The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Such a frustrating disappointment

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

I think the writer of this Perry Mason story was either stoned or insane! After all, I can't think of any other excuse for such a strange and disjointed plot. When the story begins, Perry Mason is inexplicably marrying Della Street, his secretary! If this isn't hard enough to believe, Perry is kidnapped on his honeymoon by an armed woman. She later kills her husband and blames Perry...which makes little sense since Della witnessed the armed Mrs. Belter kidnap him in the first place. When the police show up at Mason's apartment looking to arrest him, his wife inexplicably says she has no idea where he is and acts as if he is a womanizer!! Does any of this makes sense? Not in the least.If this sort of stuff sounds nothing like the TV version of Perry Mason, you're right. In many ways, the Perry Mason movies with Warren William make the character more like the smarty pants rogue he generally played in other films. Plus, unlike the TV Perry, this one is a crime fighter versus a lawyer who spends all his time in court. Now this isn't to say the films are bad...though, unfortunately, "The Case of the Velvet Claws" IS....as it makes no sense at all and just frustrated me.

I saw this together with another Perry Mason film from the very same year. They could not be more different.The other film leveraged the detective genre and the Gardner formula. It used the twists, the detective and the trial as intended.This one is more of a Thin Man clone: banter, silliness. It has Perry as simply a detective. There is a twist, and it could have been very effective. (The person accused and protected by Mason believes she is the killer and tries to frame Mason.) But it gets lost in the attempt at entertainment of a different kind. I think what happened is that Warner decided to change their approach after this and get back to what makes Perry work.On the relationship with the audience, there is an implied link when Perry addresses a jury; that link has him directly speaking to us. In this one, that is gone and the relationship with the viewer is established in a more theatrical way: they act silly and we are supposed to giggle.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

"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.

Most films from the mid 1930's interest me and I can limply accept them as films of the past and B grade films. However, Warren William,(Perry Mason),"The Wolf Man",'41, acted like a complete clown, with a Top Hat and tucks and a very dizzy wife along with some simple minded criminals. One of the criminals tells his victim, "Since you put me in your will, please stand here so I can kill you, is this the correct spot?" There is a good possibility that I am spoiled by the Perry Mason TV series starring Raymond Burr, and all his great supporting cast. This film sadly disappointed me and I am quite sure this gem of the thirties, was shown in the local movie houses along with several cartoons, newsreel features and another B picture to go along with IT.