A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Wicked Wives (1993) (TV)

Director:

Christian I. Nyby II

Writers:

Joyce Burditt (written by)
Erle Stanley Gardner (characters)

Release Date:

17 December 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Anthony Caruso, an old friend of Perry Mason, comes to Denver on the request of Dee Morrison. She's married to famed photographer David Morrison...

Plot Keywords:

Perry Mason | Detective | Courtroom | Character Name In Title

Cast

Paul Sorvino	...	Anthony Caruso
Barbara Hale	...	Della Street
William R. Moses	...	Ken Malansky
Maud Adams	...	Shelly Talbot Morrison
Eric Braeden	...	David Morrison
Kim Alexis	...	Nina Morgan Morrison (as Kim Alexis Duguay)
Shelley Hack	...	Abby Walters Morrison
Kathy Ireland	...	Dee Morrison
Beverly Johnson	...	Jane Marlowe Morrison
Charles Macaulay	...	Dist. Atty. Hamilton Burger
Paula Marshall	...	Margo / Debra Walters
James McEachin	...	Lt Brock (as James Mc Eachin)
Leon Rippy	...	Tex
Yorgo Constantine
Dan Erickson
Bobs Watson	...	Judge Ezra Frank
Tupper Cullum	...	Mr. Palmer
Pam Ward	...	Emily
Ron Headlee	...	Red
John Nance	...	Mr. Harper
Paul Borrillo	...	Assistant D.A.
David Grogan	...	Bill Todd
Bob Holland	...	Frank Willis
Susan Rinell	...	Betsy
Billie McBride	...	Judge Baskin
Michele Moses	...	Susan Taylor
J.C. Trujillo	...	Joe
Fred Greenblatt	...	Dr. Cooper
Scott O'Leary	...	Beilman
Jan Van Sickle	...	Photographer
Roy Yerbey	...	Cowboy #1
Vern Porter	...	Bartender
Scott Patrick	...	Reporter #1
Luan Akin	...	Reporter #2
Chip Frye	...	Cowboy #2
Eric Hansen	...	Assistant #1
Lori Pendergast	...	Assistant #2

Directed by
Christian I. Nyby II

Writing credits
Joyce Burditt		(written by)
Erle Stanley Gardner		(characters)

Produced by
Joyce Burditt	....	supervising producer
Dean Hargrove	....	executive producer
Fred Silverman	....	executive producer
Billy Ray Smith	....	producer
Joel Steiger	....	co-executive producer
Barry Steinberg	....	producer

Original Music by
Dick DeBenedictis		(as Dick De Benedictis)

Cinematography by
Robert Seaman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
David Solomon

Casting by
Robert J. Ulrich

Production Design by
Paul Staheli

Set Decoration by
Laurie Holsgrove

Makeup Department
Brenda Blatt	....	hair stylist
Patti Dallas	....	makeup artist
Roseanne Reid	....	hair stylist
Dionne Smith	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Paul Mason	....	executive in charge of production
Billy Ray Smith	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gary Grillo	....	first assistant director
Bob King	....	second assistant director (as Robert King)

Art Department
Randy Holland	....	construction coordinator
Susan MacDonald-Petersen	....	property master (as Macdonald-Petersen)

Sound Department
Jory A. Beckert	....	supervising sound editor (as Jory Beckert)
James Emerson	....	production sound mixer
Andy MacDonald	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Andrew Macdonald)
Thomas Meloeny	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Nicholson	....	sound re-recording mixer (as William Nicholson)

Stunts
Gary Jensen	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Jerry Jencks	....	key grip
Lee Nakahara	....	camera operator
Douglas O'Kane	....	first assistant camera: a
Ken Seagren	....	gaffer
Arte Shelton	....	dolly grip
Don Hayashi	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Eric Dawson	....	casting
Carol Kritzer	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sharon T. Brunn	....	costume supervisor
Melanie Hennerman	....	seamstress
Kelly Andrew King	....	costumer (as Kelly A. King)
Scott O'Leary	....	men's costumer
Kathleen A. Saunders	....	costumer: women

