- Title: Perry Mason – The Case of the Restless Redhead
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Throwback Thursday takes us back to the courtroom of Perry Mason. Adapted from Earl Stanley Gardner’s novel of the same name, “The Case of the Restless Redhead” introduced Raymond Burr as defense attorney Perry Mason who became legendary for taking on clients in hopeless situations. Mason’s first client is Evelyn Bagby (Whitney Blake) who someone goes to a great deal of trouble to frame for murder in the opening scenes. Although Paul Drake (William Hopper) is present here, Mason’s loyal private detective, that doesn’t stop the lawyer from doing some snooping of his own in which he discovers a pair of identical handguns and the unlikely truth that his client’s bizarre story of someone planting a gun in her apartment and then frightening her enough to use it on the open road is actually true.
Evelyn Bagby’s knowledge of Perry Mason suggests the lawyer has already made a name for himself before the series begins, and “The Case of the Restless Redhead” certainly showcases what he’s capable of in and out of a courtroom. Several staples of the series are present here including a client who looks to be guilty, Mason outsmarting police and prosecutors, along with Paul Drake, Della Street (Barbara Hale), and Lt. Tragg (Ray Collins). And, as would become customary for the show, much of early scenes take place outside the courtroom but the resolution comes on the stand where the lawyer boxes the true culprit into a corner getting them to confess.