The New Perry Mason Series On H B O

Discussion in 'Movies & Entertainment' started by Beth Gallagher, Jun 30, 2020.

  1. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    Has anyone watched this?? I watched the first 2 episodes but somehow I'm not getting into it. This is not your grandpa's Perry Mason. :D:D

     
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  2. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    This is the same thing they did with Batman.

    Now I'm glad I don't get cable...or satellite.
     
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  3. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    I have never liked films made in the "noir" style... gloomy, dark, depressing. The only redeeming factor is John Lithgow; I am a huge fan. (His appearance in a season of "Dexter" was unforgettable.) Of course I have only seen 2 episodes so it might possibly get better; it's certainly getting good critical review.

    Here's the synopsis: "Set in 1932 Los Angeles, the series focuses on the origin story of famed defense lawyer Perry Mason, based on characters from Erle Stanley Gardner’s novels. Living check-to-check as a low-rent private investigator, Mason is haunted by his wartime experiences in France and suffering the effects of a broken marriage.

    L.A. is booming while the rest of the country recovers from the Great Depression — but a kidnapping gone very wrong leads to Mason exposing a fractured city as he uncovers the truth of the crime
    ."

    This makes me want to look for Erle Stanley Gardner's books to read. :D
     
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  4. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I used to read a lot. When I was a kid, I read all the Ian Fleming stuff, the Leslie Charteris stuff ("The Saint"), Connon Doyle writings, and a ton of other spy/adventure writers of the day. I have vague memories of reading maybe one Gardner novel, but I never read his stuff extensively.

    Regarding depressing movies: when I quit drinking, I started renting subtitled French movies. I found the depressing real-world endings to be a refreshing change from the unrealistic Disneyesque endings most American movies have. It wasn't a dark thing as much as it was an honesty thing.

    Have you seen "Laura"? That's a pretty good flick.
     
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  5. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    I'm a voracious reader; seldom does a film live up to its literary counterpart IMO. If I see a movie being released that is based on a book, I have to read the book before I watch the movie.

    My older brother was a huge fan of The Saint; I hadn't thought about that in years.

    I believe I've seen Laura but it was many years ago. Is that the Gene Tierney movie? I'll have to see if I can find it somewhere.
     
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  6. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I used to hit a row of second hand shops outside of DC before the cancer of the city overtook them. I got to know the owners pretty well, who would call me if they got in something they knew I would be interested in. One of them called me what they got a bunch of sci fi books from an estate. I got somewhere north of 200 for less than a dime each. I read most of them, passing over the science fantasy stuff (meaning I like the dystopian and "real life in the future" genre most.)

    I did a Club Med vacation and read Rising Sun and Jurassic Park that week before seeing them at the theatre. I agree the books are always better, with To Kill A Mockingbird being a possible exception (meaning the book reads as a script.) I've long ago fallen out of the habit of reading. Even while working, I've chewed through a book a week at times, but not at all anymore.

    Regarding Laura: yeh, that's Gene Tierney. Great movie. Incredible song.
     
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  7. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    Funny you should say that. Recently I wanted to find "A Streetcar Named Desire" in print and was surprised to find that it was only written as a play. I found an old edition through Amazon marketplace booksellers and reading it is a chore (stage directions and all.)
     
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  8. Hedi Mitchell

    Hedi Mitchell Supreme Member
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    My mother insisted on reading and we would go to library and check out E .Stanley and Nero Wolf...all those type books. She had me reading something all summer. I am glad she did expand my reading it has always helped me.
     
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  9. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    I was one of those weird kids who spent summers hanging out at the school library, and bringing home the maximum they'd allow. My entire family was readers... we'd often sit at the dinner table, each with his/her book open. I still read at the dinner table if my husband is watching the evening news.
     
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  10. Ed Wilson

    Ed Wilson Veteran Member
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    The original Perry Mason is on from 9 to 10 AM on MeTV, at least here anyway.
     
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  11. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    And again from 11:30PM-12:30AM.

    Or so I've heard ;)
     
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  12. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Nothing expands your imagination, your knowledge, your vocabulary, or your grammatical skills like reading.

    I, too, am grateful for all the reading I've done throughout my life, just as I am grateful for having lived in an era without the internet, video games and cable television so that I was driven to read.
     
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  13. Steven Stanick

    Steven Stanick Very Well-Known Member
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    Never watched the original PM but the HBO version was good.
     
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  14. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    It's on many of the old rerun channels.

     
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  15. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    Earl Stanley Gardner played the role of judge on one episode.
    [​IMG]
     
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