The Case of the Reckless Rockhound (26 Nov. 1964)

Carl Bascomb returns to Burgess, California after several years absence. Prior to his departure, he had closed down the Burgess mine, putting many of the locals out of work. Bascomb had ... See full summary »

Director:

Jesse Hibbs

Writers:

Erle Stanley Gardner (characters created by), Robb White

Stars:

Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Raymond Burr	...	Perry Mason
Barbara Hale	...	Della Street
William Hopper	...	Paul Drake
Ray Collins	...	Lt. Arthur Tragg (credit only)
Audrey Totter	...	Reba Burgess
Bruce Bennett	...	Mel Malone - Bank Manager
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Reelin' Peter Rockwell (as Elisha Cook)
Ben Johnson	...	Kelly - Mine Foreman
Douglas Lambert	...	Kinder - Bank Assistant (as Doug Lambert)
Jeff Corey	...	Carl Bascom
Donald Buka	...	Clark - Prosecutor
Ted de Corsia	...	Chief of Police Polek
Roy Barcroft	...	Murphy - Bank Guard
Lenore Shanewise	...	Mrs. Munger
Ralph Moody	...	Jenkins - Bank Teller

Storyline

Carl Bascomb returns to Burgess, California after several years absence. Prior to his departure, he had closed down the Burgess mine, putting many of the locals out of work. Bascomb had become a partner in the mine but claimed to have found irregularities in the books. Today, the mine is still being operated on a small scale by Reba Burgess, widow of the man who founded the business. With the help of two long-time employees, Kelly and Reelin' Pete, she's kept the place going thanks to a kindly banker, Mr. Malone, and loans using a million dollars worth of diamonds as collateral. Bascomb was viewed as a crook by many and frequently visited the bank leading employee Mr. Kinder, to wonder just what he's up to. When Bascomb is found murdered at the mine, Reba Burgess is arrested and Perry Mason defends her in court

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 1964 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paisano Productions, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Wonderful actors

One of my favorite things about watching Perry Mason is the quality of the guest actors. From up-and-comers like Robert Redford and Ryan O'Neill to veteran character actors like Dabbs Greer and Harry von Zell, you see 'em all.

This episode featured three actors who worked with Humphrey Bogart; Elisha Cook Jr. from "The Maltese Falcon," Bruce Bennett from "Treasure of the Sierra Madre," and Ted de Corsia from "The Enforcer." That's a lot of film history represented in a one-hour series TV episode.

All three of those actors have appeared in multiple episodes of Perry Mason, but I believe this is the only episode that featured all three.