Cocktail Talk: The Case of the Fancy Figures
In a past post, I gave a shout out to this particular episode of the original Perry Mason series, and in said post (as, perhaps, in others) I made mention of not being as big a fan of the Perry Mason books by Erle Stanley Gardner as I am of the series. This fact is still true. However! I have come around more to some of the books, and definitely understand their popularity, and have oodles of respect for the writing chops of the author. But, still, I like the show better. And watch it regularly. A lot, to be honest. There’s something about the combo of Raymond Burr (playing Perry naturally) William Talman, Ray Collins, William Hopper, and Barbara Hale (playing DA Hamilton Berger, cuddly Lieutenant Trask, dashing detective Paul Drake, and the lovely Della Street respectively) that just sings. And the black and white filming – chef’s kiss, as they say! So, yeah, I watch Perry Mason bunches. And just rewatched one of my favorite episodes, The Case of the Fancy Figures, about a cad who gets murdered, like in many episodes. But this one has the below quote, which is one of my top bar quotes of all time. Making it well-worthy of another Cocktail Talk.
If you have to wait, there’s nothing like a bar. After a few drinks, it becomes a fairyland. People are so kind and considerate.
— The Case of the Fancy Figures
