. . . as it dispenses with the tedious courtroom climax, which was already a hackneyed film convention by the mid-1930s. But THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS BRIDE introduces racist Asian and Native American stereotyping, shows Mr. Mason to be just as cavalier when his former lover's neck is on the line as he had been with a stranger chick on the hot seat in THE CASE OF THE HOWLING DOG, and reduces Errol Flynn's role to about four seconds of saying nothing while giving up the ghost (a performance that could have been phoned in by any nameless extra on Warner's lot). Add to that a complicated murder scene as crowded as Union Station due to happenstance on top of odd congruence compounded by simultaneous coincidences, and this tale seems stuffed tighter with artificial contrivance than a goose with Foie Gras. THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS BRIDE is not even aptly titled, as the bride obviously did not have a curious bone in her body. What newlywed would allow her groom to die by sudden illness and get buried in a closed casket, without a look-see by herself or anyone she knew?! And what serial bigamist goes to the trouble of wedding a couple hundred poor chicks, with a plan that ONE of them can be blackmailed five or ten years later when she remarries a billionaire?! These sort of con artists crave instant gratification, targeting the Rich and Stupid, and breaking their banks before tying any wedding knots!

Besides being in the series of Perry Mason films that Warner Brothers did with the urbane Warren William in the title role, The Case Of The Curious Bride is famous for being the American debut film of Errol Flynn. Flynn has no dialog in the film, he's first seen briefly as the corpse and then in flashback the actual murderer relates how Errol got himself dead. Two films later and Flynn, a complete unknown was co-starring with Olivia DeHavilland in Captain Blood and the rest is cinema history.Don't expect to see the business like Raymond Burr interpretation of Perry Mason here. Warren William is quite the romantic here with steady girl friend Della Street played by Claire Dodd and a few old flings constantly showing up. One of those is Margaret Lindsay who is now married to rich young Donald Woods, son of Charles Richman who ain't too crazy about his son's marriage. When Flynn shows up after people thought he was dead making veiled threats of course Lindsay turns to another old flame in Warren William for help.Then when Flynn gets killed she really does need his help. Though the case never gets to trial, Perry earns his fee in finding out the real killer. Warren William has some kind of record, he played the hero/protagonist in three movie series, The Lone Wolf, Perry Mason, and Philo Vance. He's not the Perry Mason a couple of television generations grew up with, still his interpretation is different.

Although Warren William had already played Perry Mason in Alan Crosland's The Case of the Howling Dog (1935), and would continue to play the attorney/detective in The Case of the Lucky Legs and The Case of the Velvet Claws, it's this second outing that all classic film addicts are anxious to view, chiefly because it marks the Hollywood debut of Errol Flynn.Actually, although Errol's role is important, it's also quite small. He doesn't speak but appears very briefly in a flashback. It's Warren William who steals all the limelight and is given all the brightest lines. With the exception of Olin Howland, the other characters are in the movie simply to supply William with "business"—and this being an "A" production—plenty of it. Even the title heroine, nicely played by Margaret Lindsay, disappears for most of the action. We also see very little of Della Street. It's Mason who makes things happen all the way, as he strides through the vast backlot and studio sets at a frantic pace, trading verbal blows right, left and center.The speed of the narrative is ingeniously reinforced by a snappy quick-zoom/focus-out editing style (which was picked up in a popular TV series 20 years later). Other credits are likewise highly professional, but, despite all this cinematic dexterity, I feel the movie tends to outstay its welcome. The plot is too thin, and Lindsay's dilemma is not made sufficiently dramatic.

This is the best of Warren William's performances as Perry Mason, well directed by Michael Curtiz. This is nothing like the PM you've seen from Raymond Burr, and not exactly like the PM in the books, either.many scenes are hilarious, the french accent and the onion scene being prime examples. Olin Howland as the coroner is priceless.