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

David Katz is a world famous magician and he comes to Denver with his group to perform for a charity gala for disabled children. Also there is Perry and Della as all three are supporters of... See full summary »

Director:

Christian I. Nyby II

Writers:

Brian Clemens, Erle Stanley Gardner (characters)

Stars:

Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William R. Moses

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Raymond Burr	...	Perry Mason
Barbara Hale	...	Della Street
William R. Moses	...	Ken Malansky
Nancy Lee Grahn	...	Kate Ford
John Karlen	...	Jake Morrison
Dennis Lipscomb	...	Max LeMar
Julie Sommars	...	Betty Farmer
Peter Scolari	...	David Katz
Kim Braden	...	Judy Katz
Bob Gunton	...	Asst. D.A. Scott Willard
Betsy Jones-Moreland	...	Judge
James McEachin	...	Lt. Ed Brock
Conor O'Farrell	...	Paul Torrence
Kate Vernon	...	Terry Weidner
Romy Windsor	...	Ann Morrison (as Romy Walthall)

Storyline

David Katz is a world famous magician and he comes to Denver with his group to perform for a charity gala for disabled children. Also there is Perry and Della as all three are supporters of the charity. Kate Ford, an assistant with an arrogant attitude, tells David that she is, from now on, going to do an illusion in which an assistant is raised in a glass coffin only to disappear when the coffin is opened up in the air (while the assistant climbs out before the coffin is raised.) After a one night stand with David, Kate is pregnant and she blackmails David with this. David and his wife Judy can't have children so that comes as a double blow to them. However Kate, with her attitude, creates much hatred at her from the rest of the group. At the gala, the glass coffin is raised but when it opens Kate's dead body falls to the ground - strangled. While Perry and Della set out to try to find the killer, Ken and PI Terry Weidner set out to find out more about Kate but they discover that ...

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Plot Keywords:

courtroom | perry mason | detective | sequel | character name in title

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Perry Mason - Le cercueil de verre

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dean Hargrove Productions, Fred Silverman Company, Viacom Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Grimacing Governor (1994)

User Reviews

Learning The Magician's Secret

Perry Mason: The Case of the Glass Coffin finds Raymond Burr defending David Copperfield/Rick Blaine like magician Peter Scolari from a murder charge involving one of his assistants. A trick involving a suspended glass coffin in midair goes awry and the body of Nancy Grahn comes a tumbling out.

Nancy was one of six female assistants who work with the act and we learn two things about her. First in a moment of drunken weakness, Scolari got seduced by her and she claims she was impregnated. Secondly she is living under an assumed name and had a secret from her past.

Billy Moses who probably never thought he'd be doing such rough stuff back in law school gets to tangle with a couple of good old boys when goes seeking the truth in Grahn's home town. A little more action than usual for Ken Malansky, he almost gets himself killed.

One big flaw in this mystery is simple forensics. The medical examiner's report should have provided concrete evidence that the victim was killed in such a way that Scolari could not possibly have done the deed. The police should have been looking in a different direction for the killer.

When you see who the killer is you won't blame the individual, but you'll also see how the investigating officer James McEachin got it wrong from the start. It kind of spoils this particular Mason film.