One of pulpdom’s most famous writers was Erle Stanley Gardner. He wrote for some of the biggest names in pulp, such as Black Mask, Argosy, Clues, Ace High, Dime Detective and many, many more. He graduated from the pulps to the slicks like Cosmopolitan and The Saturday Evening Post. And he wrote series books like The D.A. and Cool and Lam. But of them all, he is probably best remembered as the creator and author of the Perry Mason courtroom dramas.
The first Perry Mason book came out in 1933, and the 85th and final one was published posthumously in 1973, three years after his death. I’ve been taking a look at the series, one by one, here in this blog. Today, we’ll examine #19 and #20, which were published in 1941 and 1942.
The Case of the Empty Tin was Erle Stanley Gardner’s 19th Perry Mason mystery. Perry, Della and Paul Drake are all back, as is Lieutenant Tragg. Switchboard operator Gertie is mentioned, but never seen. DA Hamilton Berger doesn’t appear in this one. In fact, there aren’t even any signature courtroom scenes here.
As the story opens, we are introduced to the Gentrie family. Florence and Arthur Gentrie, his spinster sister Rebecca, their 19-year-old son Junior and their border Delman Steele. Mrs. Gentrie finds an empty tin can in the cellar pantry. No label. Still sealed. But empty. And thus begins the mystery.
That night, Mrs. Gentrie is awakened to the sound of a gunshot. Yes, there’s been murder, but it’s happened next door. And who lives next door? Elston A. Karr, an old recluse who has hired Perry Mason to help him keep his secrets. How are the sealed tin can, the murder and Elston Karr all connected? It’s a strange tale of gunrunning in 1920s China and treachery and murder. It takes Perry Mason to get it all unscrambled.
It all makes for an intriguing and satisfying mystery, even if there aren’t any of those famous Perry Mason courtroom scenes.
When Perry Mason was brought to television in 1957 with Raymond Burr in the title role, this story was adapted for a first-season episode. It was the 25th show of the season, broadcast on March 8, 1958. And although Hamilton Berger didn’t appear in the novel, he did appear in the TV episode… and lost, yet again.
Oh, and this episode featured actor Benson Fong, who played Charlie Chan’s number three son, Tommy, in five movies. An interesting cross-over for two mystery series.
The Case of the Drowning Duck
The Case of the Drowning Duck brings us the 20th Perry Mason from the pen of Erle Stanley Gardner. The action takes place around Palm Springs, which means there’s no sign of District Attorney Hamilton Berger or Lieutenant Tragg. The familiar characters are limited to Perry, Della and Paul Drake. Telephone operator Gertie must be present because someone is manning the phones, but she’s never mentioned by name.
Perry and Della are vacationing at Palm Springs as our story opens. Perry is approached by wealthy socialite John L. Witherspoon. He wants to consult with Perry about his daughter’s fiance, Marvin Adams. Marvin’s father was a convicted murderer who was executed for his crime 18 years ago, and Witherspoon isn’t about to have the son of a murderer marry into his family. Perry Mason is hired to investigate the old case, and determine if Horace Legg Adams was indeed guilty.
A seedy detective by the name of Leslie Milter is blackmailing someone to keep the secret about Marvin’s father. And sure enough, the detective is killed. Who did it? Was it the blackmail victim? And who was being blackmailed? Perry Mason has a tough time, but eventually puts all the pieces together in the nick of time.
Some great courtroom action in the last quarter of the novel makes this a top-notch Perry Mason murder mystery.
When it came to the TV series, this novel was adapted to the fourth episode of season one. It was broadcast on Oct. 12, 1957.
If you are a pulp fan, you really should be reading this series. Pick one… any one. It’ll hook you on reading all the rest. They are readily available both in printed book and ebook formats. You have no excuse. And, you’re missing out on a darned good story!
