The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

Foyle’s War Television Mystery Series

When Inspector Morse stopped production, Foyle’s War was to be its ITV short-term replacement. However, since it was such a huge success, more seasons were made. (Lucky for us!)

The series takes place in England during WWII. Foyle (played by Michael Kitchen) is a British police detective during the early 1940s who does not want to work as a civilian detective. He is forced to remain a non-military detective. His assignment is to work the crimes not deemed of a military nature, and he excels at this job he doesn’t particularly want.

Foyle does not drive, making it necessary for him to have an assigned driver – enter Honeysuckle Weeks (as Sam – as in Samantha.) Anthony Howell plays Foyle’s sergeant – a man wounded in the war >>> both emotionally & physically. The acting is terrific!~

Foyle’s War series takes place in quaint British villages – however, the devastation of WWII is apparent. Large stately mansions have been converted into hospitals for the troops, cobblestone streets wind through bombed-out sections of villages, it is not all cozy, quaint, and picturesque.

Michael Kitchen displays his pensive & expressive facial mannerisms, which is normal fare for him. Honeysuckle Weeks is too adorable for words. The productions are far superior to most US detective shows, the ambiance, settings, wardrobe, hair styles (especially Sam’s) are exactly what I would expect of the time and location of the series.

Anthony Horowitz both created and wrote scripts for the Foyle’s War series. Horowitz is responsible for writing other British series: Bravo to him!

The only negative I have about the show is when WWII ends. Why mess with perfection? I know I am in the decided minority on this, though. Even though Christopher Foyle didn’t want to investigate civilian crimes during WWII, I wanted him to so!

For more movie and television show recommendations, visit the TV and Movies page on my site.

As of this post, Foyle’s War is available on Acorn.

Perry Mason Television Show from the 1950s & 1960s

Every once in a while I watch a television show that I feel I absolutely have got to tell you about. The classic Perry Mason TV show is one of those shows.

My husband and I started watching this show a couple of months ago on Amazon Prime. (I’ll talk about its cancellation down at the bottom of this blog entry.) We had both seen several of the shows years ago – since they seem to have been in syndication for years and years and years! When I was in high school and college, I remember catching a show every once in a while. 

Getting back to this great television legal crime show…

For those of you who never channel-hopped and found one of these gems, Perry Mason is a defense attorney who is so good at his job that when he introduces himself, people almost fawn over him. Because of his terrific notoriety, doors are opened to him. He’s able to talk to almost every suspect, and what’s even better than that, they talk back to him!

For my husband and me, the fact that this show only deals with that week’s particular crime, and doesn’t rely on being a soap opera of sorts, is a bonus. The crime and legal case are the highlights of the show. I have to admit that now that we are watching the series chronologically, I have noticed what a tight bond exists between Perry and his absolutely phenomenal secretary (more like a paralegal to me), Della Street. Perry is played by Raymond Burr, and I can’t imagine anyone else who could portray him better! As a fan of old black and white movies, I see what a 180° change this role is from the bad-guy roles Burr usually played in those movies. (I absolutely love seeing Raymond Burr smile in these shows – very unlike his previous enforcer/bully roles.)

As for Della Street, Barbara Hale is perfect! I know I mentioned no soap-opera storyline, but Della and Perry always seem like they are so perfectly connected that it leaves me wondering about their off-duty relationship. (My husband has heard me talk about this many times, but he knows that it isn’t important to the show, so he just sits through my speculations…) Perry doesn’t seem to have to instruct Della on what to do because she already knows (through telepathy?) what he wants to be done.

William Hopper (aka Paul Drake) is the private detective who Perry trusts to get the background scoops. Drake seems to stop at nothing to get the information Perry needs in order to get his clients acquitted. Drake has connections throughout the country and he puts a lot of mileage on his car driving all over California in order to track down leads and histories.

Most of Perry’s cases are against District Attorney Hamilton Burger. William Talman manages to portray Burger as a very capable and smart lawyer who, unfortunately, goes up against Perry on a rather regular basis. My husband and I have seen Burger actually change his mind about the accused person and almost join Perry in order to put the real culprit in prison. William Talman portrayed Burger as a very honest man.

Ray Collins starred as the homicide detective who almost seemed to follow Perry and Paul from one crime scene to the next.  As the lead detective, Lt. Tragg doggedly pursued Perry’s clients. As you will see (if you watch the shows), Perry isn’t above putting incriminating evidence in his pocket before trying to leave the scene of a crime. However, even before the days of GPS or social media, Lt. Tragg seems to magically appear just as Perry is exiting the scene. (These accidental encounters usually bring a smile to my face.)

Perry Mason is the creation of Erle Stanley Gardner. He was a prolific author and self-taught lawyer. Gardner’s Perry Mason novels were published during the 1930s to 1970s. Gardner also managed to write other series but Perry Mason was his most popular. (Take a look at the Erle Stanley Garner page on my site to see his list of books.)

