Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Tragic Trophy (1964) User Reviews

A real good episode in season 8

[kfo9494 · 9/10 · 16 November 2011]

This episode, from the eighth season, was one that I really liked. I thought the writers did a great job in giving us a different plot from the usual Perry episode. It was getting late in the series yet they found another way to capture the viewer into a new mystery that was very interesting.

The plot is that Tony Fry (Richard Carlson) is a producer/director of movie films. You can tell from his action that he is not the most upright man in the industry. He had just finished a movie in Mexico involving a older man falling in love with a younger women. Just so happens, for publicity, he shows up at the airport with a young girl on his arm that he says he is going to marry. The young blond girl is Kathey Anders-James (Mimsy Farmer). But little does Fry know that Kathy is plotting against him since he ruined the reputation of her father that use to be a great camera man.

Kathy takes some pictures of Fry with another women. This leads to a confrontation between the two where Kathy hits him on the head with a trophy after being slapped around by Fry. Mr Fry ends up dead from a blow to the head with the 'Tragic Trophy' and Perry defends the poor Ms Kathy Anders-James for the murder.

There is a lot of more things going on with the plot. The writers do an excellent job of keeping the story appealing and making the characters interesting for the viewer.

The acting in this episode was top of the line. Richard Carlson was good casted as the swindling director, John Fiedler (from Winnie-the-pooh projects) was good as the publicity manager, Paul Stewart, as JJ Pennington the big time movie producer, was believable in the role.

One of the best performance was from Mimsy Farmer that played the young blond Kathy Anders. From the first few minutes of the show, I already was intrigued with her portrayal of the character which is a large part in making the viewer comfortable with the episode.

This is not a spoiler but when I watched the show I caught on to something that happened that even the novice fan should have guessed the true murderer. All I will say is that it happens between Kathy hitting Mr Fry and before Paul calls a sleeping Perry. As 'Perry Mason' fans make sure you watch for it and guess who will be confessing at the end of the show.

This one is a goodie.

A Hollywood Story

[zsenorsock · 8/10 · 1 July 2008]

Big name director Anthony Fry (Richard Carlson) arrives at the Burbank airport on a flight from Mexico where he is mobbed by reporters (kind of odd for a guy who's last film in Spain was never completed and is in the downside of his career) who he introduces to Kathy Anders (Mimsy Farmer) a young actress he claims to be in love with. However, we soon learn the love affair is just publicity for his film about a May-December romance, partly cooked up by his publicity man Howard Stark (John Fiedler). What Fry doesn't know is Kathy is the daughter of a cameraman with a drinking problem who Fry ruined and blamed for the picture in Spain. She's hired Paul Drake to find out the identity of a mysterious woman Fry meets at the airport. When Fry turns up dead, beaten with an award, Kathy is the prime suspect.

I like it when the Mason show casts its eyes on Hollywood. While this isn't their most biting of looks at show business, it does feature some fine performances, notably by Paul Stewart as studio head JJ Pennington and Richard Carlson as Fry. Mimsy Farmer isn't bad either as the accused, but once again in his quiet, subtle way, John Fiedler makes the most of his part as Stark. The voice of Piglet, Fiedler really has been in everything, from "Star Trek" and "Get Smart" to "The Bob Newhart Show" "Sheriff Lobo", "Colombo", "Rockford Files" and "Quincy". He is a under-appreciated character actor of the first rank. It's also nice to see Perry, Della and Paul all working together after a couple of episodes separated them while Perry was in Europe...or the MGM back lot version of Europe!

Camera Problem

[darbski · 9/10 · 8 February 2018]

***SPOILERS*** It's always nice when a popular problem gives credit to many "Unsung" talents who actually make it all happen. Such as cameramen. In this case it is a drinker with a camera problem. What about others? Such as writers who "punch up" a script, or provide the main idea for a story that someone gets credit for? This is a theme that has been examined many times in this fine series.

Once it happens to you, and you realize that there is no way to get the recognition that you deserve, that's when you truly feel like killing someone, isn't it? When they just clap their hands in glee at having ripped away any share that you've deserved; or worse by far, assumed that they DESERVE to treat your contributions like you owe it to them, THAT'S when you just know the only thing left is to punch their timecard permanently. Isn't it? Just one more thing is the fact that there always seems to be someone who gets screwed by these rats in silk suits, doesn't there??

John Feidler played his part well, and the character he represented reminded me a lot of the ones played by great actors like Elisha Cook, and himself, without whom the episodes played out would be nowhere at all. I'll take the time to give them late recognition for their hard, talented work. also, the stagecrafters and technicians, and other support personnel who are so necessary to make sure this entertainment reaches our viewing pleasure. It isn't enough, I'll admit, but it's all I can offer. Thank you very much.

