Growing up, I always wanted to be a writer—well, at least since third grade when I wrote a Halloween story. Despite everything I learned in school before college on how to write a story, I felt that I was missing a huge key to unlock how to write. I found this key –at least the seed that could blossom in my mind—in a chance encounter in the campus library. I didn’t run in to Mr. Gardner, the prolific and best selling author of Perry Mason and many other novels, or any other great author. I ran into a book, sitting on a shelf by a bunch of other books on writing. The spine gave the main title: “The Secrets of the World’s Best-Selling Writer.” Dubiously I pulled it from the shelf and then my eyes must have grown to the size of small moons as the front cover gave the secondary title “The Story Telling Techniques of Erle Stanley Gardner.”
I grew up on the Perry Mason TV show and I had read a lot, but not all of the more than 80 Perry Mason Novels. When I saw the title, I had to check the book out. When I finished reading it, I combed the used books stores to buy a copy (as it was already out of print by the time I read it.) Unlike many other books on writing that I have read before and since that moment, this book was written directly from an examination of the plotting notebooks, the notes, and the diaries that Mr. Gardner left behind. The book documents his struggles and his life, not just how he wrote.
Mr. Gardner’s notes made it clear that as an early writer, he was determined to turn his mind in to a plot machine—which was my goal as well when I discovered the book. To do this, he actually created a plot machine that he played with until his mind did exactly what the machine did. The plot machine was only a bunch of circle cut outs that had a spinner and plot elements on it. After playing with it and a few other elements (which I may blog about at another time) his mind was able to create the twisting plots.
The plot machine cardboard wheels consisted of nine circles, each answering a question.It was these nine questions that he used to plot out (most) of his 154 novels that he wrote under a variety of pen names. These questions were written to write murder mysteries, but they can easily be changed to fit any genre. The nine wheels, thus the nine questions that he used (and that I use as part of my plotting method) are:
1. The act of primary villainy
2. Motivation for the act of villainy: Villain resorts to crime because of desire for (“Note difference between a static and cumulative motivation. Better wherever possible to start with a departure from a cumulative murder motivation—gradually, inexorably, forced to a murder motivation.” Erle Stanley Gardner)
3. The villain’s cover-up: Having committed the act of villainy, the villain tries to conceal it or escape consequences, or to help carry out motive by
4. Complications which arise during and after the cover-up: In trying 3 or afterward, villain is confronted by complications incurred through
5.The hero’s contact with the act of villainy: The Hero contacts an but not necessarily theact of villainy either by chance or by deliberation
6. Further complications and character conflicts: When conflict has been joined and hero comes in contact with villainy there are certain complicating circumstances which make for character conflicts and story
7. Suspense through hero’s mistakes: The complications become involved with the suspense element
8. Villain further attempts to escape: Villain feeling net closing about him tries to escape by some further act which points to a more exciting dramatic climax when carried through
9. Hero sets solution factors in motion or traps villain.
The plot machine looks easy, but it isn’t. Nor, is it the end of how Mr. Gardner pulled his plots together. It is only one huge cog in his method that drove the rest.
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
While this is the last of the original Perry Mason series, I would not call it the strongest episode. This final fade out plays some things fast and loose with an interesting guest cast cast, and some very staged production shots.
Still, this is a satisfying ending to a classic series which established court room drama for many other series to come. Raymond Burr's Mason is a little calmer in this episode. He doesn't seem on his mark in grilling witnesses in the court room. William Talman's Hamilton Burger is in good form.
The story is OK though not one of the best scripts in the series. The biggest surprise to me is Denver Pyle who seems to be totally different in this role as one of the two murder victims. It is his face I recognized as he used a different voice in this episode.
William Hopper and Barbara Hale are in decent form here though it appears Paul Drake has little to do in this episode. Still, you can feel that this is a send off for a wrap party after the shoot. Estelle Windwood who would go on to live to be 101, was already around 80 and looks it here.
In a way, Dick Clark plays a shifty middle level movie executive. While the shifty is out of character for him, the executive type is not far from his emcee persona. Still, this is one of the few times that you find Clark being an actor instead of himself, the host.
It would be another successful Ironside series before Raymond Burr would get back into the Mason character. Long before that happens, both William Hopper and William Talman would be dead. This episode is an appropriate way to bid them a fond farewell.
Note: I wonder if Erle Stanley Garner played the judge, either in this or another episode: