The Case of the Shifty Shoebox (3 Oct. 1963)

Director:

Arthur Marks

Writer:

Jackson Gillis

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 (credit only)
Constance Ford	...	Sylvia Thompson
Benny Baker	...	John Flickinger aka Uncle Flick
Bill Mumy	...	Miles (as Billy Mumy)
Denver Pyle	...	Frank Honer
Joseph Sirola	...	Bill Sheridan
Ray Teal	...	Joe Downing
Diane Ladd	...	Miss Frances
Russ Conway	...	Deputy Sheriff
Willis Bouchey	...	Judge
Jim Boles	...	Harry, Night Watchman

Storyline

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1963 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Paisano Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

A different ending could have saved this show

This episode started with so much interest that I was sure we were in for another great mystery. And then the second half of the show was more like watching paint dry than watching the climax of a thrilling show. Then ending of the show was one of those 'made for TV' moments where without a shred of evidence Perry gets someone to confess to a dirty deed. The viewer is left dumbfounded with the results.

The episode begins when a man breaks in to a trucking company office. We as the viewer see two men fighting and then a gunshot. A few seconds later a man (later found out to be Uncle Flick) comes out of the building and throws a gun across the fence. The gun is found by a small boy named Miles and placed in a shoe-box.

Miles is living at a foster home with Uncle Flick and Aunt Sylvia. Sylvia works at the trucking company as the bookkeeper when she gets called about the shooting. Seems that during the incident the safe was open and a few thousand dollars was taken. So one of the owners wants an audit on the company books. This much to the dislike of Sylvia since she had taken a few hundred dollars to give to a co-worker for a gambling fee.

Sylvia is so distraught that she wonders outside and finds the shoe-box. When she opens the box it is empty. She then goes to the company to talk with owner Joe Downing. However she finds him shot and flees the scene. She is seen by the night watchman and also Perry Mason making a quick getaway from the building. Sylvia is charged with murder. When the shoe-box is found it contains the murder weapon and has Sylvia's fingerprints on the box. Perry will defend her in court.

Everything is going well till this point and then the bottom drops out. For some reason the writers want an interaction between Perry and the boy. This will prove disastrous. On camera it appeared that both Raymond Burr and Bill Mumy (Miles) were uncomfortable with the connection. When Miles takes a bus across town to run into the courtroom with the shoe-box and hugs Perry, I knew the show was in dire straits.

Even though the story was not really that bad, the ending left the viewer feeling cheated. With a different ending this could have been a great show but we are left with a show that is just 'nice', nothing else.