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

Followed by A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Jealous Jokester (1995)

User Reviews

Grimaces Are Fine Here-Case of Grimacing Governor Merits ***1/2

Hal Holbrook was far better here than in a previous episode. Why? He actually tackles a case in the style of Perry Mason. Raymond Burr would have been very proud. This time he really doesn't let his personal life interfere in his conduct of this case involving the demise of a gubernatorial candidate and the governor as well.

There is plenty of intrigue here especially when the second murder occurs.

Tony Curtis is brutal in his brief stint as a mobster involved in this mayhem. While he looks much older and pale in this part, he delivers a good performance as a racketeer.