''The Case of the Lucky Legs'' is a 1935 mystery film, the third in a series of Perry Mason films starring Warren William as the famed

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...

Plot

Margie Clune wins the "Lucky Legs"

beauty contest A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

concocted by Frank Patton, but has trouble collecting her $1,000 prize when the promoter skips town. It turns out it is all a scam he has pulled before. When he later turns up stabbed to death, she is a strong suspect.

Cast

* Warren William as Perry Mason *

Genevieve Tobin Genevieve Tobin (November 29, 1899 – July 31, 1995) was an American actress. Early years Tobin was born in New York City on November 29, 1899. Her father, Thomas Tobin, a bank clerk who later became a racetrack bookmaker, was born in No ...

as Della Street *

Patricia Ellis Patricia Ellis (born Patricia Gene O'Brien; died March 26, 1970) was an American film actress of the 1930s. Early years Born in Birmingham, Michigan, most likely in 1915 (although she gave her year of birth to the Social Security Administration ...

as Margie Clune * Lyle Talbot as Dr. Bob Doray *

Allen Jenkins Allen Curtis Jenkins (born Alfred McGonegal; April 9, 1900 – July 20, 1974) was an American character actor and singer who worked on stage, film, and television. Life and career Jenkins was born on Staten Island, New York, on April 9, 1900. ...

as Spudsy Drake, Mason's private investigator * Barton MacLane as Police Chief Bisonette *

Peggy Shannon Peggy Shannon (born Winona Sammon; January 10, 1907 – May 11, 1941) was an American actress. She appeared on the stage and screen of the 1920s and 1930s. Shannon began her career as a Ziegfeld girl in 1923 before moving on to Broadway produc ...

as Thelma Bell * Porter Hall as Bradbury * Anita Kerry as Eva Lamont * Craig Reynolds as Frank Patton *

Henry O'Neill Henry O'Neill (August 10, 1891 – May 18, 1961) was an American film actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles during the 1930s and 1940s. Early years He was born in Orange, New Jersey. Caree ...

as District Attorney Manchester * Charles Wilson as Police Officer Ricker * Joseph Crehan as Detective Johnson * Olin Howland as Dr. Croker, Perry's doctor * Mary Treen as Spudsy's wife

Critical reception

Writing for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

'' in 1936,

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

praised the film as "an admirable film" sadly partnered as makeweight to ''I Give My Heart'' (a film Greene characterized as appalling). Comparing the character of Perry Mason to other similar fictional detectives like

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

, Lord Peter Wimsey, Charlie Chan, and those created by William Powell, Greene concludes that Mason is his favorite film detective because he is a more genuine creation and recommends the film as "good Mason if not good detection". (reprinted in: )

Home media

On October 23, 2012,

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

released the film on DVD in Region 1 via their

Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inten ...

alongside '' The Case of the Howling Dog'', ''

The Case of the Curious Bride ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', '' The Case of the Velvet Claws'', '' The Case of the Black Cat'' and '' The Case of the Stuttering Bishop'' in a set entitled ''Perry Mason: The Original Warner Bros. Movies Collection''. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US. "The Case of the Lucky Legs" was remade for the

Perry Mason (1957 TV series) ''Perry Mason'' is an American legal drama series originally broadcast on CBS television from September 21, 1957, to May 22, 1966. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer who originally appeared ...

, Season three; episode 10, first shown December 19, 1959.

References

External links

* * * * 1935 films American black-and-white films American mystery films Warner Bros. films Films directed by Archie Mayo 1935 crime films Films based on American novels Films based on mystery novels Perry Mason Films about beauty pageants 1935 mystery films American crime films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{mystery-film-stub