A very twisted plot which is finally explained in the Epilogue. My comments have to do with the return of D.A. Hamilton Burger (William Talman). No reason was ever given on screen for his absence. Nevertheless, he's back in the courtroom here, still contesting Perry's questioning as "Incompetent, Irrelevant, and Immaterial!"
In the Epilogue however, Hamilton, Perry, Della and Paul are in Perry's office clearing up some plot twists. Hamilton comments that "As a County Employee" he's happy how things worked out. Perry answers oddly "We're all glad Hamilton." They are all smiles. I'm sure this was welcoming William Talman back into the fold.
10 Reviews
A very well done episode
kfo949418 July 2013
When a County Tax official, Ralph Duncan, is probating items in a house when he comes across some old money called 'greenbacks'. Against departmental policy Duncan takes the money home to show his wife. However someone stole the money out of his briefcase and Duncan goes to Perry for help.
Later Duncan gets a call from a woman advising that the greenbacks is over at a house that is owned by Lloyd Farrell. And as you can guess, Duncan goes over to Farrell's house, all my himself, and finds Farrell dead. With Farrell's suspicious past Lt Tragg believes that Duncan was stealing and Farrel was fencing and this could have been going on for many years. When something went wrong Duncan killed Farrell. Duncan is charged with murder.
There is many suspects. From a flighty cousin, a nervous secretary to an accountant that stumbles on the witness stand- this will leave the viewer guessing. But when all looks lost, Perry will get help from a nurse at a county home to bring this case to a close. A very well done episode.
Welcome back William Talman!
Later Duncan gets a call from a woman advising that the greenbacks is over at a house that is owned by Lloyd Farrell. And as you can guess, Duncan goes over to Farrell's house, all my himself, and finds Farrell dead. With Farrell's suspicious past Lt Tragg believes that Duncan was stealing and Farrel was fencing and this could have been going on for many years. When something went wrong Duncan killed Farrell. Duncan is charged with murder.
There is many suspects. From a flighty cousin, a nervous secretary to an accountant that stumbles on the witness stand- this will leave the viewer guessing. But when all looks lost, Perry will get help from a nurse at a county home to bring this case to a close. A very well done episode.
Welcome back William Talman!
A very expensive prop!
shakspryn19 September 2020
In this episode, they show a $50 large size bill from the 1870's. I collect old paper money myself, and I have a reference book that shows this note. It appears they used a real one for the show. Well, get this: in today's market, that actual bill they showed is worth at least $10,000, and depending on condition, as much as $87,000!
I wonder if the studio prop department at the time (1961) had some old paper money that they kept on hand for just such occasional uses. Or, if they borrowed this note from a collector or a high-end coin shop for a small fee.
In the episode, the premise was that $153,000 in such old money was found. We're talking in the tens of millions of dollars in value today for an amount of old notes like that. Whew! Oh--old US national currency issued by the United States was always redeemable at face value. It was the Continental Congress money that wasn't. Of course, you'd be crazy to redeem a $50 bill for $50, when it could sell for as much as $87,000!
Ah, the Burger is back
hmoika14 May 2021
For me, this was an 8 or 9 star episode.
But, well, with Hamilton Burger back in the saddle, well.......
Oh how I suffered those stand-in prosecutors!
While there were some good episodes without Hamilton, no one does the prosecution like the Burger.
But, well, with Hamilton Burger back in the saddle, well.......
Oh how I suffered those stand-in prosecutors!
While there were some good episodes without Hamilton, no one does the prosecution like the Burger.
Really Engaging Plot
Hitchcoc14 January 2022
The stupidity of the man who ends up the accused is beyond the pale. He is so excited to show some money he illegally took home, he allows it to be stolen from his car as he stops at a store. But the best part is a series of possible suspects that are all viable. When it is said and done, the solution is acceptable and worthy of the show's best.
I don't Give A D*** About A Greenback Dollar
DKosty1235 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This episode starts with a government employee doing an inventory of the property of an estate inside the house where the late person resided. The abode has a sign on it restricting access. In the opening scene, the deceased secretary wants to go inside & get her personal items out, but the clerk politely tells her no.
Then he goes back inside & happens to find about $153 K old green back dollars taped on the bottom of a desk drawer. Rather than taking an inventory & leaving it with the rest of the inventory like he is supposed too, he puts the money into his brief case to take home & show the wife. Naturally, when he opens the case to show his wife, he is shocked to find it empty. But he stopped for groceries on the way home, and the money must have stopped with him...
The thief meanwhile finds someone to take the hot money & try to redeem it for them. Because these are old greenbacks, the government has to take these and replace them with newer cash.
