Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Screaming Woman (1958) User Reviews

Ruta Lee...one of my favorites

[Dick24 · 9/10 · 12 November 2009]

Ruta Lee makes the first of her five appearances on PM in "The Case of the Screaming Woman" and even though she doesn't look as stunning as she does in her later episodes she's still quite lovely here. She plays a young woman who is the assistant to the female gossip columnist who is the murder victim in this Erle Stanley Gardner story.

Two things that make this episode memorable apart from the beautiful Ms. Lee:

1. The victim in this story is probably in the top ten of all PM victims in terms of needing to be killed. In a way it's hard to believe her death was followed by a trial instead of a medal ceremony.

2. A great scene of Mason completely frustrating and flustering Burger over the DA's direct examination of Della Street. The judge sustains every single one of Perry's objections and by the end of the scene one half expects Hamilton to physically assault the attorney for the defense. As a side note, Barbara Hale (Della), who I think was an extremely beautiful woman, looks particularly great in this episode.

There's also some great trickery by Mason to get Lt. Tragg to confiscate some Dictaphone recordings. Burger unwittingly carries out Perry's plan further by introducing into evidence these recordings, the playing of which elicits the courtroom confession of the real killer---and what a confession it is! Over the top even by PM standards.

Other notable appearances are made by Perry Mason vets Berry Kroeger (first of seven PM guest appearances) and Philip Ober (first of five). These two give credible performances as the victim's attorney (Kroeger) and husband (Ober). Morris Ankrum plays the judge in the fourth of his twenty-three appearance behind the bench and helps the episode along with some reasonable explanations of the technicalities being argued by Mason and Burger.

Wonderful... one of the best episodes

[grizzledgeezer · 8/10 · 28 March 2013]

The Perry Mason of the novels was more likely to engage in legally questionable practices (including tampering with evidence) than TV's Perry Mason. But the latter grew more-ethical only over a period of time. This early episode (based on an ESG novel published just a year earlier) has Mason destroying critical evidence, and Della nearly being shot.

When Della is called as a witness, Mason raises objections to every Berger question ("Incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial!"). Then he tricks Berger into presenting phony "evidence" that elicits a confession from the real killer. The comic (to us) interplay among the characters is delightful. In fact, the episode is wickedly amusing throughout.

Highly recommended.

Great Epilogue

[Justandyandme · 10/10 · 10 May 2013]

It's true.

Viewers will want screaming Mary K. Davis, a scandalous, newspaper gossip columnist to die, in Perry Mason's, "The Case of The Screaming Woman".

And she does! Blackmailers almost always do on this series.

Mary K needs to have a baby to preserve her failing marriage. She believes that is the only thing to prevent her husband from divorcing her, and possibly ruining her career. She decides to upset the best intentions of Dr. Barnes illegitimate adoption process of finding suitable parents for illegitimate children, by blackmailing him with exposure of the unwed mothers who used his service, unless he reconsiders not giving her a child. If only Dr. Barnes hadn't kept a written record of the whole process, Mary K wouldn't have gotten her hands on it.

The other reviews here are adequate. The only thing I wish to add is that this episode of Perry Mason has one of the best epilogues : Deadpan Lt. Tragg and his envelope of shattered dictating cylinders provides the perfect comic relief at the end of this most severe, melodramatic and perhaps best episode of Perry Mason's nine-season run.

Hamilton Burger is played like a nice violin

[kfo9494 · 9/10 · 19 October 2011]

This episode has nearly all thing that makes "Perry Mason" such a good show to watch. Interesting characters, great storyline, seemingly good acting and courtroom decorum which all leads to a great watch.

The case involves a doctor that breaks the law by going around the adoption process. People that want to adopt- but cannot pass the strict code- are patients of the doctor. The only problem is that he keeps a record of all the baby transactions.

Enter a unstable newspaper gossip columnist Mary Davis (Marian Seldes) that steals the records and is going to blackmail the doctor into giving her a baby. This alone could have been a good mystery for the show. But throw in some tricky evidence and an upset district attorney and it makes the show enjoyable.

Most of the actors in the episode do a great job. Ruta Lee, that plays secretary to Ms Davis, does a good job and looks great during the show. The doctor's nurse (Josephine Hutchison) has that face that makes a person care about her. And then Marian Seldes, that played the columnist, her performance as the bad witch makes you glad that she did not make it to the credits.

