The Case of the Rolling Bones (28 Jun. 1958)

Daniel Reed (Edgar Stehli) is forcibly placed in a mental sanitarium as incompetent to deal with his affairs. Perry Mason takes the case to court and wins Reed's freedom on a writ of habeas... See full summary »

Director:

Roger Kay

Writers:

Erle Stanley Gardner (story), Gene Wang (teleplay)

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
William Talman	...	Hamilton Burger
Ray Collins	...	Lt. Arthur Tragg
Joan Camden	...	Donna Knox
Mary Anderson	...	Arlene Scott
Edgar Stehli	...	Daniel Reed
Arthur Space	...	Willard Scott
King Calder	...	Maury Lewis / Monty Siwel
Kitty Kelly	...	Millie Foster
Simon Scott	...	George Metcalf
Richard Gaines	...	Judge Treadwell
Sid Tomack	...	Victor Kowalski
Morris Ankrum	...	Judge Morrisey

Storyline

Daniel Reed (Edgar Stehli) is forcibly placed in a mental sanitarium as incompetent to deal with his affairs. Perry Mason takes the case to court and wins Reed's freedom on a writ of habeas corpus. Before the writ can be served, however, Reed escapes and is charged with murder.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 June 1958 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 4, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paisano Productions, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Good watch

This episode could have been one of my favorites had it not been for the poor acting of the guest characters. It begins when an older rich man is put into a mental facility by his family. Seems the older man is giving away money to people that he does not know.

The only friend the older man has is Millie Foster, played by Kitty Kelly, who gets Perry to have a court hearing on the mental condition of her friend. And as we know when Perry wants something he can usually get want he seeks. SPOILER AHEAD

The man is freed. However he is seen at the scene of a murder just a few hours after his freedom. This leads to Perry defending the man against an almost mountain high amount of evidence to hopefully free the man again - this time for the murder.

This episode has a good and bad complex. Lt Tragg, played by Ray Collins, gives one of the best performances of the Perry series. His action on the witness-stand and the arrest of Daniel Reed makes you proud to have a man like that on the streets of LA. Plus the ending makes Lt Tragg look like a regular human rather than a cop after only facts. And the doctor at the mental facility plays a good stooge as a clumsy doctor ready to put anyone away if the price is right.

However there are some poor acting jobs that make this episode, at times, laughable. Daniel Reed (Edgar Stehli) the main guest character, appears to be lost in the words. More like he is reading than acting. This makes me wonder if perhaps the mental facility may not have been a restful stop-over for the actor. And then Kitty Kelly, that played Daniel's friend Millie, was about as bad as one can get. Some of it had to do with the lines she was given. But one cringes when this 60 year old delivers a line meant for a teenager when we hear "I've got to spring Daniel out of that coop". I actually had to rewind the tape to make sure what she uttered was what I heard. The director must have thought the same thing because the second half of the show she was given the role as a court spectator rather than a main player.

This episode has a lot to offer. From bugging an office to airplane trips to Reno we get the full package. Even Lt Tragg makes a stop over in Reno for a little visit with friends. This episode, from the first season, has all the good things that make "Perry Mason" a great series. A good watch.