television series and made-for-TV movies starring Raymond Burr. This aspect, combined with the fact that the film features a great cast, which could have made this a great Perry Mason movie is why I'm giving it a Six instead of the Five it probably deserves.

Another quirk of the film is that it never enters a courtroom; in fact, the case at the center of the film never even makes it to trail. While the concluding "action" doesn't always take place in a oourtroom in Perry Mason stories, there's at least some sort of legal proceeding at some point. Here, the closet we get is Mason meeting with the District Attorney, in a scene that's more there to underscore the corruption of the D.A. and the police department more than anything else.

And speaking of the corrupt police department... corruption is another aspect of this film that's unusual when compared to other Perry Mason screen adventures I've seen. While the police and prosecutors are often shown as either dimwitted, lazy, or just unwilling to look beyond their initial conclusions when it comes to getting their convictions, they aren't usually out-and-out corrupt like they are here. For example, the police detectives don't just go where the evidence takes them here--they all but frame their prime suspect for murder while the prosecutor prevents Mason from seeing her. (On the other side of the coin, however, Mason engages in corruption to a degree that I've also not seen any screen incarnations do up to this point. While I'm used to Mason playing a bit loose with the spirit of the law or bending procedural rules, and even the law, almost to the breaking point, he goes well beyond that in this film.)

Some of the elements which seemed out of place to me probably did not appear that way to audiences in 1935. Corrupt police and prosecutors were the norm in detective films of the day, and the Perry Mason Formula didn't have 85 years of development behind it like it does now. (And, for that matter, the corruption of the justice system that exists everywhere in this movie might be something that will allow newcomers to Perry Mason--via the excellent series that recently ran on HBO.)

"The Case of the Curious Bride" in included with five other Perry Mason films that were produced by Warner Bros. in the 1930s. It's a reasonable priced set, and I think it's worth checking out for Perry Mason fans, old and new.

The Incarnations of Perry Mason

Although long-time Perry Mason fans will probably always think of him as looking like Raymond Burr, Burr is actually one of six actors to have portrayed the character. With the triumphant return of Perry Mason to the screens of the world (via HBO's streaming service), we here at Shades of Gray bring you a look at all the actors who have brought him to life from 1934 to 2020--and beyond.

THE INCARNATIONS OF PERRY MASON

The first actor to portray Perry Mason on screen was Warren William. He played the character in four films--"The Case of the Howling Dog" (1934), "The Case of the Curious Bride" (1935), "The Case of the Lucky Legs" (1935), and "The Case of the Velvet Claw" (1936).

Warren William

Warren William

After William wrapped up his stint as Mason, Ricardo Cortez played the character in "The Case of the Black Cat" (1936).

Ricardo Cortez

Ricardo Cortez

Next up, there was another mustachioed Mason, in the form of Donald Woods for "The Case of the Stuttering Bishop" (1937).

Donald Woods

It would be 20 years before another actor lent his face and body to bringing Perry Mason to life. In 1957, Raymond Burr took on the role, and he eventually became, quite properly, the actor who is most closely associated with character. No one else has spent more time in Mason's shoes than Burr. Additionally, Earl Stanley Gardner--the creator of Perry Mason--thought Burr was the perfect in the role.

Raymond Burr, in the 1960s

Burr first portrayed Mason in a long-running television series (from 1957 to 1966), and returned to the role for 26 made-for-television movies (between the years of 1984 and until his death in 1993). The last of Burr's appearance as Perry Mason ("The Case of the Killer Kiss") aired two months after he passed away, and the film was dedicated to his memory.

Raymond Burr, in the 1980s

Between Raymond Burr's long stretches portraying Perry Mason, Monte Markham took on the role in 15 episodes of "The New Perry Mason" (1973-1974).

Monte Markham

Most recently, Michael Rhys has played the character of Mason in a series for HBO that chronicles his journey to becoming the greatest criminal defense attorney on the West Coast. The first eight episodes aired in July and August of 2020, and a second batch will be coming in 2021.

Michael Rhys

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If you enjoyed this article, click here to take a look at the many faces of Della Street.

The FIRST Screen Perry Mason!

The Case of the Howling Dog (1934)

Starring: Warren Willam, Mary Astor, Helen Trenholme, Russell Hicks, Grant Mitchell, Gordon Westcottt, Dorothy Tree, and James Burtis

Director: Alan Cosland

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

High-powered attorney Perry Mason (William) is paid an outrageously high retainer to step in if a petty feud over a howling dog between two millionaire neighbors (Hicks and Mitchell) gets out of hand. After a series of bizarre lies come to light, his client vanishes, and the neighbor is murdered by a woman who may or may not be his wife (Astor), Mason finds himself earning what appeared to be easy money.

