Perry Mason (TV film series)

Della Street, who is now the secretary of a wealthy businessman, is framed for her boss' murder. To defend her, Perry Mason resigns from his position as an appellate judge and becomes a defense attorney again. First appearance of William Katt as Paul Drake, Jr., the son of Perry's old investigator.

Cast: Patrick O'Neal, Holland Taylor, Richard Anderson, Kerrie Keane, Al Freeman, Jr., David McIlwraith, Roberta Weiss, Cassie Yates[5][1]^: 39603

A young priest, brought in by the archbishop to look for signs of embezzlement in the archdiocese, is found stabbed in his hotel room. Sister Margaret, a young nun who has been assisting him, is accused of the murder. The archbishop asks old friend Perry Mason, already secretly assisting in the financial investigation, to defend Sister Margaret.

Cast: Arthur Hill, Tom Bosley, Barbara Parkins, Michele Greene, Timothy Bottoms, Jon Cypher, Edward Winter; James McEachin, Gerald S. O'Laughlin; William Prince, David Ogden Stiers[5][1]^: 39678

Note: David Ogden Stiers, and James McEachin make their debuts as D.A. Michael Reston and Sergeant Ed Brock, respectively. Tom Bosley, playing a priest and possible murder witness, would later star as a crime-solving priest in the long-running Father Dowling Mysteries (1987-1990), co-developed by Perry Mason movie producer Dean Hargrove.

Actor/Director Robert McCay is jealous of the time actress Kate Huntley is spending with talk-show host Steve Carr. He decides to "prank" Carr by shooting at him on his show on live television with a gun loaded with blanks. However, the gun is loaded with live ammo, and he unwittingly kills Carr. Producer Sidney (last name not given) recruits old law school friend Perry Mason to defend McCay, but Mason, a personal friend of Carr's wife, is worried about conflict of interest.

Cast: Jennifer O'Neill, Joe Penny, Ron Glass, Alan Thicke, Ivan Dixon, Wendy Crewson, David Ogden Stiers[5][1]^: 39730

An old flame of Mason's (Jean Simmons) is to fill a vacated government position. Her husband (Gene Barry) is approached by a man who says he knows his wife had a nervous breakdown seven years prior. The husband, believing mental illness is something to be stigmatized, foolishly allows himself to be blackmailed, believing if his wife's former medical condition should ever be released, her appointment will not go through. When the husband goes to the man with the blackmail money, the husband finds him dead, and he is arrested for the crime and tried.

Cast: Jean Simmons, Gene Barry, Robert Mandan, Robert Walden, Stephen Elliot, Robert F. Lyons, Gordon Jump, Jonathan Banks, Stephanie Dunnam, Leslie Wing, David Ogden Stiers[5][1]^: 39783

Perry defends publisher Jordan White when he is accused of murdering his publishing house's top client, mystery author David Hall, during a visit to Hall's Denver estate along with several other invited guests of the author. Hall, before his death, had played a series of cruel tricks on his guests which included an alleged psychic, an aging B-movie actress, and a questionable tarot reader, all of who, along with Jordan, had inspired the characters in Hall's latest book. Claiming his tricks were about forcing them to confront their sins and lies, Hall's acts may have provoked one of the guests to murder him. Also under suspect is Hall's own assistant Andrew Lloyd, who had secretly planned to publish an expose on his employer.

Cast: Daphne Ashbrook, Vincent Baggetta, Jason Bernard, Anthony Geary, Bill Macy, James Noble, John Rhys-Davies, Ann Jillian, David Ogden Stiers[5][1]^: 39903<be>

Note: Beginning with this movie, due to his poor health, Raymond Burr's physical activity became limited to sitting, standing while holding onto something, or taking a few steps with the assistance of crutches. In this film, his limited movements and use of crutches are explained by Perry having injured his knee while skiing. His mobility would later improve slightly for some of the later movies, but by the time of his final Mason movie in 1993, Burr, by then dying of cancer, was confined entirely to seating or leaning onto something due to the pain.

