Having seen one of Warren Williams' other Perry Mason films, I wasn't all that excited about seeing his first from the series, THE CASE OF THE HOWLING DOG. However, to my surprise, this film was exceptional for a B-detective film--with a very good plot, characters and acting. It was very different from the later "lady killer" Perry Mason films--and frankly, making Mason competent and not just a perv chasing skirts was a good idea.The film begins with a very convoluted encounter Mason has with a really bizarre client who is whining about some "barking dog". None of it makes much sense, even to Perry and the viewers are supposed to be confused. Later, however, all this actually makes a lot of sense. And in an interesting twist, Perry is very willing to help a woman beat a murder rap--even when she really is guilty! This isn't as bad as it sounds, as she has very good reason to kill the jerk! Warren William's character is more subtle and competent than in the later films. In later films, helping out clients is far less important than cooking and bedding women! A very good example of a well-made B movie.

The first of six Warner Brothers mountings (the first of four with Warren William as Erle Stanley Gardner's charismatic investigating attorney, Perry Mason), it is frequently held to be the least of the series, but that's probably too harsh a judgment. It still merits rediscovery by anyone fond of the famous character or stylish 30's mysteries. Warren William is a fine first draft for the character TV would take to its heart two decades later.Many sources look at the other great detective series which were springing up in the 1930's from Dashiel Hammett's Nick & Nora Charles (in the popular THE THIN MAN series) to Earl Derr Biggers' Charlie Chan (the second longest running film series ever!) almost as fast as print authors could create new characters - THE CASE OF THE HOWLING DOG went before the cameras barely a year after Mason first hit print - and find the Warners' PERRY MASON series fairly light weight.In truth the series only managed six episodes, with Ricardo Cortez and Donald Woods succeeding William for the final two films. This sort of programmer mystery frequently only ran slightly over an hour and would almost certainly have been done as series television two decades later. The character WAS the basis for a long running daily 15 minute radio series before CBS put Raymond Burr in the role of his career for a marathon run starting in the 1950's and inspired more than two generations of actual attorneys.THE CASE OF THE HOWLING DOG (and the later Warners' Mason films) had the decided advantage of being drawn with some faithfulness from actual Gardner novels. That was one of the chief distinctions as well as one of the weaknesses of this "...DOG;" some confusion over wives among the wealthy and a dog that may or may not be howling in the night. A large portion of the film is given over to novel-like exposition giving the background of the characters and the dispute which will provide the courtroom fireworks in the last 15 to 20 minutes of the film where Perry Mason shows the style he is famous for.Mason has an enormous office in this one (Raymond Burr's Mason would have been jealous) as well as the basic support staff Gardner created which would stay in various forms through all the later Perry Mason incarnations - secretary Della Street (in the Warner Brothers' series her unrequited love would eventually be returned) and Detective Trask among others.Tall, thin Warren William with his pencil mustache (also a striking Sam Spade in the second film version of Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon" called Satan MET A LADY) made a fine Perry Mason. Some commentators fault the series for allowing the writers and directors (a different one for each of the six films) to vary the "character" of Mason too much over the three years the series ran, but for the first four films the inherent dignity and intelligence of William proved a foundation almost as interesting as the firm one Burr would provide twenty years later. (Did this actor *ever* look young or innocent? William's craggy visage has even more sophisticated "danger" in it than the today better remembered Humprey Bogart!) The style on this specific Perry Mason entry carries the substance, but the substance is good enough. Give it a look if you can.

Plot Spoiler Follows - Read at your own Risk ** * * * This is the infamous "Perry has a Guilty Client" story. It is based on the FIRST Perry Mason Story and Perry is not yet the character we are used to (he is still willing to cut corners to defend his clients - a habit he loses in later books when he defended them but did not create fake evidence or tamper with existing evidence).If you can find the movie or the book, do so and enjoy the original version of Perry Mason.

Don't expect a Raymond Burr type performance. If you like a fun movie short and sweet check this one out. Also the other Perry Mason ones. A good series to watch. I give this one 3 stars. Thanks-AMC+TCM and all those others who put these little gems on for all of us.