A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Grimacing Governor (1994)

When gubernatorial candidate Harlan Richards is murdered, the suspicions fall on the incumbent Governor Ryan Allison but when he, too, is murdered the plot thickens.

Director:

Max Tash

Writers:

Robert Schlitt, Erle Stanley Gardner (characters creator)

Stars:

Hal Holbrook, Barbara Hale, William R. Moses

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hal Holbrook	...	Wild Bill McKenzie
Barbara Hale	...	Della Street
William R. Moses	...	Ken Malansky
John Spencer	...	Al Rhinehart
Gregg Henry	...	John Orlando
Bonnie Bartlett	...	Rosemary Sutter
Macon McCalman	...	Dan Dixon
Kim Johnston Ulrich	...	Karen Richards
Elyssa Davalos	...	Violet Moore
Pato Hoffmann	...	Sgt. Whitehorse
Angela Dohrmann	...	Tammy
Fran Bennett	...	Judge Donna Andrews
Gregory Scott Cummins
David Selburg
Tony Longo	...	Will

Storyline

Perry's secretary Della and private investigator/lawyer Ken go to visit an old friend, rancher and famous lawyer, "Wild" Bill McKenzie. Meanwhile, gubernatorial candidate Harlan Richards is murdered, and his daughter, Karen, thinks that Harlan's rival, Governor Ryan Allison, has something to do with her father death. But Ryan has had suspicions about the death and thinks that it involves somebody that is close to him. He calls Karen but when she gets there Ryan is dead and Karen framed for the crime. Bill, as a friend of the Richards family, starts to investigate, and Ken and Della are only too willing to help. This was made after Raymond Burr sadly passed away...

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Plot Keywords:

governor | murder | lawyer | judge | courtroom | 

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Taglines:

Someone killed the governing body.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Perry Mason - McKenzie und die toten Gouverneure

Filming Locations:

Denver, Colorado, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dean Hargrove Productions,Fred Silverman Company,Viacom Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Follows Perry Mason: The Case of the Skin-Deep Scandal (1993)

User Reviews

McKenzie for the Defense!

Maverick lawyer Bill McKenzie returns to action defending the daughter of a disgraced politician. The politico was murdered, but his death was successfully made to appear as suicide. Several years later, his daughter finds herself suspected of murdering the Governor of the state, who she held responsible for her father's suicide through a political smear campaign.

Hal Holbrook is great in this role and the mystery, while engaging is rather disturbing as McKenzie probes layer upon layer of political corruption during his investigation. One can't help but wonder about the political repercussions after the smoke cleared. It might have made an interesting film on it's own. The final revelation, while not surprising, is clever and ironic.

A treat, this late in the game.

On a side note, reflecting a new courtroom era, cameras can be clearly seen in the background, televising the courtroom proceedings to a large cable audience no doubt.