The Case of the Stuttering Bishop

The Case of the Stuttering Bishop is a 1937 American mystery film directed by William Clemens and starring Donald Woods as Perry Mason and Ann Dvorak as Della Street, his secretary. Edward McWade plays the role of stuttering Bishop William Mallory. It is the sixth and final film in the Warner Bros. Perry Mason series. It is based on the novel The Case of the Stuttering Bishop by Erle Stanley Gardner.

Plot

Perry is asked by an Australian Bishop to take the case of a woman who was falsely accused of manslaughter 22 years ago. During his investigations Perry gets involved in another murder for which Ida, the woman he is supposed to free, gets arrested.

Cast

Donald Woods as Perry Mason
Ann Dvorak as Della Street
Anne Nagel as Janice Alma Brownley
Linda Perry as Janice Seaton
Craig Reynolds as Gordon Bixler
Gordon Oliver as Philip Brownley
Joseph Crehan as Paul Drake
Helen MacKellar as Stella Kenwood
Edward McWade as Bishop William Mallory
Tom Kennedy as Jim Magooney
Mira McKinney as Ida Gilbert
Frank Faylen as Charlie Downs
Douglas Wood as Renald C. Brownley
Veda Ann Borg as Gladys
George Lloyd as Peter Sacks
Selmer Jackson as Victor Stockton
Charles Wilson as Hamilton Burger

Cultural references

In September 1937, Warner Bros. produced the Looney Tunes cartoon, The Case of the Stuttering Pig, featuring Porky Pig. Although a lawyer figures in the story, the cartoon has no relationship to the Warner Bros. Perry Mason feature that inspired its clever title.

Home media

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 Lucky Legs, The Case of the Velvet Claws and The Case of the Black Cat in a set entitled Perry Mason: The Original Warner Bros. Movies Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the United States.