Perry Mason vs. the paranormal

Lately I've been binge-watching the old Perry Mason TV series, which started in 1957 and continued until 1966. Right now I'm on season five, which seems to be the last one offered for free on Amazon Prime, so it's probably the last one I'll watch. Given that there are roughly thirty episodes per season, I will have watched 150 episodes, more or less, which is probably plenty, inasmuch as all the episodes follow the same formula.

I do like it, though. There are a lot of great guest stars, some of whom had previously made a name for themselves in 1950s (or earlier) cinema and a few of whom were yet to become stars. The writing is generally good, and Raymond Burr really is the perfect Perry Mason. I say this, having watched several Perry Mason movies from the 1930s featuring other actors who did not fill the bill nearly as well as Burr did. (We had Warren William as a drunken playboy Mason, Ricardo Cortez as Perry Mason with an accent, etc.)

All of this is a lead-in to an episode in season five called "The Case of the Meddling Medium," which deals with the paranormal in an unusually intelligent and well-informed way. If you have Amazon Prime, you may want to take a look at it.

For one thing, it involves the well-known parapsychologist Dr. Andrija Puharich (yes, Dr. — he was an MD), probably best remembered for his championship of Uri Geller's psychic abilities. In 1962, Puharich had yet to meet Geller, but he was already a prominent figure in the field, and he shows up in the episode playing himself. In fact, he hosts Perry Mason and perennial adversary Hamilton Burger in his parapsychology laboratory, where (spoiler alert!) he proves Perry's client innocent.

 The principal cast members gather in what is purported to be Puharich's laboratory. 

What's most interesting about the episode is it doesn't develop in the way you would expect. The medium introduced in the opening sequence turns out to be a fraud, who puts on a fake Madame Blavatsky-type accent. This is predictable enough. A little later, a fellow who wants to con his relatives pretends to have developed a talent for automatic writing.

But at the end, we're given to believe that one of the characters actually does have a small but measurable ESP talent, which accounts for some of her behavior.

In general, the episode takes a skeptical look at mediumship and the idea of communicating with the deceased, but is far more open to ESP, which is treated as a proper subject of scientific inquiry.

Moreover, screenwriter Samuel Newman took the trouble to learn something about the basic terminology of the field. The (fake) medium who handles people's personal items in order to divine things about their deceased donors is properly described as a "psychometric medium." (Well, maybe she should be a psychometric psychic, but whatever …)  The terms automatic writing and Spiritualist are used correctly, and the procedures in a parapsychology lab of that period – including a Faraday box – seem to be accurately reproduced, perhaps in part because of Dr. Puharich's participation. It's possible that Samuel Newman had a legitimate interest in this area. Unlike many of the earlier Mason shows, this one isn't based on an Erle Stanley Gardner novel, which makes me wonder if Mr. Newman didn't come up with the idea in order to indulge his interest in parapsychology — and to give the show a rare opportunity to employ some horror-movie atmospherics. 

The episode ends, as most of Perry Mason's adventures do, with a confession from the "real killer," this time not in a courtroom but in Mr. Puharich's laboratory. As a story, it's no better than average, but the parapsychology elements make it worth a watch. If you have Amazon Prime, you can see it for free: Perry Mason, "The Case of the Meddling Medium." Take a look.

By the way,  if you want to see what is (in my opinion) the best movie ever made about mediumship, check out Séance on a Wet Afternoon. It's not particularly pro-paranormal, though it does include a police detective who is — at least according to his own statement — a member of the Society for Psychical Research, but it's a brilliant movie with great performances.

Comments

[Virginia Eaton]

I've long beeen an admirer of Séance on a Wet Afternoon!

[Matt Rouge]

Interesting! I have added the movie you suggested to my IMDb watchlist.

[James A. Conrad]

The Perry Mason episode originally aired on Saturday, October 21, 1961 ten days before Halloween. It's possible they ordered a paranormal episode because another CBS network show, The Twilight Zone, was doing well in the ratings. TZ aired on Fridays. One Step Beyond had earlier ended in July of 1961. I'll check this Perry Mason episode out. I like these old shows. I'd also like to call to your attention an episode of the half-hour comedy The Ghost & Mrs Muir titled "The Ghost Hunter" (12 Oct 1968). It featured pre-Incredible Hulk Bill Bixby as a serious parapsychologist, though obviously in a humorous story.

[Melissa]

Perry Mason is also on METV channel almost everyday. I never watched it until now and am enjoying it. I will look for this episode.

[David Chilstrom]

I watched the Perry Mason episode and found it peculiar that they were testing the defendant for psychic ability (esp particularly) rather than the ability to enter into a trance state, which is what they were allegedly seeking to confirm. Like so many portrayals of mediumship in popular media, the alleged mediums are crude phonies. How much more interesting to see a less ham handed treatment of the phenomenon.

While in Prime Video, I came across an excellent documentary called Life to Afterlife: I died, now what? It features a who’s who group of mediums in a question and answer format and gives an accurate view into their beliefs and experiences.

[Anthony McCarthy]

You should check out the radio dramas by Katie Hims, a series of five called "Listening To The Dead" on Archive dot org. They are excellent and quite recent. Katie Hims is a fine playwright.

[James Oeming]

Thank you for yet another high-quality blog post, Michael. :)