Another actor in the show was Don Garner, who played Bob Shroeder on this episode (the love interest of Rudy Lee). His performance was hard to watch. His acting was poorly done and seemed to be uncomfortable in front of the camera.

Della has a large part in this show. She is placed in a dead women's apartment, she is in the same room with a person with a gun, leaves with evidence and placed on the witness stand by Mr Burger. NOTE- look at Della's gloves when she first goes into the apartment -that is some funky stuff.

Hamilton Burger gets rough off screen when he is played by Perry. Plus Lt Tragg is also Perry'ed but can laugh it all off in the end.

Which makes this a must see for Perry viewers.

Cruella Herself

[darbski · 10/10 · 19 May 2017]

**SPOILERS** Yup, I'm giving it a 10 for the reasons other reviewers liked it. bkkoganbing said it "Cruella Deville" so long, Mary K. Also, pensman pointed out Arthur Shields instead of Barry Fitzgerald. I confess, I never heard of the man; boy, he sure had bad teeth in this episode, didn't he? I'm gonna compliment Ruta Lee for her performance (even if her character was foolish, as was the nurse's), and yes, she's very pretty. The great Ray Collins has a strong part in this show, and one of the very best ending lines ... you've gotta get this episode and see it for yourself.

Beautiful Della has a full part in this one, and I forgive her (how many people know what to do when there is a gun involved)? Did she see the shadow of the gun as did the audience?

I love it when the obvious shyster says he would prefer to confer in private (without Della taking notes), and Perry saying THAT'S precisely why he'd insist on Della being there. Anyone who's read my opinion of Della's notes knows how I feel.

Now, how did Mary K. Davis know about the book in the first place?

Why did Connie have a gun in Mary K.'s apartment?

Could Perry have defended Connie on insanity charges without incriminating himself? Remember, the stuff that happened AFTER the murder would be inadmissible, wouldn't it?

This series is available from Amazon, and I recommend it completely.

A favorite episode

[MarcPerroquet · 8/10 · 25 May 2015]

Overall, this episode certainly had its flaws but ended up being one my favorite episodes for several reasons, two of which were Marian Seldes as Mary K. Davis and Ray Collins as Lt. Tragg. This may be the episode where I really began to admire Ray Collins and his expert portrayal of the lieutenant whose dry,spot-on wit often went unnoticed. It also became clear that Mason and Tragg had a mutual respect for one another, understood and appreciated each other's job, and enjoyed their ongoing cat-and-mouse game. It was here that I first began to feel that even when Tragg seemed angry towards Mason, he wasn't necessarily expressing his own sentiments, but carefully working within the system to deliver a warning of what to expect from Hamilton Burger.

We also got to see Della Street on the witness stand and watch Mason's pit-bull-protection of her. This was in stark contrast to "The Case of the Crimson Kiss" where Street was also called to testify. In that episode she kept looking at Mason for objection or direction but got nothing. However, when Mason's client tried to whisper something in his ear, he quickly hushed her up as he continued to doodle on a notepad, never looking up and not cross examining.

Going back to the character of Mary K. Davis, she was certainly an unlikable person but was played to such perfection by Seldes, I hated to see her killed off. With psychotic coldness she delivers the unforgettable line, "There's no use appealing to my better nature, Miss Walsh. I don't have one." There was also her earlier vicious, pistol- toting threat to the good doctor, after which she calmly turns, smiles at Miss Walsh and says, "Goodnight, Miss Walsh. It was so nice seeing you again."

I loved Marian Seldes and I thought Ray Collins was in top form. Also, Barbara Hale was finally given a little more to do. Not that her character got any credit for her contributions--She never did.

There was one legal point that still bothers me. When Burger asks Street if she accepted a special delivery package, Mason immediately insists that he be more specific about the package. To me, that seems like a flaw in Mason's line of defense that Burger missed. What would Mason have done if Burger had proceeded to be more specific? Namely, if he had asked Street if she had accepted a package addressed to Mary K. Davis, aka her maiden name (whatever it was). But, instead of doing that, for no productive reason he introduces the mailman.

How could Mason have objected to Burger doing exactly what Mason himself requested? The next question would be what Street did with said package? Of course, Mason was trying to get discussion about the package dismissed because its relevance to the trial had not been established. But, wasn't it a misstep to ask Burger to be more specific? Also, wasn't there just as much reason to suspect the package contained important evidence as there was to believe the disks contained evidence?

