Arthur Marks Movies
- 1964
Middle-aged Nellie Dubois (Jeanette Nolan) became a widow when her husband died during their vacation in Europe. Upon her return to the States, Nellie's family is shocked to find her in the company of a new spouse--a much younger Frenchman named Pierre (Michael Forrest). Convinced that Pierre is only after Nellie's money, the family hires sexy French maid Marie Claudel (Anne Farge) to seduce Pierre and prove to Nellie that he is unfaithful. By an astonishing coincidence, Marie happens to be Pierre's jilted first wife--and when he turns up dead, she is charged with murder. Can Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) solve this one without causing any further domestic strife? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Slim and svelte Dianne Adler (Mary Ann Mobley), a hometown girlfriend of Della Street (Barbara Hale), has launched a career as a model. Harrison Boring (Paul Gilbert) hands Dianne the most unusual assignment of her career: For 200 dollars per week, she is to gain a great deal of weight! It seems that Boring is promoting a line of clothes for full-figured women, and he needs a hefty model with "name" value. What Della can't understand is why Dianne would have signed a contract which forfeits 50% of everything she makes over her regular salary to the enterprising Boring. It's a good thing that Della brings this to the attention of her boss Perry Mason (Raymond Burr)--who ends up defending Dianne on a murder charge when Boring is killed. This episode is based on a 1962 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
In a depature from the usual Perry Mason format, Perry (Raymond Burr) flies to Europe as a personal favor to his old friend Frederic Ralston II. Arriving in Switzerland, Perry is asked to check up on Greta Konig (Susanne Cramer), the German nightclub singer who wants to marry Ralston's son Freddy (Fred Vincent), a lieutenant in the Army Engineer Corps. Instead, the lawyer ends up investigating two mysterious deaths, both linked to a treasure hidden by Nazis at the bottom of a Swiss lake during WW2. Future Hogan's Heroes costar Werner Klemperer appears as the local detective on the case, while Jim Davis, aka "Jock Ewing" on Dallas, is one of the victims. Inasmuch as Perry is literally "flying solo" in this episode, neither Della Street (Barbara Hale) nor Paul Drake (William Hopper) appear. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
The senatorial campaign between Jason Foster (Richard Anderson) and Randolph Cartwell (Stewart Moss) gets down and dirty when political boss Harry Margis (Patrick McVey) tries to set up Foster's sister as a pawn in a fabricated scandal, using her romance with Cardwell's stepson David (Stewart Moss) as a means to an end. When David is murdered, suspicion falls upon Jason's wife Margaret (Jan Shepard), who thinks that Jason is the killer--and as such, refuses to cooperate with Perry Mason as he tries to defend her in court. Appearing as the ingenue Susan Foster is future Hollywood producer and studio executive Lynn Loring. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Wealthy junk dealer and mayoral candidate Mort Lynch (Ted De Corsia) decides to give a job to dissolute college dropout Barry Davis (Carl Reindel), if only because Lynch was once a good pal of Barry's uncle. However, the boy quits the job after a bitter argument, then goes to work for a newspaper publisher who is trying to destroy Lynch's political career. Ultimately, Lynch is murdered, and the weapon is found in Barry's car. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) must prove that Barry is innocent, and that the actual killer is someone who was intimately involved in the criminal activities of Barry's uncle and the late Mr. Lynch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Recovering alcoholic William Sherwood (Peter Breck) falls off the wagon when he sees his wife Ruth (Janet Dey)--who was supposed to have died five years ago! Later, Sherwood finds Ruth's body--again--and calls Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) for help. He'll need all the help he can get: with his bloody fingerprints all over the murder scene, Sherwood is charged with his wife's murder (and she's dead for keeps this time). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
A toy manufacturer bequeaths his company, and his fortune, to his unattractive daughter Alice (Anne Whitfield)--on condition that she be married or at least engaged within a year's time. Miraculously, a handsome artist claims to be in love with Alice, proving his ardor by painting her as a beauty. Alas, it turns out that the romance is a sham, engineered by Alice's Uncle Harry (Ford Rainey) as part of a scheme to gain full control of the company. When Harry turns up murdered, Alice is convinced that she killed him during an argument, and so are the police--but Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) has his doubts. This is the final episode of Perry Mason's seventh season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Minerva Doubleday (Phyllis Love) hires Paul Drake (William Hopper) to act as courier in the sale of her Uncle Homer's (Will Kuluva) rare Confederate half-dollar, which is supposedly worth $50,000. But what follows is a maelstrom of theft, embezzlement, blackmail, and finally murder, with George Parsons (Hunt Powers) as the victim. Lucky for accused killer Minerva that Paul Drake is a close associate of lawyer Perry Mason (Raymond Burr). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Hudson Bradshaw (Bartlett Robinson) is willing to use any means, fair or foul, to claim the rights to a revolutionary new antibiotic developed by ex-employee Randolph James (Lee Farr). When all else fails, Bradshaw persuades James' wife Natalie (Marian Collier]) to sell her controlling interest in her husband's chemical company--which would seem to be ample motive for murder when Natalie turns up dead. The only way that Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) will be able to free James is to prove that his client was on a fishing trip at the time of the murder...but alas, the witnesses to this trip are either missing or highly unreliable! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