Editorial Department
Hal Harrison	....	post-production executive
Rebecca Rosenbloom	....	assistant editor
Angela Spieles	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Ted Roberts	....	music editor
Fred Steiner	....	composer: original Perry Mason theme

Transportation Department
Dave West	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Karen Beard	....	location manager
Robert Benevides	....	production consultant
Bruce Carey	....	legal consultant: Denver
Donna Colabella	....	production executive
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	main title designer
Jeff Glasser	....	script supervisor
Pamela Knapp	....	production accountant
Andrea Nachman	....	production coordinator
Dennis Smith	....	legal advisor

Production Companies

• Dean Hargrove Productions
• Fred Silverman Company (as The Fred Silverman Company)
• Viacom Productions (as Viacom)

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1993) (USA) (TV) (original airing)

Other Companies

• Do Re Mi Music  music editorial
• R.B. Productions  production consultant (as RB Productions)
• Universal Studios Sound Facilities  sound editing and re-recording (as Universal Studios Sound Facility)
• Viacom Productions  author: Berne Convention

Also Known As:

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Denver, Colorado, USA

Company:

Dean Hargrove Productions

Trivia:

This is the first Perry Mason mystery filmed after Raymond Burr's Death. Tony Caruso, Paul Sorvino's role, was named after the actor Anthony Caruso; the writers combined his part with Burr's rather than recasting the Perry Mason role, as a tribute.

Quotes:

Ken Malansky:Of all the courtrooms in all the world, she had to walk into mine.

Movie Connections:

References Casablanca (1942)

Badly mis-judged film that just makes you miss Burr more than ever

Perry is away in Washington so Anthony Caruso covers his practice for him for a short while. Anthony is busy helping out his friend David Morrison to bring together al his old models for a retrospective photography collection. However David's ex-models are all his ex-wives and the animosity between them is very clear. On the first night of the shoot a witness sees David's current wife kill him and flee the scene. Anthony believes she is innocent and steps in to defend her. Meanwhile Ken goes after another woman who may have been having an affair with David and has since vanished.

Perry is `in Washington' for this film, which sounds like something you'd tell a child instead of having to explain that Granny has died. Indeed that is the case as Burr was dead and never made another Mason movie. However rather than have the taste and sense to finish the series, the producers decided to spin it out. In this instance that decision was ill-advised. The plot doesn't work. In order to get Anthony involved in a big case, it as to be with people he knows – thus the tortuous opening where he gets all the ex-wives together. This makes the film feel ill at ease with itself – Anthony never really rips into or exposes the suspects as they are all friends – plus none of the group seem to struggle with this at all, making it seem like they are strangers. Malansky's investigation is long and dull with moments thrown in just to try and liven things up a bit.

The conclusion is silly even by the standards of this series. Would you take something from the murder scene? Would you have it on you when you are in the witness box? No? Well the guilty party does and it is this that traps them – it's daft and he/she is totally unbelievable and it feels so very lame that it's hard to really care!

Sorvino is an interesting choice to play in the lead but he doesn't work. It doesn't feel natural having him walk round singing while one of his friends is a murderer and too much is made of him being an Italian. Aside from that I found it very hard to shake the image of Goodfella's Paulie from my brain and half expected him to order Ken to whack somebody! Sorvino struggles with a role that ties him into a case emotionally but doesn't allow him to express anything – I suspect he didn't want a second try and he didn't return for another role in the series. Moses is OK as is Hale but they are exposes without Burr and Hale has little to do. The support cast are OK but none are as interesting as the usual array of red-herrings etc. They are only good as eye candy as they are a few models etc – Johnson standing out cause she looks a lot better here than she has recently!

Overall this is a pretty poor film and it highlights how good burr was in holding everything together in a familiar way. This has a plot that is a bit of a mess, characters who don't ring true in a silly situation and the whole thing just crawls to it's dumb climax, by which time I'd long since given up caring!