Wile E. Coyote, Genius...

[AlsExGal · 9/10 · 3 December 2022]

... the line uttered by Wile E. Coyote right before he is run over by a train courtesy of the Roadrunner is who Hamilton Burger reminds me of in this week's episode. We all know Burger always loses, but this time he is a pawn in the skilled hands of Perry Mason.

A rather androgenous mink clad gossip columnist steals a book of past clients from a doctor who specializes in matching the children of unwed mothers to adoptive parents who would not be able to pass the strenuous standards of adoption agencies. He doesn't do this for money, but for the good of the kids and the adoptive parents who are frequently disqualified by nothing more than being five years too old to adopt. How he makes his money is not divulged, but I am curious since he is able to afford a comfortable home and runs a hospital, yet I digress.

The columnist demands that the doctor let her adopt a child since she has told her estranged husband and her column that she is pregnant when she is not. If her husband believes this then they could not be THAT estranged, but I digress again. If the doctor doesn't meet her demands she plans to publish the list of names in the book in her next column.

The doctor's nurse goes to Perry Mason seeking help in this situation as she has been working for the doctor for decades AND she believes in his work. She runs out of the office hysterical before Perry can really talk to her. Later the columnist is found dead. The nurse walks into Burger's office and confesses. And yet without a retainer, without clear word from the nurse that she even considers Perry her attorney, Perry begins work on the case. What a guy.

Like I said before, what makes this case different is that Burger plays right into the hands of a ruse orchestrated by Perry Mason meant to reveal the actual killer. Burger is so upset that he sends back evidence that he got from Mason shattered into a million pieces. Why is he so angry? Would he have preferred to convict an innocent woman? Burger is truly a fascinating fellow.

That's not Barry Fitzgerald?

[pensman · 9/10 · 30 April 2015]

As I began watching this episode I was stunned to see Barry Fitzgerald in the opening scene. I zipped over to IMDb to confirm and was shocked to learn it wasn't Barry Fitzgerald but his younger brother, Arthur Shields. Now I sort of pride myself on knowing actors from the 30's through the 70's but how did I miss Shields. Worse, turns out he played the Reverend Dr. Playfair in The Quiet Man, a film I must have watched 30 times or more. Oh well, never too old to to learn something new. And an interesting episode with Perry coming in after the first 15 minutes. The story revolves around a really hateful woman Mary K. Davis, played by Marian Seldes, who has so many enemies it is no surprise she is murdered. Also Philip Ober (won't know the name but you will recognize him as the perennial crooked businessman/politician in many shows/movies) plays Mary K's husband. And really Hamilton, do you really believe you can trip up Mason, Perry Mason?

I just don't believe it! The whole idea is insane!

[sol1218 · 8/10 · 14 July 2013]

***SPOILERS*** WoW! One of the best Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, episodes ever broadcast with Perry not only breaking a dicta-phone recording cylinder but the law as well and getting away with it. That in him tricking the prosecuting D.A Hamilton "Ham" Burger, William Talman, to enter a fake recording, with Perry using an actress to do the voice over, to trap the real killer of hated, she's a real witch, gossip reporter Mary K.Davis, Marian Seldes. There's also the Bigger then life Eternal Colonel himself Morris Ankrum as the judge presiding on the murder case. Ankrum or the Colonel not only gets more then his share of lines to move the story along but a name besides Judge in the episode's ending credits: Judge Cameron.

It was the nasty and vindictive Mary Davis who was to expose the sweet and kindly Dr.George Barnes, played by Actor Barry Fitzgerald's brother Arthur shields, adoption racket out of his Seaside Hospital that lead to her being murdered. The reason that Mary had it in for Dr. Bearns is not in what he was doing it was in what he didn't! That in him not allowing her to get a child under the table with a fake birth certificate from him for adoption. Dr. Barnes realized what a terrible childhood that child would have in having her as a mother. Right away Dr Barns' secretary Leona Walsh, Josephine Hutchinson, willingly takes the rap for Mary's murder. Even though it happened almost at the very time she was seeing Perry in his office, some 10 to 15 miles away, about Mary blackmailing her boss Dr. Barns! Still she's put on trial for murder by the D.A's office with Perry, despite her sworn confession in Mary's murder, defending her!