The clerk enlists Mason to help him try & find the old dough, except by the time he gets to Mason, a man in a local nursing home has died & the home officials are surprised to find $148 K of old greenbacks in his possession he has never reported having to anyone. This leaves the family of this man as possibly inheriting the money. Where did the other 5 grand go?
Then there is a murder & the clerk is the one who it looks like pulled this. Mason & Drake race against time & the courts to find out where the other money is & who really committed this murder.
Then he goes back inside & happens to find about $153 K old green back dollars taped on the bottom of a desk drawer. Rather than taking an inventory & leaving it with the rest of the inventory like he is supposed too, he puts the money into his brief case to take home & show the wife. Naturally, when he opens the case to show his wife, he is shocked to find it empty. But he stopped for groceries on the way home, and the money must have stopped with him...
The thief meanwhile finds someone to take the hot money & try to redeem it for them. Because these are old greenbacks, the government has to take these and replace them with newer cash.
The clerk enlists Mason to help him try & find the old dough, except by the time he gets to Mason, a man in a local nursing home has died & the home officials are surprised to find $148 K of old greenbacks in his possession he has never reported having to anyone. This leaves the family of this man as possibly inheriting the money. Where did the other 5 grand go?
Then there is a murder & the clerk is the one who it looks like pulled this. Mason & Drake race against time & the courts to find out where the other money is & who really committed this murder.
Realizations
darbski7 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILERS** The other reviewers covered the story pretty well, but a little sympathy for the devil might be in order here. Certainly Duncan didn't use good judgment in wanting to show the Greenbacks he'd found to his family. Please remember, though, he was a man in a slot. A boring job that he was good at, and honest, too. Played for a patsy because of this unique trait, he winds up hip deep in a murder.
Duncan's secretary, Norma is in trouble for participating in a fence/scam because she fell for the head dirtbag in a triad (now quartet) of intertwined motives; she's a patsy, too. Unfortunately, unless she can get Perry to represent her in this mess, and she goes state's witness (for immunity), she could be hooked up as an accomplice. Keller and Nickels, on the other hand, are gonna take a fall; they're both dirty as hell.
Now we get to the crafty old bag whose greed produced one dirty decedent (Farrell). Yeah, she's a real piece of work. What is hard to buy is that she'd wait until her last employer was dead to lift the dough from the bottom of the drawer. given her age and sneakiness, she should have been able to slide past any government trifles with just a little more creative dirtiness. Is anyone in the audience stupid enough to believe her story about Farrell slapping her? I didn't think so. Murder one, or else WHY did she take the knife? My opinion is that the nurse should get the equivalent of a finder's fee for the help her honesty provided; I think 10% oughta be okay.
Duncan's wife (herein referred to as Mrs. Olson; of Folger's fame) plays a good part, and in the courtroom attendance in back of her is an incredibly hot brunette milf; eye candy, but WOW. Norma manages to work up a solitary tear of either regret of sorrow when Perry questions her; most of the tears in these episodes are of the Crocodile persuasion. Perry drives a clunky Lincoln; a real set back from the beautiful Cadillac convertible he had before, Paul drives a '58 T-bird. Burger actually gets a very good last line in; back from purgatory, it seems. Good acting, complicated plot, but well done.
Duncan's secretary, Norma is in trouble for participating in a fence/scam because she fell for the head dirtbag in a triad (now quartet) of intertwined motives; she's a patsy, too. Unfortunately, unless she can get Perry to represent her in this mess, and she goes state's witness (for immunity), she could be hooked up as an accomplice. Keller and Nickels, on the other hand, are gonna take a fall; they're both dirty as hell.
Now we get to the crafty old bag whose greed produced one dirty decedent (Farrell). Yeah, she's a real piece of work. What is hard to buy is that she'd wait until her last employer was dead to lift the dough from the bottom of the drawer. given her age and sneakiness, she should have been able to slide past any government trifles with just a little more creative dirtiness. Is anyone in the audience stupid enough to believe her story about Farrell slapping her? I didn't think so. Murder one, or else WHY did she take the knife? My opinion is that the nurse should get the equivalent of a finder's fee for the help her honesty provided; I think 10% oughta be okay.
Duncan's wife (herein referred to as Mrs. Olson; of Folger's fame) plays a good part, and in the courtroom attendance in back of her is an incredibly hot brunette milf; eye candy, but WOW. Norma manages to work up a solitary tear of either regret of sorrow when Perry questions her; most of the tears in these episodes are of the Crocodile persuasion. Perry drives a clunky Lincoln; a real set back from the beautiful Cadillac convertible he had before, Paul drives a '58 T-bird. Burger actually gets a very good last line in; back from purgatory, it seems. Good acting, complicated plot, but well done.
