The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936)

Director:

William Clemens

Writers:

Erle Stanley Gardner (story)
Tom Reed (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 August 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

Plot:

Perry and Della are finally married by his old friend, Judge Mary. They plan to go on a honeymoon, but before it can start...

Plot Keywords:

Honeymoon | Murder | Perry Mason | Judge | Attorney

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Warren William	...	Perry Mason
Claire Dodd	...	Della Street Mason
Wini Shaw	...	Mrs.Eva Belter, aka Eva Stuart (as Winifred Shaw)
Bill Elliott	...	Carl Griffin (in credits) / Carl Griffen (in newspaper) (as Gordon Elliott)
Joe King	...	George C. Belter (as Joseph King)
Addison Richards	...	Frank Locke, an alias of Cecil Dawson
Eddie Acuff	...	Spudsy Drake
Olin Howland	...	Wilbur Strong
Dick Purcell	...	Crandal
Kenneth Harlan	...	Peter Milnor, aka Mr. Garwood
Clara Blandick	...	Judge Mary F. O'Daugherty
Ruth Robinson	...	Mrs. Veite
Paula Stone	...	Norma Veite
Robert Middlemass	...	Police Sergeant Hoffman
Stuart Holmes	...	Digley, Belter's butler

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Vitaphone)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #2157)

Company:

First National Pictures

Trivia:

Alma Lloyd in the role of Helen Berkely and William B. Davidson are in studio records/casting call lists as cast members, but neither appears in the movie.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Bill Elliott's character name is spelled "Carl Griffin" in the credits, but a newspaper report spells it "Carl Griffen".

Quotes:

Perry Mason: Tell me who's the real owner of this blackmail rag and maybe we can make a trade.
Frank Locke, an alias of Cecil Dawson: Do you smoke it or take it in the arm? I'm the owner!

Movie Connections:

Version of "Perry Mason: The Case of the Velvet Claws (#6.22)" (1963)

Hear that sound? It's Erle Stanley Gardner turning in his grave

"The Case of the Velvet Claws," made in 1936, is a Perry Mason mystery that has Della and Perry as newlyweds starting off on their honeymoon. In the TV series, and even more in the TV movies later on, there was always that unspoken love between Della and Perry - and no one knew what went on after office hours. In real life, Erle Stanley Gardner married his secretary Jeanne right before he died, I suppose so she could inherit. So in some sense, the Perry-Della thing was modeled on his real life.

The two don't get to start their honeymoon because a woman (Wini Shaw) kidnaps Perry at gunpoint. She pays him $5000 to make sure a story about to be published in a tabloid about a politician doesn't come out - because it's about him and a woman, and she's the woman. Perry later finds out she's the wife of the owner of the paper! When the owner is found dead, Perry's own client blames him for the murder.

Warren William gives his usual lighthearted, devil my care performance. Even though his portrayal has nothing to do with Perry Mason, he's a riot. Instead of Paul Drake, he has some sort of an assistant named Spudsy Drake. The exotic-looking Winifred Shaw brings class and spark to her character. Who can forget her "Lullaby of Broadway" opening in "The Gold Diggers of 1935?" She had a very special quality. For some reason, her career died. Probably Warners failed to pick up her option in 1939. A shame.

I enjoy these films, but don't confuse them with Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason. He hated these movies.