****SPOILERS**** It's at a critical point in the trial that Perry decides to bend the law a bit in order to not only get his client Leona Welsh off but trick D.A Hamilton "Ham" Burger to admit into evidence a number of recording cylinders that would break the case wide open in his and his client's favor. Sure enough Burger, sensing he's finally going to win a case, falls for it only to end up falling flat on his face. The episode ends with one of the most shrill ear splitting and surprising confession, by Mary Davis' murderer, in both motion picture as well television history!

Melodramatic Confession

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 28 June 2012]

Perry Mason never flirted with disbarment more than in this episode of the television series. It also has a terrific array of red herrings introduced to us. Including one actor who has played so many slimy villains that he's always the bad guy. He might be here, I won't mention his name, but you'll know him.

Marian Seldes plays a gossip columnist, married to a high ranking State Department official who is Philip Ober here. She loves destroying lives and her latest crusade is a doctor played by Arthur Shields who ran an illegal baby adoption racket. He's kept a book and she's obtained it.

When this Cruela DeVille columnist is murdered, suspects are popping out of the wood work. Raymond Burr's client is the doctor's nurse. But she confessed in fact to protect someone else.

There's a beautiful scene in this one where Burr outmaneuvers William Talman in court where he's illegally obtained the book and is flirting with a withholding evidence charge in which Barbara Hale is also complicit. And in another scene he tricks Talman into introducing the evidence that flushes out the murderer.

By the way the confession is one of the most melodramatic ever shown on Perry Mason. It alone is worth seeing the episode.

BLACKMAILING DOES NOT GUARANTEE LONGEVITY!

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 20 December 2023]

One of the great directors, Andrew V. McLaglen, the son of Victor McLaglen, directed this outstanding episode, a cut above many others, and so early in the series. McLaglen was associated with John Wayne in many of his later films, also directing for GUNSMOKE at the time.

Hang tight. Perry gets involved in a case of an unprincipled doctor, called Barnes (played by Arthur Shields) who basically runs an illegal baby adoption racket. His foolish mistake, and you have to admit it, is keeping a little book with names. The only debit is why do people know about this book? This book should have been put in a safe deposit box.

Enter equally fiendish columnist Mary Davis (played by five time Tony award nominee Marian Seldes) who snatches the book --and gets herself killed.

I agree with the last reviewer, this lady absolutely deserved what she got, but it also opens the door to many intriguing suspects. Watch very carefully. The story also has Della take the stand, in a rare turn of events, and Hamilton Burger is quite combative in the courtroom, ready to have Perry put on trial! Yes, technically, he could have faced disbarment.

Veteran character actress Josephine Hutchinson plays Perry's client, Leona, who confesses to the crime. But it's not quite the open and shut case.

The acting here, again thanks to Andrew McLaglen, is superior and with a top cast. Philip Ober, who appeared many times on the series, plays the victim's distinguished husband, Ralph Davis. Ruta Lee, in a very early role, plays Connie, and quite effective. Ruta was a natural and one of the few actresses to appear in a record number of tv dramas and sitcoms. Morris Ankrum returns as the poker face judge.

To note, Arthur Shields resembles famous actor Barry Fitzgerald because they are brothers! Shields was often mistaken for his brother, who was older. Also, notes are correct that both Ober and Hutchinson appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's NORTH BY NORTHWEST, shot not too long after this episode.

Can you guess whodunit? And don't you love the title, in tradition with Erle Stanley Gardner. Gardner may have inspired Alfred Hitchcock with macabre titles such as this.

The ending is classic PERRY MASON, and perhaps one of the best endings in the series' earliest episodes. You be the judge.

SEASON 1 EPISODE 30 remastered CBS/Paramount dvd box set, Volume #2 2006. Two box sets containing 5 dvds each.

