Cinema Sunday: The Case of the Lucky Legs

Today, Cinema Sunday goes back in time all the way to freaking 1935 for what is the shortest movie written about in this weekly feature. 

Clocking in at a mere 77 minutes long is  The Case of the Lucky Legs, one of a series of Perry Mason films starring Warren William as the famed lawyer.

Margie Clune wins the "Lucky Legs" beauty contest concocted by Frank Patton but ol' Frankie done her wrong, skipping town without paying her the $1,000 prize.  

Margie tracks down the no good no account cheater but damn! Somebody done stabbed him to death and Margie's looking like a prime suspect.

But Margie ain't the only dame with gorgeous gams he's conned so there is no shortage of other candidates of whodunit.

Enter Perry Mason.  

Now all I know of Perry Mason are some barely remembered reruns of the old TV show starring Raymond Burr as the titular barrister.  I recall this version of Perry Mason being a more serious, stoic figure. 

Not so much with Warren William. His Perry Mason is glib, a fast talker, almost as much con man as lawyer as he manipulates all the players in this tale of murder and deception.  Perry is not only manipulating the suspects (of which there are many) but the police who seem to think Perry is up to something shady and perhaps has something to do with this murder. 

The cops are not that smart.  

But Perry Mason is pretty much smarter than everyone else in the movie.  The Case of the Lucky Legs plays broadly towards a more comedic direction, an urbane and quick witted mystery more in line with 1934's The Thin Man.   

More than holding her on with Warren William's Perry Mason is Genevieve Tobin as Della Street. Part of the plot involves Perry being anywhere but in his office so Della holds down the fort with a brassy attitude and a sharp tongue, keeping her cool against a parade of cops and nogoodniks looking to corner Perry Mason in his office.  

There's a running bit where Perry complains to anyone who listens that his doctor has him on a special diet. Perry circumvents this by eating other people's food.  

The "It's That Guy Who Was In That Thing" Dept:  

• Lyle Talbot (Dr. Bob Doray) would go on to portray Commissioner Gordon in the 1949 Batman & Robin movie serial and Lex Luthor in the Atom Man vs. Superman serial from 1950. Talbott would also get conned into working for Ed Wood in 1953's Glen or Glenda AND 1957's  Plan 9 from Outer Space.  

It is astonishing how much stuff there is in a movie that is only 77 minutes long.  The plot moves fast and the dialogue moves faster. When Perry reveals the true murderer at the end, it feels like a done deal. There's no sense of wishing the producers had spent more time with anything. The Case of the Lucky Legs moves fast but it doesn't feel rushed. 

Next week, Cinema Sunday moves from a really, really short movie to a really, really long one as we ponder the Technicolor wonder that is My Fair Lady.