Saturday, August 23, 2008
Mini-DVD Review: Perry Mason Season 3, Volume 1
Perry Mason: The Third Season, Volume 1 (CBS DVD, $49.99) brings order back to the courtroom with the first 12 episodes of the 3rd season of the courtroom drama of the 50s. The three-disc set contains even more of the attorney defending the most impossible of cases, with the defendant knowing that the judge is going to lower the boom on them and find them guilty as charged, except by some miracle, Perry finds that despite all evidence supporting the other side, his client is always innocent and he is able to prove that in a court of law.
There are many great episodes in this set, beginning with the first one, "The Case of the Spurious Sister," where a man's wife turns up dead after she tells him she is going to divorce him. So where do all fingers get pointed? A jeweler turns up dead after accusing a young woman of theft in "The Case of the Blushing Pearls." Perry has to defend, of all people, Paul Drake, in "The Case of Paul Drake's Dilemma." In "The Case of the Golden Fraud," a golden coin in a parking meter may play a part in one of Perry's cases. In "The Case of the Artful Dodger," a man is about to inherit a large sum of money, except a bunch of people turn up dead that he just so happens to be avoiding. Perry can't get a break from his cases, not even while on a hunting trip, as shown in "The Case of the Violent Village."
The video and audio quality on the episodes is, as usual, excellent. This has never been an issue on these sets, and isn't this time either. Closed-captioning can also be found on all of the episodes. A nice little feature, though probably unintentional, is the fact that many episodes have their original sponsorships on the closing credits, from Colgate. And CBS DVD has actually left the original CBS logo intact this time, although the CBS Television Distribution logo plays immediately after it. But there is bad news about the case. Unlike the previous sets that included the double slimcases, we now have the standard Amaray style case that CBS DVD seems to use for everything. It is simple packaging, but just seems so cheap to be using, particularly on a show as expensive as this one is on DVD.
Unfortunately, as has been the case with the previous sets, there are no special features, which is outright disappointing. Apparently they were able to find some nice special features for the 50th Anniversary release, so why couldn't they come up with more for the season sets? Commentaries, interviews, and other special features would have been nice. I find it ridiculous that CBS DVD continues to release this in half season sets. Although the first season had many episodes, there aren't as many in these later seasons, and it would be more practical to put them out as full season releases. Instead, CBS DVD chooses to continue releasing half seasons and putting full season prices on the sets. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the quality of the episodes on the set, but is the set really worth as much as fans are paying to buy the series on DVD? Not really. But don't be fooled—this is a great show that fans of classic TV and courtroom drama are sure to enjoy.
-- Reviewed by skees53
To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Perry Mason TV.com Page
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Wednesday, October 4
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Love Grows Here" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
After Phillip goes out with his friends, Leah and Jeremy realize that he is a responsible young man. Through a counseling session, Leah and Cora teach the residents the importance of mental, physical and spiritual health.
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Let The Church Say Amen" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Cora runs for president of the local church, mud-slinging and sabotage threaten her reputation and test her faith. The Pleasant Days squad bolsters their ability to protect themselves by taking a self-defense class.
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "The White Flag" (BET, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Philip feels as though he is being treated like a child and resists his parents' punishment. Mr. Brown sends Kimberly an innocent text message that gets him into trouble.
The Ms. Pat Show - "Twenty Seven Side Pieces" (BET, 10:30PM ET/PT)
Denise gets a job at a Black hair salon but has to recruit Pat to deal with some "mean girls;" Terry is still in pain from his injury, but pain management comes in more forms than one, none of them good.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 2)
Wednesday, October 4
- Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Watch Wanda on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Nick is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. NBC's Today catches up with Nick in the 9am hour.
- Siobhan Fallon Hogan (Fred: The Show) - Siobhan appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jane Krakowski (Schmigadoon!/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock) - Jane gives latest details on the series Name That Tune on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
- Bellamy Young (The Other Black Girl) - Bellamy will be on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Phil Rosenthal (Creator of Everybody Loves Raymond) - Phil is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Tiffani Thiessen (Saved by the Bell/Alexa & Katie/Good Morning, Miami/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - Tiffani shares recipes from her new cookbook, Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers, on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Leslie Odom Jr. (Central Park/Love in the Time of Corona/Big Day) - Leslie chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary/Fam/Instant Mom/Moesha/It's a Living) - Sheryl Lee appears on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (June-October)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
07/18 - South Park - Seasons 21-25 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
07/25 - The Neighborhood - Season Five
07/25 - Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin - Season One
07/25 - Superstore - The Complete Series
08/22 - Back to Life - Season 1 / Season 2
08/29 - Smiling Friends - Season 1 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts