Hardboiled American Crime and Worldwide Noir Fiction discussion

March's group read, The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner, was the first Perry Mason novel Gardner wrote. Needless to say, this is one of the better-known Perry Mason stories. The novel was adapted by the TV series titled Perry Mason and released in 1963. One can watch it on Paramount. It has a 7.7 rating on IMDB, which is impressive. There is also a 1936 film based on the book that gets a 6.0 rating. It's not as high. One of my problems with the latter film is the comedy elements incorporated into it. That was the style in the 1930s, but it didn't work that well for this kind of material even then. That's why film noir, a grimmer style, didn't really get going until the 1940s.

Anyhow, I digress. The novel itself was published in 1933. I have not read it yet, but reportedly it is written in vintage hardboiled style. The early Perry Mason was significantly less upright or moral than he later became; he was not above performing acts of questionable ethics to win a case. I expect we'll see a surprisingly tough Perry Mason in this first novel.

Who is up for reading it with me this March? Let's get our hands on a copy and start the discussion on March 10, 2024.

I just ordered it from the library. They also have the 1936 film. Might be fun to compare them.

I just watched that 1936 film this morning before reading your post. I have the CD set of the six 1930s films in my collection. I had tried to watch this film a year or two ago, but quit about 2/3 of the way through due to its silliness. I forced myself to watch it all the way through this morning since we are reading the book this month. Ouch! (view spoiler)[It starts with Perry Mason marrying his secretary Della Street. (hide spoiler)] No, that never happened anytime as far as I know in the book series. The film goes downhill from there with improbable out-of-character actions, no Paul Drake but a comic relief assistant named Bugsy, a whiny Della Street who throws $5000 in the fireplace Bugsy accidentally burns shortly after, not that burning $5000 is any big deal as The Depression raged. And on and on the silliness went.

One interesting thing about the film is there was no courtroom scene. I understand the book is the same way. I think it's the only Perry Mason novel Gardner ever wrote without a courtroom scene. I trust the 1936 film took a lot of unwise liberties with Gardner's novel and that the book will be better.

I am saving the Perry Mason TV series version of this book (Season 6, Episode 22, aired March 21, 1963) until after I read the book. I know it will be better than the 1936 film. Still, they had to have added a courtroom scene to it, didn't they? If so, that will mess things up for me, I suspect.

The kindle version of this book runs $5.99. For those who prefer print, I see there are several options online to buy the book in an omnibus version of three Perry Mason novels that run from $9-$18, tax and shipping included. It's a 1950s omnibus.

Regarding the Season 6 Perry Mason TV show version, I was mistaken earlier when I said it was on Paramount. Paramount does not carry Season 6. They have all the other seasons but not that one. I found the episode "The Case of the Velvet Claws" on FreeVee, a free streaming service.

Upon watching the TV episode I was struck by how many details were different, yet how the basic plot structure was the same between both versions. There was also no court scene whatsoever in either version, which is consistent with the novel.

Rather than pay $5.99 for the Kindle version, I paid just under $10 for the 1956 omnibus edition, which arrived in the mail today. It has not only The Case of the Velvet Claws, but also The Case of the Demure Defendant and The Case of the Sunbather's Diary. I'm a Perry Mason fan and will read all three eventually. So it paid for me to go this route. The omnibus (a book club edition) has really nice quality printing, and the dustcover is in good shape too. Wow!

Looking forward to starting this first Perry Mason novel this weekend. Hope others in the group are too.

I am about sixty pages into this now and thoroughly enjoying it. The writing is absolutely masterful. Gardner never dwells on a scene too long and always tells the reader exactly what they need to know. Poor Perry; he's being set up for something and even sort of realizes it. I get the strong feeling he's about to be burned by his client. This is very film noirish stuff, what with the obvious femme fatale gunning for Mason.

Not surprisingly, the book is not much different that the film version or the TV series episode in terms of plot. It is fun to see how the execution of the plot points differs though. For example, Della Street, Mason's secretary, does not like the client, Eva. On camera the directors decided to make this apparent by the looks of disgust the actresses playing Street convey so well. Gardner doesn't have that option and has to use dialog instead. Both work for their media just fine. I just find it interesting.

This is my review of the novel: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...