Hardly an Honest Person in the Whole Lot
biorngm14 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
There are so many corrupt players, at the very least liars, making it tough to keep track of all the falsehoods and more difficult to find an honest person in the group; a worth-watching episode, nonetheless.
Right from the beginning we are introduced to the eventual defendant, Ralph Duncan, and the murderer, to be revealed if viewing the entire show. The defendant takes items he is supposed to be recording and tagging for the county. Wrongfully, he brings the fickle fortune home to show his wife with corrupt cousin present. To Ralph's surprise opening the briefcase finding it bare, i.e. no dated currency therein, which he found attached to the underside of a bureau drawer. He admits to both the cousin and his wife he fully intended to accountant for the money by identifying it along with all the other household belongings. The homeowner had no will and was in care elsewhere for the terminally ill; the intestate went to probate; the county assessor was to list and notarize all contents of the house by law.
The series of corrupt individuals began with cousin Charlie stealing the purloined greenbacks, delivering them to Lloyd Farrell, the crooked fence disguised as an importer. The plot thickened when Farrell met his-pseudo-love, another county employee named Norma, who lies about their one-sided relationship; Lloyd loved Lloyd and Norma loved Lloyd, so much she fibbed not admitting to returning to the crime-scene witnessing Lloyd's body.
Norma is portrayed by Cathy O'Donnell, best remembered by me cast as Wilma Cameron in the Academy Award winning "The Best Years of Our Lives"; I recognized her face in this episode.
Albert Keller, accountant to the near-deceased estate owner, is less than honest in his own right, stating he did not kill anyone but was not forthcoming with details concerning his relationship with the soon-departed and his dealings with Farrell. Mrs. Hollister introduced herself to Duncan as the former maid, when she was always stealing from rich, sickly homeowners, pawning their belongings for cash while employed. We learn about Hollister's evil ways from Paul Drake at the close.
Hamilton Burger is in Perry's office at the epilogue listening to the review of characters in court. It was a welcome sight to have the District Attorney back in court and also Gertie made a rare showing as well. The story was well written and indeed positively received with Perry exposing the killer, getting her confession while in the courtroom. An episode worth seeing again for the guest actor portrayals and the no-nonsense script.
Right from the beginning we are introduced to the eventual defendant, Ralph Duncan, and the murderer, to be revealed if viewing the entire show. The defendant takes items he is supposed to be recording and tagging for the county. Wrongfully, he brings the fickle fortune home to show his wife with corrupt cousin present. To Ralph's surprise opening the briefcase finding it bare, i.e. no dated currency therein, which he found attached to the underside of a bureau drawer. He admits to both the cousin and his wife he fully intended to accountant for the money by identifying it along with all the other household belongings. The homeowner had no will and was in care elsewhere for the terminally ill; the intestate went to probate; the county assessor was to list and notarize all contents of the house by law.
The series of corrupt individuals began with cousin Charlie stealing the purloined greenbacks, delivering them to Lloyd Farrell, the crooked fence disguised as an importer. The plot thickened when Farrell met his-pseudo-love, another county employee named Norma, who lies about their one-sided relationship; Lloyd loved Lloyd and Norma loved Lloyd, so much she fibbed not admitting to returning to the crime-scene witnessing Lloyd's body.
Norma is portrayed by Cathy O'Donnell, best remembered by me cast as Wilma Cameron in the Academy Award winning "The Best Years of Our Lives"; I recognized her face in this episode.
Albert Keller, accountant to the near-deceased estate owner, is less than honest in his own right, stating he did not kill anyone but was not forthcoming with details concerning his relationship with the soon-departed and his dealings with Farrell. Mrs. Hollister introduced herself to Duncan as the former maid, when she was always stealing from rich, sickly homeowners, pawning their belongings for cash while employed. We learn about Hollister's evil ways from Paul Drake at the close.
Hamilton Burger is in Perry's office at the epilogue listening to the review of characters in court. It was a welcome sight to have the District Attorney back in court and also Gertie made a rare showing as well. The story was well written and indeed positively received with Perry exposing the killer, getting her confession while in the courtroom. An episode worth seeing again for the guest actor portrayals and the no-nonsense script.
