Some original writing and a culprit that I never suspected of doing the murder of tycoon Carl Benton Reid characterize this Perry Mason episode with Walter Pidgeon as the pinch hitting lawyer in this series of programs done while Raymond Burr was on the mend.
Joyce Bullifant is an airheaded ditzy heiress the kind that were popular in the Thirties screwball comedies is the niece of Reid and Reid is also her legal guardian. She has 15% of his company and could get more if the aging and unhealthy Reid dies. And she's one of a select group of people who know the combination of her uncle's safe. He keeps a lot of cash there, he likes to do business that way and he's paying off a blackmailer.
She has two suitors John Siegfried and James Best and Pidgeon's own assistant Linden Chiles is got a thing for her as well. That together with associates and business rivals gives us your usual stew of suspects.
My rule for a good Perry Mason is I have to be truly surprised and indeed I was. I think you will be too.
Joyce Bullifant is an airheaded ditzy heiress the kind that were popular in the Thirties screwball comedies is the niece of Reid and Reid is also her legal guardian. She has 15% of his company and could get more if the aging and unhealthy Reid dies. And she's one of a select group of people who know the combination of her uncle's safe. He keeps a lot of cash there, he likes to do business that way and he's paying off a blackmailer.
She has two suitors John Siegfried and James Best and Pidgeon's own assistant Linden Chiles is got a thing for her as well. That together with associates and business rivals gives us your usual stew of suspects.
My rule for a good Perry Mason is I have to be truly surprised and indeed I was. I think you will be too.