Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel (1987) (TV)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Christian I. Nyby II

Writers:

Erle Stanley Gardner (characters)
Anthony Spinner (written by)

Release Date:

15 November 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Perry is sueing a gutter trash newspaper that is running a story about a love affair between him and Della...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Perry Mason | Courtroom | Sequel | Character Name In Title

Cast

Morgan Brittany	...	Marianne Clayman
Raymond Burr	...	Perry Mason
Eugene Butler	...	Nick Moretti
René Enríquez	...	Oscar Ortega (as Rene Enriquez)
George Grizzard	...	Dr. Clayman
Robert Guillaume	...	Harlan Wade
Barbara Hale	...	Della Street
Wiley Harker	...	Cyril Enright
Wings Hauser	...	Capt. James Rivers
Dennis Hayden	...	The Animal
William Katt	...	Paul Drake Jr.
Dan Kopper	...	Rick Conner
Yaphet Kotto	...	General Sorenson
Philip LeStrange	...	Collier Jennings (as Phillip Le Strange)
Pat Mahoney	...	Colonel Macauley (as Patrick Mahoney)
James McEachin	...	Harry Forbes (as James Mc Eachin)
Ed O'Brien	...	Lt. Peter Donahue
Ben Slack	...	Frank Peterson
David Ogden Stiers	...	D.A. Michael Reston
Pam Ward	...	Judge Eleanor Daniels
Susan Wilder	...	Michelle Benti

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Denver, Colorado, USA

Company:

Fred Silverman Company

Movie Connections:

Followed by Perry Mason: The Case of the Glass Coffin (1991) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Perry Mason Theme

After All Perry and Della Are Two Consenting Adults

Perry Mason: The Case of the Scandalous Scoundrel finds the famous defense attorney almost a victim himself here of blackmail. The blackmailer in question is the scandalous scoundrel in this case played by Robert Guillaume.

Guillaume is the publisher of the National Informer one of the more notorious supermarket rags who's got himself a blackmail racket and the means to make good for threats of exposure.

When Perry gets retained by a potential victim, Guillaume actually goes to try and get dirt on him and Della Street. I mean, come on people, we are talking about two very consenting adults who are way past the age of consent. That part I found just a tad too ridiculous so this particular entry in the Mason film series.

But this turns to murder when Guillaume is killed with a blunt object and of course given his profession there are a lot of suspects. The police of course focus in on Susan Wilder a disgruntled former employee of the Informer and she retains Raymond Burr as all innocent folks do.

The three leading blackmail candidates seem to be General Yaphett Kotto, international banker Rene Enriquez and cheating wife Morgan Brittany and her older husband George Grizzard and all give a good account of themselves.

David Ogden Stiers is the worthy successor as DA Michael Reston to the famous Hamilton Burger. But strangely enough James McEachin who appeared in a few Mason films is cast as a caterer here. He has a key role in the homicide in fact though he's not aware of it. I think I can safely say he wasn't the culprit. I guess the writers thought he had not firmly established his presence as Lt. Brock yet.

It's one of the weaker entries in the Mason series, but still enjoyable for the devoted fans of Erle Stanley Gardner's famous lawyer/sleuth.