Cast: Robert Guillaume, Morgan Brittany, Eugene Butler, René Enríquez, George Grizzard, Wings Hauser, Yaphet Kotto, Susan Wilder, David Ogden Stiers[5][1]^: 39952

During his time as appellate judge, Perry Mason had overseen the appeal of Air Force Col. Kevin Parks (Larry Wilcox), convicted of the murder of Amy Beth Sawyer, the wife of a fellow airman who Parks was rumored to have had an affair with. Despite the appeal being denied, Perry notes reservations, so when Parks receives a second chance at appeal, Perry, by then having returned to law practice, is invited to consult with Parks' attorney and a new witness who can exonerate the Colonel. However, in an elaborate scheme, the witness is murdered, Parks is kidnapped during a police escort, and he is later found in the middle of the road, with the murder weapon in his hand. Taking the case over from Parks' attorney, Perry immediately suspects that not only is Parks innocent of both murders, but that Amy Beth's real killer planned the whole scheme to ruin Parks' certain chance at being cleared. With the same figures involved in Parks' first murder trial still around, not only original suspects and witnesses, but D.A Michael Reston and Sergeant Ed Brock, Perry finds himself, in a sense, running two trials to solve two murders, with one man's life and freedom on the line.

Cast: Patty Duke, Erin Gray, Larry Wilcox, Charles Siebert, James Sutorius, Arthur Taxier, James McEachin, Don Galloway, Richard Sanders, Gary Hershberger, David Ogden Stiers[5][1]^: 40008

Note: This film marked a reunion between Raymond Burr and his Ironside co-star, Don Galloway. Galloway would also have a role in The Case of The Defiant Daughter before both he and Burr would reprise their roles in the 1993 reunion film The Return of Ironside.

This film, through a flashback opening, also marks the only instance of seeing Perry in his work as appellate judge, which he had been doing until the events of Perry Mason Returns, led to him stepping down and returning to law practice.

Sara Travis, haunted by the murder of her sister in the lake near her home 15 years earlier, has only just been rebuilding her life, thanks to her husband, former athlete Billy Travis. When Sara suddenly disappears and is presumed murdered in that very lake, a presumed case of history repeating itself takes hold. Billy, found at the scene of the crime (based on a phone tip) is accused of the murder. Perry, taking the case from Sara's sick uncle, finds that many in Sara's circle, including her own family, had good reasons to frame Billy beyond just the belief that he only married Sara for her family's large fortune. Paul Drake. Jr, meanwhile, is sent to search for a red-haired woman who had tried to flirt with Billy the night before the crime, while Perry investigates whether Sara and Billy's plans to sell the family's mining business and build a ski resort were a motive for killing her.

Cast: David Hasselhoff, John Beck, Doran Clark, George Deloy, John Ireland, Audra Lindley, Darrell Larson, Liane Langland, David Ogden Stiers[5][1]^: 40068

William R. Moses makes his debut as Perry's co-counsel and legman Ken Malinsky, who is introduced as a law student who seeks Perry's help when he is accused of murdering one of his classmates in a law class Perry is teaching. Alexandra Paul also makes her first of three appearances as Ken's wealthy ex-girlfriend Amy Hastings, who tries in her own way to help Ken clear his name.

Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Jerry Orbach, Dwight Schultz, Alexandra Paul, Luis Ávalos, Mary Cadorette, Lori Petty[5][1]^: 40168

Note: In this episode, it is revealed that Sergeant Ed Brock (James McEachin) has been promoted to Lieutenant.

Cast: Deidre Hall, Bruce Greenwood, Shari Belafonte, Pernell Roberts, Alexandra Paul, Jason Beghe[5][1]^: 40237

Note: Alexandra Paul's last appearance as Amy Hastings.

Cast: Cindy Williams, Barbara Babcock, Kiel Martin, Tony Lo Bianco, David Warner[5][1]^: 40296

Cast: Ian Bannen, Ian McShane, Yvette Mimieux, Terry O'Quinn, Marcy Walker, Teresa Wright, Paul Freeman[5][1]^: 40354

Terri Knight (Vanessa Williams) is one of the biggest superstars in music, but success had come at a cost for her and those close to her. Displaying a diva status that has driven a wedge between not only her and her bandmates but with her own manager and husband Jack Barnett (Tim Reid). When Terri is murdered in her penthouse by a hired hitman, Jack is immediately suspected of arranging the hit, but his former law professor Perry takes the case. Among the other suspects are Terri's former friend Carla Peters (Angela Bassett) who started out with her when they were singing in a Supremes-like trio, her ex-husband (Kene Holliday), who sang with her in a husband-and-wife duo in her early days before she left him, and various others. Ken, meanwhile, goes undercover to get info from a singer (Nia Peeples) who is the only tie to the unknown hitman. In the end, Perry believes the key to the case lies in the claim by all involved; that Terri had changed from the sweet person they all knew into somebody different.

