Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Blushing Pearls (1959) User Reviews

Cultured Mason Sorts Out Pearls

[DKosty123 · 9/10 · 20 January 2009]

This is one of 23 Jonathan Latimer scripts done on this series. It is quite well done with a few twists and turns throughout the case.

A young George Takei (Sulu on Star Trek) in featured in a solid supporting role where he is near the murder victim and at the same time has a major relationship with Mason's Defendent. Overall, with at least 6 years to go before warping out, Takei at this point in his career puts in a another solid role getting experience in his career.

Mason cleverly fools everybody at the court room when he figures out there are 2 fake neck laces and a real necklace involved in the murder. Burger & Tragg are both baffled by the fast moving Mason in this episode.

Fake Hara Kiri

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 10 May 2012]

This Perry Mason episode involves Raymond Burr defending Nobu McCarthy from a charge of murdering her uncle who was a dealer in pearls. It is always amazing at how much knowledge Perry Mason had accumulated in his life. For instance in this episode he could tell that the uncle had not committed hara kiri and that the murderer had staged it in a rather clumsy attempt at concealing the crime. That would have been not unlike Raymond Burr in real life who did have an eclectic mind and knowledge in a wide variety of subjects according to friends. Unfortunately Ray Collins as Lieutenant Tragg figured it was a fake suicide also, but he grabbed the wrong suspect as usual.

It turns out there are two crimes were dealing with here and two separate perpetrators. One involved the theft of real pearls as opposed to cultured ones and the other was the murder. And McCarthy of course was guilty of neither.

George Takei who worked for the uncle and is in love with Nobu gets one of his earliest roles in this episode. He does a good job and the voice and features of the future Ensign Sulu are unmistakable.

Some nice twists has William Talman and Ray Collins left in the dust as usual. Part of it involves Burr figuring out that the crimes were done by two people and had a tenuous connection. What it is you watch the episode for.

A Japanese woman is accused of killing for pearls.

[kfo9494 · 8/10 · 28 May 2013]

This story begins in such a weird way that the viewer gets the feeling that the main character, a young Japanese woman named Mitsou Kamuri is guilty of theft when a private investigator photographs Mitsou with the goods that happen to be expensive blushing pearls. Then we learn that the entire situation appears to have been a set up by a wealthy business man that owned the pearls named Hudson Nichols. He is trying to stop Mitsou from marrying his son named Grove so he can marry a more respectable woman named Alice Carson.. But hold on to your hat because later we learn that the entire show seems to be a red herring when a a jewelry maker ends up dead in an apparent Harakiri suicide. Then, compliments of Lt Traggs office, we learn that the jewelry maker was really murdered and the entire entanglement goes back to the lovely Mitsou Kamuri which Perry will defend in court after accepting a retainer for five Yen.

We already have a plate full of suspects but more will be produced as Perry starts the investigation into the case. And when we get to the courtroom scenes, it appears that it only as mud to the waters before Perry brings us to reality with a forced confession from a person on the stand.

The first half of the show was somewhat confusion and I did not think the show could rebound. But when we learn there are more than one set of pearls the story gains interest and we are back on the edge of our seat waiting for the hammer to drop. The show ended very well and was a pleasure to watch. Good show.

What Perry Knew

[darbski · 10/10 · 18 July 2017]

**SPOILERS** There is a thing that interrogators use in questioning that is called "silence in the face of accusation". The scriptwriters use this technique a lot during this episode, and it is just irritating as the dickens. The desire to defend oneself is built in to honest people. Maybe they figured that people would accept the Japanese mind as being the opposite. To me, it didn't work. Also, all the "know your place" baloney may work out fine in family matters, but NOT in business. And this was all about business.

Perry had to know, even before Tragg, that Kamuri's death was murder, because he asked about the red rug, and the robe. Why were the candles left burning after the police had come and gone? It was obviously someone in the Nichols house that was guilty after Alice admitted to framing Mitsou for theft, and then not having to courage and integrity to come forth about it when she saw what was happening because of it.

I think they could have done a better job of making up Benson Fong for this part, or gotten an actual old guy to play the part; he was just not believable. This was makeup department's problem, brought about by casting. Fong is one of the greats, just not right for this part. I also think that since they were going to let the connection between Toma and Mitsou devolve into romance (gimme a break), the least they could do is have some inscrutable Japanese music playing in the background. You know, the kind that sound like psychedelic Ukeleles being played by Frank Zappa on acid??

One thing I like about Perry, is the way they show how money (power) corrupts, and more money corrupts more people. Later, the great television program "Law and Order" continued this message. Della was wonderful, as usual, and frugal about the present for her aunt, (I think it was her aunt, anyway). The ending line was gold.

A Little Bit of Diversity

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 4 January 2022]

Perry gets involved with the Japanese culture in LA. A beautiful young woman, in love with a upper class white guy, is set by his father. It is made to look like she stole pearls worth thousands. Perry must wade through the silences that are expected in that culture. It is nice to see George Takei in a pre Star Trek role. He is the voice of reason. One thing we have to guess is how events will play out after the young woman is freed.

Perry Mason - pyromaniac

[AlsExGal · 9/10 · 18 December 2022]

This is a most unique episode of Perry Mason in that it involves the murder of a Japanese man and a defendant who is Japanese. When you realize that TV in 1959 was not at all racially diverse AND that it had been only 14 years since WWII ended, this episode becomes fascinating in its totality. Obviously, it was not one of those penned by Erle Stanley Gardner.

A young Japanese woman, Mitsou, has been dating the son of a wealthy man, Hudson Nichols. Nichols is afraid that his son will marry this girl instead of somebody more in keeping with his future station in life - translated that means rich and Caucasian. So when it appears that Mitsou has stolen a set of very expensive pearls from the Nichols household, Nichols uses this opportunity to try and get her to stop dating his son by threatening prosecution. Complications ensue when Mitsou's uncle, a dealer in pearls, ends up dead and Mitsou is accused of his murder. The motive? - Earlier Mitsou's uncle had an opportunity to clear her on a key point in the theft case, but instead through his silence cast even more doubt on her character.

Perry is drawn into the world of pearls and Japanese culture in unraveling this mystery. He also enlists Paul Drake and Della to set a fire in a trash can outside of an apartment in order to gain some key evidence. Look for a very young George Takai in a small part as a voice of reason and someone who loves Mitsou from afar.

Mr. Sulu Would Be Out In Real Life

[bhoover247 · 9/10 · 4 June 2021]

If this was real life Grove would have dropped his girlfriend like a rock when he finds out the dirty trick she played on Mitsou. Also as much as I hate to say it Mitsou would have dropped Sulu and gone back to Grove. After all he is rich and with his father going to jail the money is now in his hands. As much as we all love Mr. Sulu he was just the book keeper.

Perry Mason standards...

[pmike-11312 · 1/10 · 8 September 2021]

Good grief....often the acting on this show is a notch above the writing and direction. On this one, the acting rates at least a notch BELOW these. The regulars are themselves - average actors playing poorly written and directed characters. But the "guests" on this one are bad to the point of laughable. The guy playing Old man Nichols is as bad as it gets - he delivers his lines like he's reading fairy-stories to children.

Actual rating: minus 10.