Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Haunted Husband (1958) User Reviews

Great Episode (Some Spoilers ?)

[jqdoe · 8/10 · 9 July 2014]

Although I really enjoyed this episode, upon further reflection a key event in solving the mystery made no sense. When you see the episode, you will understand what I am writing below, and again this may be a SPOILER, so proceed with caution . . .

Someone turns a key (in fact THE key) piece of evidence over to Mason when in reality, from what we learn only later, if that person had half a brain they would never have done that in a million years.

A highlight of this episode was that Tragg had some great scenes, especially the postlude scene. The very last lines of the episode were priceless, so be sure to stay tuned to the very end.

Tough as Steele

[darbski · 8/10 · 5 May 2017]

**SPOILERS** Good episode. As normal, it is run by great acting. In a bit role, Karen Steele does a great job, and makes one wonder why she didn't get more performances. The best reason I can come up with is that there were so many girls like her that were minor Marilyn Monroes or Jayne Mansfields. It had to be tough to be as talented as she was to be classed with others who were in the same boat. Barbara Eden was just in a performance in which she had almost no lines at all; she just had to be beautiful. That's okay, if it's the role, but this one Karen tore into it with high skill. She had a great movie role against Randolph Scott called Decision at Sundown where she got to show off her talents in spite of her beauty. I give this one an 8 because of her and Ray Collins' performances.

Wait for Tragg to say "Oy gewalt" whrn the light bulb goes on

[ebertip · 7/10 · 23 October 2020]

One Doris contacts Della to convince Perry to handle a case for friend Claire involving car theft/manslaughter. Although Perry says not our kind of case, Perry goes forward. In truth, Claire was a hitchiker in a car stolen by intoxicated Mr. Greely, who causes the death of poor truckdriver Albert Lowell. The prosecutor Harold Hanley gives Claire the third degree, not believing her story but not testing her blood alcohol. Perry correctly infers that the car owner movie producer Heywood knows the "thief" Greely although Heywood denies this to Perry. Claire makes bail. Perry stashes her in a hotel; Greely finds it, but Greely ends up dead in the room. Good news for Claire is no more car theft/manslaughter. Bad news: murder. Perry looks into Heywood go-fer Ernie Tanner., using a volunteering Doris as bait. Claire is in custody. Tanner gets shot/killed while Doris is getting Tanner coffee. The key pivot is feathers from the pillow used as a silencer. No gun is recovered and Claire could not have done it (in custody).. Tragg gets some great lines. Mason to Heyward on stand: you may have all the time in the world. The last two minutes are the best when Perry asks Tragg to describe Perry. When Tragg finally sees what Perry already figured out, Tragg says Oy gewalt. An interesting counterpoint to Tragg's earlier: I like to live dangerously. This first season Perry still has some rough edges. As to the plot, Perry elsewhere remarked murder is always senseless. The three deaths here were especially so.

One of the best episodes

[kfo9494 · 10/10 · 31 October 2011]

As a big fan of "Perry Mason" series, I watched many episodes through the years. Some good and some poor. But I do not get to say this often- but this is one of the best episode in the entire collection.

I know each person has different set of opinions about each phase of the show but it appeared that this episode hit home-runs on every level. From the first season, this episode had everything that makes a great mystery come to life on the screen. A good plot, good acting, a storyline that does not get bogged down in useless dialog and at times humorous talk between characters.

This episode involves a women that was picked up by a man on the side of the road. The car wrecks and kills a driver of another car. When the cops arrive the man has left and only the women Clair Ogler (Patricia Hardy) is inside the car. They charge her with manslaughter.

The car, belonged to a big Hollywood producer, and was reported stolen. And from there Perry is left to defend Clair of the charges. But hold on- it goes from manslaughter to murder when the man that was driving the car ends up dead in Clair's hotel room.

There is a lot more to this episode that the watcher will find interesting. But I leave that to the viewer. This is one that I highly recommend in the series.

Lt Tragg has some of his best scenes in this episode. No one knew he could be funny and tough at the same time. He does get called a "big ape" during the show but our Tragg takes it as part of his job.

A must see episode.

Film noir to the max

[chiefs1970 · 10/10 · 6 January 2020]

This was one of the best Perry Mason episodes of the first three seasons. The case involved more of the defendant's girl friend and Perry Mason doing investigative work than either Della Street or Paul Drake although both of these fine actors had some interesting parts. I think what turns this show is the great banter on display between Perry Mason and Lieutenant Tragg. It starts early in the episode when Perry is trying to keep his client, Claire Olger, from being overly talky with Tragg, continues when her girlfriend, Doris Stephanak has some not so friendly words to see when Tragg inserts himself and another detective into her apartment to arrest, Claire, and of course over the course of the episode there are other instances of almost spontaneous banter between Tragg and Perry Mason. The court room scene in which there is the inevitable "confession" helps to bring closure as the majority of the episode takes places prior to the the court room scenes. As others have said, Doris Stephanak as played by Karen Steele was an example of a great character actress. A rare double murder in season one.

Well Constructed

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 24 November 2021]

There's a lot of table turning in this episode. A pretty young woman thumbs a ride from a lascivious drunk. They then cause the death of a truck driver by forcing him off the road. What ensues is the girl being charged with the death of the truck driver. But what happens next makes this a really good one. There is bad marriage, Hollywood intrigue, and overconfidence by the prosecution.

A HAUNTED HUSBAND, BUT NO GHOSTS!

