The Case of the Lucky Legs

Summary

The Case of the Lucky Legs is a 1935 mystery film, the third in a series of Perry Mason films starring Warren William as the famed lawyer.

The Case of the Lucky Legs
Theatrical release poster
Directed byArchie Mayo
Written byJerome Chodorov (adaptation)
Brown Holmes
Ben Markson
Based onThe Case of the Lucky Legs
1934 novel
by Erle Stanley Gardner
Produced byHenry Blanke
StarringWarren William
Genevieve Tobin
Patricia Eills
Lyle Talbot
CinematographyTony Gaudio
Edited byJames Gibbon
Music byLeo F. Forbstein
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • October 5, 1935 (1935-10-05)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot edit

 
Genevieve Tobin, Warren William and Patricia Ellis in The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935)

Margie Clune wins the "Lucky Legs" beauty contest concocted by Frank Patton, but has trouble collecting her $1,000 prize when the promoter skips town. It turns out it is all a scam he has pulled before. When he later turns up stabbed to death, she is a strong suspect.

Cast edit

Critical reception edit

Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene praised the film as "an admirable film" sadly partnered as makeweight to I Give My Heart (a film Greene characterized as appalling). Comparing the character of Perry Mason to other similar fictional detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Lord Peter Wimsey, Charlie Chan, and those created by William Powell, Greene concludes that Mason is his favorite film detective because he is a more genuine creation and recommends the film as "good Mason if not good detection".[1]

Home media edit

On October 23, 2012, Warner Home Video released the film on DVD in Region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection alongside The Case of the Howling Dog, The Case of the Curious Bride, The Case of the Velvet Claws, The Case of the Black Cat and The Case of the Stuttering Bishop in a set entitled Perry Mason: The Original Warner Bros. Movies Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US.

"The Case of the Lucky Legs" was remade for the Perry Mason (1957 TV series), Season three; episode 10, first shown December 19, 1959.

References edit

  1. ^ Greene, Graham (31 January 1936). "The Case of the Lucky Legs/Charlie Chan in Shanghai". The Spectator. (reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome. pp. 48–49. ISBN 0192812866.)

External links edit