Justifiable Homicide

[zsenorsock · 7/10 · 16 October 2007]

Never have I ever been so glad to see a Perry Mason victim get murdered as much as I was glad to see Mary K. Davis (Marian Seldes) get killed. Abrasive and irritating from moment one, I found her performance nails on a chalkboard annoying. Davis is a powerful gossip columnist (not too dissimilar to William Hopper's mom, columnist Hedda Hopper!) who doesn't hesitate to ruin lives to do a story or get what she wants. What she wants this time is a baby. It's the only thing she feels will keep her marriage with her state department husband (Phil Ober) alive. So she tries to blackmail kindly Dr. Barnes (Arthur Shields) into getting her one. See, Dr. Barnes has been acting as an illegal baby broker--matching up young girls who are "in trouble" and pregnant with desperate couples who want to have a baby but either won't or can't go through normal adoption channels. When Davis is found dead, the doctor's loyal nurse, Leona Walsh (Josephine Hutchinson) confesses to the crime so none of the secrets will come out. Perry has to try and prove she didn't murder Davis (though whoever did should have gotten a medal!)

Along the way, Perry actually conceals evidence and helps the doctor destroy a book that has all his baby broker transactions written down (the doctor didn't charge any fee for this nevertheless illegal action). If only Berger could prove what Mason did in this episode, Perry would have been doing seasons two and three from behind bars.

The episode ends with one of the most wild, over the top confessions by the real killer ever seen in this or any other series, as Perry uses another lawyer trick to get find out the true killer. If it didn't work, he certainly would have looked stupid at the very least.

The lesson of this episode once again is never, ever, ever confess. Just sit there, say nothing and the chances are you'll walk. And in this case, it was definitely justifiable homicide.

Another poor adaptation of a good Perry Mason book

[jabboreid · 18 March 2018]

I watched this one again a few nights ago and did not enjoy it. Again the writers changed everything. The book's defendant and killer are not even mentioned in this version. The book's victim is the doctor and has been changed from making money illegally to being a goody two shoes. The show's victim and defendant are not mentioned in the book. I know that Earle Stanley Gardner fought against CBS's earlier daytime version because they wanted to give Perry a love interest. He should have fought them over their adaptations of his great books.

Hysterical and hysterical

[WilliamJE · 2/10 · 31 December 2020]

A very poor PM episode. The episode is way too over the top with its Mary K Davis character. Just a few things

1- Why not call the police and have her arrested for breaking into the doctor's office.

2- A real publisher was hardly likely to publish a column based on the legal ramifications.

3- The nurse claims self defense but how is never made clear.

So far as the real murderer's final breakdown, the less said the better.

All-time Confessional Hemorrage!

[greg-19947 · 9/10 · 14 September 2021]

Remember watching all the original shows' airings and at the last commercial break calling a friend to each make our guess at the real murderer.

Even at a young age, loved the oft repeated tropes: * Perry's clients are always innocent but act guilty: They never call the police at discovering the body, make sure take to touch the murder weapon, and leave a trail of incriminating evidence.

* Nasty suspects are red herrings, never the murderer.

* The murder victim is always despicable. Mother Teresa would want to murder them.

* Murderers are meek milktoast husbands of nagging wives or underappreciated lackeys of the murder victims.

* Though I've never heard of a real-life case ending like this, the formula has the majority of murderers compelled beyond their control to blurt their over-wrought confession (Ms Lee's taking the cake!) during the preliminary hearing, conveniently eliminating the need of a jury trial.

* An unlocked or open door always means there's a murder victim inside.

* Crime scenes are neat. Even if shot in the head there's nary a drop of blood.

* I could go on . . .

Love these early shows with Tragg and Perry sparring. The show suffered when the bland Richard Anderson replaced the deceased Ray Collins.

Burger gets played again (several times)

[Guad42 · 8/10 · 7 November 2020]

The early PM episodes are the best. Several of them have a "film noir" feeling to them. Lt Tragg always has good lines and a sense of humor. Probably the only way to do his job and stay sane. You get the impression he actually likes Perry although he says otherwise in a couple of episodes. The last 15 minutes make this episode memorable. Perry get a voice actress to record on a disk and then he gets Burger to introduce it, thus getting a confession from the killer. Make sure you see the epilogue for the complete story. One of the few episodes where you might sympathize with the culprit. Love that Ruta Lee. Morris A. is my favorite judge in this show. Too bad he died while the show was still going on. You would think that Burger would get wise to Perry after falling for so many of his tricks over the years. He must have graduated from the Wiley E Coyote school of law. Thank god all of Perry's clients are innocent.

Della gets some action.

[magickbox · 8/10 · 28 June 2020]

This episode, which is sprinkled with humor, is a real treat because it includes a nasty columnist, a notorious book containing a list of secret names, Della Street as an operative, Perry Mason outmaneuvering frustrated D. A. Hamilton Burger and an ancient dictaphone with wax rolls. There's also a young Ruta Lee.