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 6 December 2023]

Another gem courtroom drama written by Gene Wang, who wrote 62 episodes for the series. The material here, though, is familiar and may have been taken from actual news headlines.

Patricia Hardy plays Claire, a young woman who gets a ride from a drunk and a thief called Greeley. The guy is a real work of art. He stole the car, has an obvious drinking problem and attempts to get "a little too familiar" with Claire. As a result, there's a fatal accident, Greeley runs away from the scene and poor Claire is supected of being the driver!

What a case, and not that far from the truth, as there are many documented accidents where the "wrong person" is suspected of being the driver.

This is a rare episode where Perry almost turns down the case, if it were not for the foresight of Della.

There are two popular models and actresses in this episode; Hardy was a model in her teen years, later turning to acting as did Karen Steele, who plays Doris, in a very good role. Steele was a fixture in tv westerns for many years.

Popular 50s actor Grant Richards plays Heywood.

Richards was cast in many dramatic roles in both movies and tv, a promising career cut short a few years later as a result of a car accident which took his life at age 51.

A very interesting courtroom scene wraps the case up, and with some great dialogue thanks to Gene Wang. The highlight is always the facial expressions, right?

SEASON 1 EPISODE 19 remastered (2006) CBS/Universal three dvd box set.

Best Episode...

[ClassicsJunkie · 10/10 · 24 April 2022]

....Of the season. So far...

My favorite scene was when Tragg went to see Doris. And she tells the officer, "You open that door and I'll clobber you!"

I love her from the moment she appeared on screen. The character was written to have moxie. And the actress made it come alive. She was the best pet of the episode.

This particular episode was done differently from the others which was refreshing. I hope for more a long there lines. And the writers in charge of the episode I hope they write more frequently.

Oy Gavalt!

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 28 June 2013]

***SPOILERS*** This Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, episode is one for the books in the many subplots in it. Perry is defending Clair Olger, Pat Hardy, for car theft and vehicular homicide in that she supposedly stole big time Hollywood producer Jerry Heywood's, Grant Richards, car and smashed into a truck killing the driver and leaving the scene. As Perry hides Clair in a hotel and is trying to build a case the body of Heywood's publicist Harold Greeley, John Hubbard, the person that Clair claims was behind the wheel is found murdered in her hotel room!

Perry now getting a tip from Haywood's butler Earnie Tanner, Fredd Wayne, that he knows what's behind all these confusing events who's found by Clair's good friend that hot blond Doris Stephanak,Karen Steele, who Perry recruited to spy on him dead in his Adirondacks hotel room shower! Now with his client Claire Olger facing two murder charges as well as carjacking and leaving the scene of an accident it looks like for once that D.A Hamlton "Ham" Burger, William Talman, is finally going to win a case. But then there's the missing lipstick stained shirt that pops out of nowhere or the laundry bin that comes to Claire's rescue!

The shirt that Burger kept under raps was introduced by Perry himself who knew that with it's personal laundry mark it will exonerate his client of both Greeley & Tanner's murders. Why was the shirt so impotent in the case? It proved that whoever murdered the two, Greeley & Tanner, had it in his or her custody not knowing that it can link him to both murders!

****SPOILERS**** It's when Perry was laying into, with his non stop cross examination, Jerry Haywood on the witness stand that the killer, whom Haywood was protecting, just couldn't take it any more broke down and confessed his crime. It was in fact the murdered Tanner who was going to expose not just the killer but what connection Jerry Haywood had with him. Ironically it was the soiled shirt that was about to be mindlessly thrown into the washing machine that was to convict him of both Tanner as well as Greeley's murder!

The Case of the Haunted Husband

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 3 January 2022]

Clair Olger is hitchhiking and is picked up by an older man who is drunk and tries it on with her. The car crashes killing a truck driver.

Clair is hospitalised and is charged for murder and being drunk. The actual driver having fled.

Perry Mason defends her. The car belonged to Hollywood producer Jerry Heywood who claims his car was stolen that day.

John Hubbard the man who Clair cmailed was the actual driver is later found dead in her hotel room. Later Heywood's valet is also killed.

A messy case for Perry Mason. I did think that if the police tested Clair's blood, they would have found no traces of alcohol. Also she was getting to LA and had her purse stolen. Surely she had an alibi.

The main suspect is always likely to be Heywood or someone closely associated with him. It does rely on someone confessing.

It is still mindlessly entertaining.

Hit, but no run

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 9 July 2014]

Patricia Hardy becomes the Perry Mason client in this one when at the urging of loyal secretary Della Street, Raymond Burr takes a case involving a hit and run with a truck where the truckdriver is killed.

It was a hit and run, but it wasn't Hardy doing the running. She was picked up by John Hubbard while hitchhiking and when he attempted to get fresh with her is when the car crashed. Hardy was knocked out and Hubbard ran away from the scene of the accident on foot. In fact he wasn't even driving his car. The car belonged to Hollywood wunderkind producer Grant Richards. It seems to me though that Accident&Investigations should have determined that Hardy was not the one driving.

But Hubbard is later murdered and then the butler that Richards employed Fredd Wayne also was murdered. Hardy is on the hook for both.

A relationship existed between two cast members that was not known is the key to proving Hardy's innocence. That and a bit lawyering by Raymond Burr who first tries to get William Talman to introduce evidence that he wants in. When Talman doesn't do it, Burr switches to Plan B.

Nice episode but this one was a little too cute and contrived.