The "little man who wasn't there" has been used before quite well, and in this case it played out perfectly. It overcame the foolish plan that Perry's client tried to use, portrayed nicely by a girl who wanted her father's good name rescued from the scheming scurve who we were all so delighted to see deceased. I always wonder in these cases (as a follow-up fact) whether Perry calls up one of the many fine attorneys he must know to at least mitigate the prison term that the killer would get. It could be brought down from Murder 2 to a more reasonable manslaughter 2. I'll give this episode a 9.

Comically overdone in spots but a good entertaining episode

[ronnybee2112 · 9/10 · 18 March 2021]

This episode is worth watching just to see the cameo appearances of many older actors. "Amos" of 'Amos and Andy' is here! Reed Hadley from Racket Squad is here,and many other familiar and vaguely-familiar actors and actresses from Hollywood's earlier days put in cameos in this episode. The goofball guy from ''The Bob Newhart show'' plays a big part here,almost a decade before "The Bob Newhart show". The lovely young Mimsy Farmer is here to top it off,what a cast ! The episode is reasonably interesting and a fun watch. I liked it!

He'll still be serving his life sentence when it's playing on the late late late show.

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 5 December 2012]

***SPOILERS*** Very good now you see the murderer now you don't Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, episode involving low down rat movie maker Tony Fry, Richard Carson, who got his brains bashed in when he was slapping around young Kathy James (who was using the name Anders),Mimsy Farmer,in trying to uncover what kind of evidence she has on him in order to destroy his film career. Kathy has got photos of Fry romancing Joanna Pennington, Constance Towers, who just happens to be the wife of big time Hollywood producer J.J Pennington, Paul Stewart, who's financing Fry's big comeback movie! The reason for Kathy going through all this trouble, that included a sham marriage to Fry,is to get even with him for destroying her father's career in Hollywood as a top cameraman and turning him into a helpless and hopeless alcoholic!

As we soon find out with Perry Mason taking on Kathy's case Fry wasn't exactly killed by her but murdered later on when he was still unconscious by someone else. Someone who really had it in for the creep and took advantage of the situation by achieving what Kathy in self defense didn't in killing Fry. Looking like a lost cause for Perry and with Kathy sure to be convicted of Fry's murder it's non other then prosecuting D.A Hamilton "Ham" Berger, William Talman, who unknowingly throws Perry a life-line. That's by Burger having one of the witness janitor Alvin Childless put on the stand for re-examination and without realizing it expose who actually murdered Tony Fry!

**SPOILERS*** What we found about Tony Fry was that he really deserved what he got. Not only was he screwing around with his bosses, J.J Pennington, wife Joaanna but with the very person who was to put him back on top in the motion picture industry. This caused the mild mannered and very loyal guy, to Tony Fry, to finally snap and end up finishing the job that Kathy started!

Talented Cast Overcomes Ordinary Script

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 12 October 2017]

The cast in this one is better known than some episodes. John Fielder is a veteran actor of a lot of series and serves pretty well in this one. Richard Carlson had done a lot of motion picture work in the 1950's and is pretty well known.

The script is pretty straight forward. There is a shady movie producer who has produced an outstanding film, but can not get it released because he has run out of money. In trying to get the money to release the film, he makes several enemies and one of them kills him.

Mason's client is a woman who strikes the victim and all the physical evidence points to her. The script though is a little too obvious in the way the murder happens that you can almost guess who the murderer is and when they did it (at least it was too me).

With this cast this is an entertaining entry in the series, though it does not even make Mason break a sweat to figure out who-dun-it.

Seems Really Dated

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 19 February 2022]

The Hollywood stuff of the Sixties seems so passe now. We have this movie director who ends almost every sentence with "baby." Even if he is talking to a man. It's that tiresome stereotype about movie people and their interactions with one another. Here we have a cad who has no new ideas who is trying to scam money by betraying the people with whom he works. The daughter of a cameraman goes after him after he has ruined the reputation of her father. The whole thing seems sort of lame.

Saw It Coming

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 7 March 2012]

Perry Mason has an easy time of it defending Mimsy Farmer, an aspiring young actress who is accused of killing a king rat of a producer in The Case Of The Tragic Trophy. For two reasons, first it's rather obvious in this one who does it and you don't have to have followed it all that closely to know. Secondly because District Attorney Hamilton Burger after Perry has put up three different possible alternative suspects via his cross examination puts on janitor Alvin Childress as a rebuttal witness who actually clinches Mason's defense and clearly labels who the real murderer is.

As is usual the writers of Perry Mason give you a nice list of suspects to chose from as producer Richard Carlson was making enemies left and right in Hollywood. Some of this stylish cast includes Paul Stewart, Constance Towers, John Fiedler, George Benlin, and Patricia Huston all of whom would have had enough reason to kill this guy.

Still when I can figure out the who and how on a Perry Mason story I know the writers have let me down. And of course there's no way it's Mimsy Farmer because doesn't defend the guilty.