Lots of Legal Wrangling

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 9 December 2021]

At the center of this is death of an evil columnist, who ruins peoples lives. Also, there is a doctor who has been divvying out babies to people who can't have them. He keeps all his records in a ledger that has been stolen by the columnist. Strained loyalties get in the way of the truth. Perry uses the letter of the law to circumvent burger's efforts at trial. Quite good court drama.

Where I wish Mr. Burger had won....

[felicitaszoch · 10/10 · 9 July 2014]

I will not go into a lengthy description of this episode,others have done that. There is one point I'd like to make: I do not disagree with Perrys having that book destroyed. It should not have been read. But throughout the whole episode I felt his behavior towards Mr. Burger, who basically just did his job, was fairly disgusting. I'm usually quite a fan of Perry's courtroom tricks and I enjoy seeing him wind up Mr. Burger, but his behavior towards the D.A. had me wishing he'd loose. After all he had been guilty of withholding and manipulating and destroying evidence so it would for once have been nice if that very same fact caused him to loose, so showing that justice can not be served by committing dubious acts bordering on crimes. Perry tricked Mr. Burger, he played him, he manipulated him and he riled him up way beyond what could have been considered reasonable until I was firmly on Mr. Burgers side. In this episode, and in others like it, I must say I carry a great torch for the hapless Distric Attorney Hamilton Burger who is actually a rather decent man and in my mind equally dedicated to justice as Perry is. And on that note I must say I loved the end scene where Lt. Tragg tells Perry and his lot that Mr. Burger has a terrible aim when angry. It is utterly rude for then to gossip behind his back like that but it was in my mind one of the best scenes of this episode.

Hated Mason's client

[carrie45 · 9/10 · 15 April 2014]

This is one case where I wished Perry's client would have been convicted. I love Raymond Burr and Perry Mason, but these 1950's women are irritating. I grew up in the 50's and know how horrible it was for unwed mothers. Everybody commented about how awful the murder victim was and she was no peach, but I could gladly see Perry's client walk the green mile. Perry's client is so stupid she confesses to a murder she didn't commit. She's such a loyal employee, she made this viewer gag. Even so, I recommend this episode as good viewing. I love to see Ethel's (Vivian Vance) husband in these roles. He's never likable. Ruta Lee is also attractive and good, but did she have to be so dumb? Better than most programs on today even with the women's roles being so dated.

The Case of the Screaming Woman

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 9 November 2020]

Mary Davis is a nasty vindictive gossip columnist whose marriage is in trouble. She has announced that she is pregnant in order for her to get her husband to stay but it is a lie.

Davis threatens to blackmail the elderly Doctor Barnes to get her a baby. Davis stole a book from him that has all the transactions of an illegal baby adoption service that the doctor operates.

When Davis is found dead. The doctor's loyal nurse Leona Walsh takes the rap by confessing to the murder even though she was in the vicinity of Mason's office when the murder took place.

The gossip columnist was a really nasty piece of work and the initial set up has a long list of people who could be the killer including a slimy lawyer who wants the book so he can force the people in it to be his clients.

There is a great court scene as Hamilton Burger tries to implicate Della Street and Perry Mason for handling illegally obtained evidence and Perry keeps objecting.

The let down is a very hysterical court confession by the actual perpetrator and a risky manoeuvre by Perry which could had easily had failed in court.

Great lines for Tragg

[ebertip · 6/10 · 7 November 2020]

Perry does not recognize Tragg's voice on the phone and Tragg says "Is this THE Perry Mason?" Implausible story as to the important delivery by the Dr. A birth of a child to an incarcerated prisoner. A social service person would be all over this and the Drs. method would not work. Also not clear how the postman could have delivered special delivery to Della. Another lawyer talks to Perry about the slimey rat race of criminal law and Perry says something about not running with the rats. The judge makes a comment about legal technicalities.

LaughOutLoud court room scene!

[pmike-11312 · 1/10 · 26 July 2022]

While not a huge Ruta Lee fan, I always considered her to be an at-least competent actress. In the hands of the PM crew of "writers" and " directors", she's reduced to giving a hilarious, overwrought, over-acted courtroom confession in the usual PerryMason standards. Just too much!