The TV Movie - Perry Mason Returns, is a departure from the normal format of the 1950's and 1960's, this is the modern take on the former golden age of televisions hit series.Unlike the stories of old that were completed in an hour long show, the TV Movies is an hour and half. In order to extend the running time, they have used much more filler such as a car chase in the hills and is very disjointed in contrast to the rest of the story.The opening sets the stage for the entire movie and it is great to see Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) & Della Street (Barbara Hale) back together again. The chemistry between the two of them has not been lost during the 20 year absents from TV.The flow of the storyline allows you to workout who the killer is. After Perry meets with the daughter of the murder man and Ken Braddock (Richard Anderson), it is clear here that he is involved, but without a clue as to the way in which Perry will figure it out. Unlike the TV series, in this TV Movie they give it away a bit too easy and too early.In the court room, Perry is up to his usual tricks and misdirection with great effect, to the objection of the district attorney.I rate this as an effective comeback from 20 years in the wilderness, with some lack luster moments. The performance of the other cast members can not be compared to the old series as they fail in comparison. William Katt (Barbara Hale's son) is OK as Paul Drake Jr, but is a far cry from William Hooper who played Paul Drake in the TV Series.Anyone who is a fan of the original series as I am will not be disappointed, but they will see just how good the chemistry between the original cast was. For someone new to the series, it won't light the imagination like the TV series did but is still a good, watchable 80's TV movie.I rate this a 7/10, if it was only an hour long and used the same format as the TV series this would have made the entire show more punchy and would have garnered a higher rating.

Even when she is accused of murder, Della Street can't seem to get a piece of the acting action in the Perry Mason series.That being said, we have a marvelous film here with someone impersonating Miss Street, running around with her clothing to commit murder.The characters are lively. Eventually, you will come to know who the culprit is as the affair with the youngest daughter and attorney is revealed.Burr, as usual, is in top-form. He really goes at it with that prosecuting attorney, a nasty woman who thinks she has the case in the bag. She had to be reminded that Hamilton Burger always had the same beliefs.

(There are Spoilers) Floundering around like a beached whale in the state appellate court for the last ten or so years and getting thick and heavy around the mid section, as well as everywhere else, former defense attorney Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, was just about pooped in handing out long winded and boring opinions about the law. When Mason heard that his former private secretary Della Street, Barbara Hale, had been charged with the murder of her boss millionaire businessman Arthur Gordon, Patrick O'Neal, the guy just jumped at the opportunity. Perry had to resign in order to defend Stella in open court where the real action is and that's just where Perry Mason want's to be.Finding Arthur Gordon dead of a stab wound in his study all the evidence lead to his private secretary Della Street as being his killer. We already saw that it was the creepy ex-convict Bobby Lynch, James Kidnie, dressed in drag who was the real murderer and the one who left clues to incriminate Della in Arthur's untimely death. Arthur had earlier threatened to cut out his wife Paula, Holland Taylor, and all his ungrateful and greedy children, Kathryn David Laura & Chris,from his will. Arthur was going to have Paula replaced from his charitable foundation, where the majority of his fortune is in, by Della so why would she want to murder Arthur since Della was to end up as the hostess with the most-est! This fact is what Lynch seemed to have completely overlooked and in the end it would lead a very determined and no holds barred Perry Mason straight to Arthur's killers :the guy who did it and the guy who paid him to do it.Working overtime without pay Perry gets his very competent former, but now deceased, private investigator Paul Drake's overly eager son Paul Drake Jr, William Katt, to do the legwork for him in finding out who framed Stella. Junior comes up with a dead Bobby Lynch who tried to run him down in his car in a garage but was shot between the eyes by an unknown assailant; not to save young Paul's life but to keep Lynch from talking in just who hired him if he ever was caught and put on trial.The road to Arthur Gordon's killer leads to not only one of Arthur's spoiled and rotten kids the very sexy Kathryn, Kerrie Keane, but also her secret lover Arthur's personal attorney and the person who's to make out his will Ken Braddock, Richard Anderson. Perry together with Paul Jr. get to the bottom of what was the reason for Arthur's murder and it had to do not with just the money he was to withdraw from giving his wife. Paula had been using the foundation as her own personal piggy bank and on top of all that someone else the person who, with or without Paula's help, had Arthur killed.A piece of cake for Perry who had no trouble at all exposing Arthur's killer and exonerating his good and close friend his former private secretary Della Street but most of all making a monkey out of the snotty and arrogant young prosecuting D.A Julie Scott, Cassie Yeats. Scott wanted to make it big as a state prosecutor thinking that the fat and rusty old man, Perry Mason, was ripe for the picking and ready to be plucked but learned soon enough that Perry is still not only the best at what he does but even better then ever in doing it.

Della Street is set up as the fallguy for a murder. Of course, everybody knows that this sweet, motherly woman wouldn't swat a fly, much less off somebody. Mason pulls out all stops in unraveling the mystery and uncovers a plot to keep a multi-million dollar scam intact. The one phony part in this film is the reaction of a lawyer at the movie's end. No attorney would do what this man did.