****SPOILERS**** Water under the bridge Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, episode that has to do with past major leading Hollywood actress, who once played King Kong's girlfriend, Lorna Thomas, Fay Wray. It's Lorna who unexpectedly finds out that the daughter Betty Clark, Dusty Enders,she had out of wedlock, with at that time Hollywood's leading Lartin/Irish lover Rafael O'Connoll, that she gave up for adoption some 25 years ago, on February the 17th 1935 to be exact, has now come home to meet her long lost momma. This coupled with Lorna's finances, which have since gone straight down the toilet, brings the worst out of her. It all started when out of town private dick Fred Bushmiller played by Douglas Dick showed up at her mansion attempting to get a job, through blackmail, from her as her butler and personal chauffeur.
It's after Lorna unceremoniously kicked Betty out of her home when she came to see her that Betty's outraged husband George, John Bryant, went to see attorney Perry Mason. George tries to find out what he and his wife Betty can legally do to include her in Lorna's will in order to get a piece of the action, or money, which in fact turned out to be, in regard to her past financial misadventures, absolutely zilch! At the same time Lorna's former financial adviser and good friend Tony Raeburn, Lester Vail, looking to jump start both her and his career got her a part in a new film that he went deeply into debt for. With Lorna's nasty attitude to everyone associated with her it's no surprise that she's later found strangled in her mansion with all her jewelry missing. And the lucky or unlucky person arrested in her murder turned out to be Betty's husband George. George was not only at the scene of the crime when it approximately, at 10:15PM, happened but a piece of Lorna's jewelry was later found hidden under the seat of his car.
****SPOILERS**** At George Clark's trial it's revealed that Lorna was flat broke at the time of her murder. It was the mistake on her killers part that he thought that she was still swimming in money that, in finding out that she isn't, had him both lose it and murder her. Also during Geroge's trail it's revealed by private dick Fred Bushmiller that he had in fact planted the incriminating piece of jewelry in Geogre's car! But for some strange reason Perry or the judge didn't declare a mistrial and have the by then obviously innocent Geroge Clark released from custody?
Down to the Nitty-Gritty of the case Perry soon uncovers who in fact did murder Lorna by having the trial transcript read back when he slipped up in his testimony. It was a case of revenge in how Lorna mistreated her killer and left him hanging when he needed her most! Freely admitting that he killed Lorna and knowing that he now faces life behind bars or a trip to the San Quentin gas chamber in was far better the what he was facing, poverty & starvation, if he had gotten away with his crime!