"I don't believe anything I can't make a jury believe."
--Perry Mason, in The Case of the Howling Dog.
Erle Stanley Gardner's The Case of the Howling Dog was published in 1933,the fourth of his astonishing 373 books, and was snapped up by Warner Brothers for a film. The film was directed by Alan Crosland and starred Warren William. Crosland had a considerable career in silent films but made only a few sound films before dying in 1936. William was something of a star in the pre-code films of the early thirties playing rakish womanizers but is largely forgotten today, except by those of us who watch Turner Classic Movies; William died in 1948 at the age of 53 after appearing in Albert Lewin's marvelous The Private Affairs of Bel Ami in 1947.
The somewhat sleazy William is closer to the Mason portrayed in Gardner's books than the avuncular Raymond Burr of TV fame. The Case of the Howling Dog film follows the novel fairly closely, with Mason indulging in some ethically dubious chicanery to get his client, Bessie Foley,(played by Mary Astor), off. Mason has a huge staff, anchored by the reliable Della Street (played by Helen Tremholme), with whom he flirts and, eventually, kisses. The suggestion is, as in the original novel, that Mrs. Foley deserved to get off because her husband, who she was accused of killing, was a louse who betrayed her numerous times and had his dog attack her.
Crosland and cinematographer William Reese brought a crisp visual style to what was essentially a B film, with a running time of 76 minutes; as Perry Mason moved the camera moved with him, giving one the feeling that one was right beside him as he investigated the case of the howling dog.
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