Cast: Tim Reid, Alan Rachins, Vanessa Williams, Angela Bassett, Alice Ghostley, Kene Holliday, Nia Peeples[5][1]^: 40422

Cast: Jere Burns, Robert Culp, Ken Kercheval, Kevin Tighe, Robert Vaughn, Don Galloway, Jenny Lewis[5][1]^: 40504

Cast: John James, Jerry Orbach, Susan Sullivan, Philip Michael Thomas, Kerrie Keane, Mary Page Keller[5][1]^: 40575

With strong reservations, and against the wishes of both Della and especially Ken, Perry agrees to defend former mob figure Johnny Sorrento (Michael Nader) when he is accused of ordering a hit on his wife, who was threatening to divorce him. With several businesses, including a movie studio, under his watch, Sorrento claims that he is legitimate and that his less-than-reputable past is behind him, but others are less convinced. Perry, meanwhile, has his eye on other suspects, including a restaurateur (Paul Anka) feeling owed by Johnny, and a mystery woman whose unwarranted advances on Johnny had triggered his wife's jealousy just before her death. Perry soon realizes that finding the real killer may depend on Johnny's estranged son (Sean Kanan) and a previous unsolved murder from years back that Johnny may have been involved in.

Cast: Mason Adams, Paul Anka, Michael Nader, Anne Schedeen, Pamela Bowen, Sean Kanan, Stephen Tobolowsky[5][1]^: 40658

Cast: Peter Scolari, Nancy Lee Grahn, John Karlen, Dennis Lipscomb, Julie Sommars, Kim Braden, Bob Gunton, Kate Vernon[5][1]^: 40721

Cast: Valerie Harper, Diana Muldaur, Scott Baio, Robert Clohessy, George DiCenzo[5][1]^: 40792

Cast: Jane Carr, Maureen Mueller, John Rhys-Davies, Scott Valentine, David Soul[5][1]^: 40860

Cast: Geraldo Rivera, Tracy Nelson, Priscilla Barnes, Anjanette Comer, Vonetta McGee, Amy Steel, Robin Tunney[5][1]^: 40920

Cast: Ronny Cox, Linda Blair, Paul Dooley, Diane Baker, Brian MacNamara, Stephen Stills[5][1]^: 41004

Cast: Carmen Argenziano, Scott Thompson Baker, Jonathan Banks, Polly Bergen, Morgan Fairchild, Michael Halsey, Tippi Hedren, David Warner, Patrick O'Neal[5][1]^: 41071

Dr. Sheila Carlin (Mariette Hartley), a radio psychologist and old friend of Della's, asks for Perry's help when she is being pestered by someone. On the theory that it could be somebody that she works with at the radio station, she arranges for Perry to be interviewed by Winslow Keene (Regis Philbin) the station's owner, who she suspects of being behind the harassment. Winslow, meanwhile, enrages the rest of the talk show hosts at the station by informing them of changes that he is making to their time slots. That night, Winslow is shot by a hitman hired by someone at the station and Sheila is set up for the murder. Taking on the case with Della and Ken, Perry finds out that Keene's power over the station came from various secrets he had over his stars, including a shock-jock duo, a conspiracy theorist, a former athlete turned sports show host, and a relationship expert. Meanwhile, Ken teams up with an undercover cop as they search for the hired gunman, which might depend on finding a mystery woman from the cop's past.

Cast: Fritz Moore (Fritz Coleman), Judith Jansen (Cristina Ferrare), Clark Hunter (G. Gordon Liddy), Fred Fisher (Fred Roggin), Boomer Kelly (Montel Williams) [5][1]^: 41146

When Mark Stranton, a popular soap opera actor, dies from an on-camera kiss, which triggered an allergic reaction, Perry's goddaughter, the victim's co-star who had planted the deadly kiss, is framed. Taking on her defense, Mason finds that nearly the whole show's cast and crew had good reason to kill Stranton, for reasons varying from a publicity stunt involving marriage to one of his co-stars to his role in a staff member's abortion. Meanwhile, Ken, with help from a visiting tourist, finds his life in danger as he and Perry suspect that the clue to Stranton's death might lie in an unsolved 28-year-old murder.