I strongly recommend the 1950s/1960s Perry Mason TV series starring Raymond Burr. Unfortunately, CBS is the owner of the rights, and they have pulled the series from Amazon Prime – (I’m guessing) in an attempt to get subscribers for their streaming channel. This is something my husband and I do not plan to do! The CBS streaming includes advertisement interruptions in their shows unless you are willing to pay a premium for not having ads. Also, I am not crazy about the idea of every channel charging for their streaming – why can’t they leave shows on the actual channels? So we ended up buying the entire boxed set series. My husband (aka as one of my “tech guys” – along with my son) had to reconnect our DVD player, but after a couple of weeks without Perry, Della, Paul, Burger, and Lt. Tragg – it sure was good to reconnect! 😀 

Also, I understand that there will be a new HBO Perry Mason series. I wonder if the shows will just focus on the legal aspects or if it will be soap-opera-ized…

P.S. As someone who has watched a whole lot of Star Trek TV series over the years, I am also sorry CBS has added them to their only-on-our-streaming- service channel. 🙁 

After Henry, British TV Show

Since I’m telling you about this very good half hour show on the Cozy Mystery site, I better “warn you” that it’s not a mystery. However, it is written by one of the best mystery writers of our time: Simon Brett. (That’s right, the same Simon Brett whose 1987 Charles Paris mystery – What Bloody Man Is That? is on the Crime Writers’ Association – Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time list!)

A lot of you are already familiar with one (or more) of Simon Brett’s mystery series: Fethering Mystery Series, Charles Paris Mystery Series, Mrs. Pargeter Mystery Series, or his Blotto and Twinks Mystery Series  – not to mention his stand alone books.

My husband and I started watching After Henry (a British half hour sitcom with a lot of heart) not knowing Simon Brett had written a book by that title (After Henry), nor did we know that he wrote all the episodes in this terrrific four season TV series.

After Henry stars the fantastic Prunella Scales (Miss Mapp in the Mapp & Lucia television series and Sybil Fawlty, long-suffering wife from Fawlty Towers) as Sarah. Sarah, a widow, lives in a multi-floor house with her mother (phenomenally played  by Joan Sanderson) and her young adult daughter (more terrific acting by Janine Wood). The “catch” is that they all live on their own floor – in their own apartments, but Sarah is barely ever alone! Unfortunately Sarah is sandwiched between the top floor’s daughter and her mother in the bottom floor. This all leaves Sarah with more of a caretaker’s duties – dutily taking care of her mother as well as pampering her daughter.

The chemistry between the three women is really touching – as well as humorous. Sarah works in a small, cozy bookstore that specializes in rare books. Russell, her boss (played perfectly by Jonathan Newth) often finds himself listening to Sarah’s family problems, and lending her advice on how to deal with the frustrations she has to endure. Sarah’s mother often visits the bookshop, so Russell sees first-hand what Sarah is up against! The rapport between Russell and Sarah’s mother is terrific. Russell sort of plays along – while knowing what the situation really is… which is a lot different than Sarah’s mother sees it.

After Henry aired from 1988 to 1992 and is set during that time frame. All three characters have their own well-furnished apartment/floor and as I mentioned before, the bookshop is very Cozy. This “sitcom” harkens back to that time >>> I find myself telling my husband that some of Sarah’s outfits look like those I wore while teaching school. (That’s really beside the point!)

I strongly recommend After Henry. It’s not a mystery but it sure is good!

P.S. My husband and I are watching this series on Acorn TV.

For more Cozy viewing ideas, click on my Cozy Mystery TV & Movies page.

Wallace & Gromit, Creature Comforts, Shaun the Sheep, & Chicken Run – Fun Family (Non-Mystery) Movies

I am so looking forward to seeing “Early Man” – a claymation movie which is being advertised all over. So, with that in mind, forgive me for going (again!) off the Cozy Mystery topic. I enjoy these movies so much that I have decided to tell you all about some of these movies that I definitely recommend for those of you who may enjoy the “inner child” type of movies.

OK, I admit it. I love the Wallace & Gromit movies. Yes, I know they’re made for children… but they’re also made for adults like me. They are all made with “claymation”. I believe this is achieved through modeling the clay figures & then filming, stopping to model figures again, stopping, etc. I don’t insist on knowing how they are made, I just know I like the results!

Nick Park is the man to thank for all of these delightful movies/television shows. Park is both the creator and animator of these projects:

Wallace & Gromit: If you don’t already know them, let me introduce you to them. Wallace is an “ideas man” and a gadgets-inventor as well as a cheese lover of major proportions. He invents wildly complicated contraptions to solve some very uncomplicated and easy tasks. Wallace’s companion is Gromit, his incredibly loyal, devoted, and very smart dog. If Gromit wasn’t around, it is unlikely that Wallace would be either! Gromit is continuously getting Wallace out of trouble.

Wallace & Gromit in Three Amazing Adventures is a series of three half hour episodes. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a 48 minute movie.

Chicken Run: Hmm… How can I describe this terrific, full-length movie? I guess, just saying “it’s fun” may not be enough… A quick synopsis: Mrs. Tweedy is the mean owner of a chicken farm. The egg-producing chickens decide Mrs. Tweedy is simply too mean – so they stage a prison (or rather a coop!) escape. (A warning for parents of little children – a claymation chicken is killed in the production of this film.)

 Creature Comforts: I love the British version of these shows. It’s a show that gives me a kick. (My husband, however, thinks the show was fun at the beginning, but that it got a little repetitive.) It’s all done in the style of a documentary, with animals giving their opinions. Apparently they interviewed people and then made the cutest claymation animal figures to go along with the sound-track. Even animals you wouldn’t think of as cute are transformed to delightfully colorful interviewees. (These are award-winning shows.) I should add however, that since we own the discs, I am able to watch a little at a time, and not feel like I have to watch all the mini-episodes at one time.

Nick Park also created Shaun, the Sheep, which is yet another very fun romp to watch! My husband and I are (slowly) making our way through this fun series.

For more movie and television show recommendations, visit the page on my site: TV and Movies.

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