"The Case of the Howling Dog" was the first screen version of the legendary slightly-shady-but-never-crooked attorney Perry Mason. It was the first of four films starring Warren William as the Mason, and he is great in the role. William presents just the right mix of slippery conman and dogged champion of justice for his client that's needed to present a likable lawyer who is willing to do anything to protect his clients, so long as its within the letter--if not always the spirit--of the law.

Mystery-wise, this one was easy to figure out. I knew where the film was going well before it got there, who did it, and where the very literal bodies were buried. I was briefly thrown off the scent because the film literally lies to the viewers in one scene, showing us something that turns out to have never happened. I don't mind this sort of thing if it's happening during a character's fake description of events, but here it's an unforgivable sin, especially in a mystery movie. It cost the film a Full Star, knocking it down to a low Six. (It took "not playing fair with the audience" to a level that I don't recall ever seeing a film stoop to before, and until this point, I would have been forgiving of the film and just assumed that the twists and turns and "who, what, where" were so easy for me to predict due to the many mystery movies I've watched and stories I've read... but then came the "cheat" and I knew I . The sad thing is that it's not at all a bad sequence, and it would have been perfect if it had been used as I suggested--as the visuals for a character narrating the events.)

On the plus-side, though, every actor in the film is perfectly cast, with Warren William and Helen Trenholme (as Della Street) being particularly strong. ("The Case of the Howling Dog" is one of only two movies that Trenholme was in; she was a respected stage actress before her flirtation with the movie business, and she was one for a decade afterwards. It's a shame she didn't find a place in films, because she's a lot of fun to watch in this one.)

Another strong point of "The Case of the Howling Dog" is how the film establishes Perry Mason's law practice, as well as providing insight into his character. The first few minutes of this picture make it clear that Mason is a big shot at the head of a firm employing several associates, inhouse investigators, and even an inhouse psychologist. The also deftly establish the breadth and depth of Mason's experience as a lawyer and with life, showing that while he may be representing the rich and famous now, he started out defending more common people (and criminals) with legal troubles--and that his firm still represents them to this day.

Finally, and perhaps the biggest factor in its favor, this film is never boring and not a moment is wasted. Every second on screen drives the story or offers important character development and insight.

"The Case of the Howling Dog" is available as part of a collection containing all the 1930s movies featuring Perry Mason (most of them starring Warren William). The set is reasonably priced, and if the rest of the films are as good as this one, it's well worth the money. I shall find out, as I work my way through it!

'Satan Met a Lady' is ruined by weak script

Satan Met a Lady (1936)
Starring: Warren William, Bette Davis, Marie Wilson, Porter Hall, Arthur Treacher, Maynard Holmes, and Alison Skipworth
Director: William Dieterle
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

A womanizing, crooked private eye (William) re-connects with his ex-partner (Hall) in time to start a new scam. Things quickly turn deadly as a woman as corrupt as he is (Davis) draws him into a murderous struggle over an 8th century artifact that legends hold is full of jewels.

"Satan Met a Lady" is one of three adaptations from Warner Bros. of Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon", coming between "The Maltese Falcon" (1931) and "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) and it's both the one that's furthest afield from the source material as well as the weakest. The weaknesses don't arise so much from seemingly arbitrary cosmetic changes (the criminal mastermind is a fat woman instead of a fat man, the treasure-stuff McGuffin is a drinking horn instead of a falcon sculpture, the Sam Spade character is named Ted Shane, and so on), but from the characterizations and even some of the characterizations and the fact that this is either a comedy that's for the most part unfunny, or a mystery that's not terribly engaging..

The biggest problem with "Satan Met a Lady" is its 'hero', Ted Shayne (played by Warren William). Shayne is a man with absolutely no redeeming qualities--he's self-centered, arrogant, lazy, completely untrustworthy, and not half as witty as he thinks he is, and nowhere near as charming and handsome as the script makes all the ladies in the film think he is. Shayne such an unpleasant character that my favorite part of the film is the ending, which I won't comment on, because it'll spoil some of the few truly good minutes of the film.

It's a shame that the script isn't better--with either sharpened comedy or dramatic tension, and with more sensible reactions from most of the female characters, and at least one redeeming quality given to Shayne--because every cast member makes a fine accounting of themselves, given the shoddy material they are working with. William and Bette Davis are especially fun to watch together, since we have two perfectly cast actors, playing two equally vicious characters who recognize each other as the villains they are, and who know that each is just looking for a chance to mess with the other. If the script had been better, I suspect these scenes could have been absolutely brilliant. (William is so good here, in fact, that I am going to add the Perry Mason movies he starred in to my never-dwindling "To Watch" pile. Based on what I see here, he might just be the perfect actor to portray Mason.)

As for "Satan Met a Lady", it's not a terrible film... it's just not very good. It's also not going out of your way for. However, it's included in the three-disc Special Edition of The Maltese Falcon, together with the two good versions. In that case, it's an inoffensive "bonus" feature that you save for that day when you've got nothing else to watch.