Cast: Stuart Damon, Linda Dano, Genie Francis, Arleen Sorkin, Michael Tylo[5][1]^: 41218<be>

Note: This was the last film to be filmed with Raymond Burr prior to his death; it was aired posthumously two and a half months after his passing. An in-memory note for Raymond Burr appeared at the end of the film.

Note: To address the death of Raymond Burr, Perry Mason is addressed as being out of town, or unavailable in general, for the remaining films.

After a photo shoot featuring his exes, fashion photographer David Morrison (Eric Braeden) is blinded by camera flashes and stabbed with a sword. His current wife, Dee who arranged the shoot, is accused of the crime. Beforehand, to oversee legal issues regarding both the shoot and the women involved, Dee had asked for help from a friend of hers, attorney Anthony Caruso, who had overseen each of the exes' divorces. Caruso, borrowing his friend Perry Mason's office while Perry is away, soon goes from overseeing a photo shoot to handling a murder case. With Della and Ken's help, Caruso digs into past secrets of David's marriages, which make all his exes prime suspects.<be> Starring Paul Sorvino as Anthony Caruso<be> Cast: Shelley Hack, Kathy Ireland, Maud Adams, Beverly Johnson, Kim Alexis, Paula Marshall, Eric Braeden[5][1]^: 41280

For the remainder of the series, Hal Holbrook takes over as "Wild Bill" McKenzie, a motorcycle-riding ranch owner and former prosecutor, whose reputation in the courtroom has led to a series of colorful stories spread around about him, from him getting a confession by threatening to shoot the accused's dog to, at the movie's start, exposing a corrupt defense attorney working against his own client. When he agrees to fill in for Perry as a guest speaker at a lavish resort, he quickly finds himself coming to the defense of an old friend of his, retired chess star Daniel Kingman. Kingman is accused of murdering trashy tabloid host Adrian Lye, who had proof that Kingman had thrown one of his last matches. As Will Bill, with help from Della and Ken, gets to work, they soon find out Lye had dirt on many of the guests gathered at the hotel, including a basketball team owner, an aging actress, and a has-been director. Starring Hal Holbrook as "Wild Bill" McKenzie<be> Cast: Robin Leach, Dixie Carter, Diahann Carroll, Robert Englund, James Stephens[5][1]^: 41369

"Wild Bill" McKenzie had, months earlier, faced tragedy when a friend of his, former D.A Harlan Richards allegedly committed suicide. Richards, running for governor, had seen his campaign damaged by rumors of his having an affair with Charlotte Moore, an exotic dancer who was seeking hush money. Richards' daughter Karen, is convinced that both the accusations and her father's death were planned and ordered by Harlan's opponent, sitting governor Ryan Allison. Allison, after a fiery confrontation with Karen at his office, invites her to meet with him, claiming that he wants to investigate Harlan's death. Karen arrives that night to find him dead from a stabbing. Taking on her defense, Bill, with the help of his ranch guests Della and Ken, starts digging into motive and soon finds secrets not only among Allison's administration but even from Allison's wife, who already poses a threat to Karen's defense by her claiming to have left her husband alive just minutes before Karen arrived. Added into the mix is not only blackmailer Charlotte Moore, who has been suspiciously missing since the governor's murder, but also local corrupt businessman Johnny Steele, who may have a member of Allison's team on his payroll.

Starring Hal Holbrook as "Wild Bill" McKenzie

Starring Hal Holbrook as "Wild Bill" McKenzie
Cast: Tony Roberts, Victoria Jackson, David Rasche, Dyan Cannon, Holland Taylor, Tina Yothers[5][1]^: 41497

Note: Barbara Hale, for her final appearance as Della Street, only appears in a cameo. Her departure is explained by having Della leave town to help Perry on a case in Europe. Holland Taylor, playing Della's fill-in assistant, had co-starred as one of the prime suspects in the first Mason movie, Perry Mason Returns, 10 years prior. That gave Taylor and Hale the distinction of being the only two actors to have appeared in both the first and last Perry Mason movies of any kind.