The money was mine I found it first!
sol121821 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
****SPOILERS**** This very disturbing and mind numbing Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, episode proves the biblical saying that "Money is the root of all Evil". Even like in this case where the money being $153,000.00 of practically worthless out of circulation, since the end of the Civil War, US currency that lead to cold blooded murder. It was bone headed tax and county property assessor Ralph Duncan, Vaughn Taylor, who discovered it hidden under a draw in the late Mr. Boden's house and stupidly after taking it home with him left in in his car when he stepped out to buy groceries where it was immediately stolen. The person who stole it was Duncan's Liberace look alike nephew Charly Nickels,Robert Casper, who took it to Llyod Farrell, Liam Sullivan, to fence if in fact he could find anyone stupid enough to take it off his hands!
Stupid or not the sly and cagey Lloyd Ferrell ended up taking the phony money and before he could do anything with it, like playing a game of monopoly, he's murdered with the money nowhere to be found. It's in fact the what looks like the clueless as well as brainless Philip Duncan who falls into the trap that Ferrell's killer set for him by showing up at the scene of the murder with the police, obviously tipped off by Ferrell's killer,being there to arrest him for Duncan's murder.
***SPOILERS*** The trial was more of an anticlimax then anything else with Duncan's, who seemed to be sleeping through the entire trial, lawyer Perry Mason doing his best to prove his client innocent and uncovering Farrell's killer at the same time. After a few false starts and red herrings the truth finally comes out to why Ferrell was in fact murdered. And to no one's surprise it was because of the $153,000.00 in more or less fake money he was to fence, in far off Japan of all places, that was found by Ralph Duncan at the old Boden House. And the person who did Farrell in was even more idiotic then even Duncan was in thinking he or she could even spend the money without realizing that the local police FBI and agents of the US Treasury Department would have him arrested within literally minutes if not seconds after he attempted to spend it!
Stupid or not the sly and cagey Lloyd Ferrell ended up taking the phony money and before he could do anything with it, like playing a game of monopoly, he's murdered with the money nowhere to be found. It's in fact the what looks like the clueless as well as brainless Philip Duncan who falls into the trap that Ferrell's killer set for him by showing up at the scene of the murder with the police, obviously tipped off by Ferrell's killer,being there to arrest him for Duncan's murder.
***SPOILERS*** The trial was more of an anticlimax then anything else with Duncan's, who seemed to be sleeping through the entire trial, lawyer Perry Mason doing his best to prove his client innocent and uncovering Farrell's killer at the same time. After a few false starts and red herrings the truth finally comes out to why Ferrell was in fact murdered. And to no one's surprise it was because of the $153,000.00 in more or less fake money he was to fence, in far off Japan of all places, that was found by Ralph Duncan at the old Boden House. And the person who did Farrell in was even more idiotic then even Duncan was in thinking he or she could even spend the money without realizing that the local police FBI and agents of the US Treasury Department would have him arrested within literally minutes if not seconds after he attempted to spend it!
A really stupid act
bkoganbing18 October 2012
This episode starts with an incredibly stupid act. Vaughn Taylor who is county tax assessor in doing an inventory of the estate of a recently deceased man and finds a fortune over $150,000.00 in old style Greenback notes that could be redeemable under certain circumstances with the government. So what does this nitwit do? He takes them home to show the wife and in the meantime stops at a convenience store where someone lifts them. Panicking Taylor seeks out the advice of Perry Mason.
As is always the case he needs him because a little investigation leads to a rather elegant fence played by Liam Sullivan who when Taylor goes to confront him turns up very dead. Now Taylor needs Raymond Burr.
One twist in this case is usually clients aren't completely truthful with Perry Mason for one reason or another and there's always a scene where he has to shake truth out of them to gain an acquittal and find the real culprit. In this case poor Taylor is completely guileless and tells him the whole truth and thereby aids in getting out of the jackpot he put himself in.
This episode had a little too many improbable coincidences for me. But it also had a beautiful ferret faced, sneaky looking red herring in this that you swore had to be the killer. As for the real killer, it's not one you would immediately suspect. That made up for the improbabilities.
As is always the case he needs him because a little investigation leads to a rather elegant fence played by Liam Sullivan who when Taylor goes to confront him turns up very dead. Now Taylor needs Raymond Burr.
One twist in this case is usually clients aren't completely truthful with Perry Mason for one reason or another and there's always a scene where he has to shake truth out of them to gain an acquittal and find the real culprit. In this case poor Taylor is completely guileless and tells him the whole truth and thereby aids in getting out of the jackpot he put himself in.
This episode had a little too many improbable coincidences for me. But it also had a beautiful ferret faced, sneaky looking red herring in this that you swore had to be the killer. As for the real killer, it's not one you would immediately suspect. That made up for the improbabilities.
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