A pre-Man From UNCLE, pre-NCIs David McCallum is cast as Phillipe Bertain, an incredibly naïve young Frenchman who gives a "belle femme" named Ninette (Roxane Berard) a great deal of money so that she can afford to divorce her husband Armand (Jacques Bergerac). Instead, the duplicitous Ninette hands the cash to Armand, who immediately purchases a ski resort. The outraged Phillipe heads to the slopes to confront Armand, but before this can happen the scoundrel is killed in a plane crash. When the police determine that Armand was killed before the crash, Phillipe is arrested for the crime. Sacre bleu! Ou est Monsier Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), s'il vous plait? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Appearing in Santa Barbara with her Shakesperean acting troupe "A Company of Four", former Broadway star Ramona Carver (Virginia Field) is confronted by a man who claims to be the son she gave up for adotion. Whether or not this is good news to Ramona seems inconsequential when she accused of murdering an old enemy, ex-drama critic Ogden G. Kramer (Sherwood Keith). Originally hired to help Ramona locate her son, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) must now defend her life in court. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
An otherwise peaceful lakeside resort is the scene of an angry confrontation between Edward Lewis (Richard Anderson) and his father-in-law B.K. Doran (Murray Matheson), with each man accusing the other of embezzling funds from the family business. Later on, Doran is stabbed to death, and Lewis is charged with murder. Fortunately for Lewis, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is also visiting the resort. Featured in the cast is actress and model Dee Hartford, who at one time was both the wife of director Howard Hawks and the sister-in-law of comedian Groucho Marx (whew!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
At the behest of the family of the missing Alice Bradley (Sheila Bromley), Paul Drake (William Hopper) tracks the woman down to a mental institution, where she is suffering from amnesia--and as such is totally unaware that she is wanted for the murder of her husband. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) manages to clear Alice of that charge, but soon afterward has another client on his hands: Alice's son Charles (Richard Rust), who has been arrested for the murder of his embezzling coworker Henry Clement. The second victim is played by ventriloquist Paul Winchell, in a rare dramatic role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
This is the third of four consecutive episodes in which Perry Mason appears only briefly, while a "guest" lawyer handles the case at hand (Raymond Burr was at the time recovering from minor surgery). Subbing for Perry on this occasion is Bruce Jason (Hugh O'Brian), a lawyer who normally specializes in cases involving the entertainment world. But there's nothing "entertaining" about the death of Iron-curtain dignitary Franz Schreck, who turns up murdered shortly after making a big-money deal to sell some top-secret papers to columnist Elihu Laban (Abraham Sofaer). Ultimately, Jason must defend Laban on a double-murder charge, and in the process ends up chasing "himself" in the form of a lookalike assassin (also played by Hugh O'Brian). Removed from the original Perry Mason syndicated rerun package in 1966, this episode remained on the shelf until it was telecast on cable TV in the mid-1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Returning to work after a four-week absence, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) makes up for lost time by agreeing to represent cantankerous orange grower Amos Keller (Arthur Hunnicutt). To get even with Amos for messing up his plans to bulldoze the local orange groves, land developer Gerald Thornton is suing the old coot, claiming to have been bitten by Amos' dog Hard Tack. Things turns deadly serious, however, when Thornton is murdered and Amos' granddaughter Sandra (Natalie Trundy) is charged with the crime. Watch for future spaghetti-western icon Lee Van Cleef in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
This is the second of four consecutive episodes in which Perry Mason appears only briefly, while a "guest" lawyer handles the case at hand (Raymond Burr was at the time recovering from minor surgery). Michael Rennie stars as erudite law professor Edward Lindley, one of Perry's best friends and severest critics. Though he has never handled a murder case--and indeed, regards most defense attorneys with the utmost disdain--Lindley agrees to help one of his students, Janice Norland (Patricia Manning), who claims to have killed blackmailing dance instructor Raul Perez (Carlos Romero). But when Lindley accompanies Janice to the scene of the crime, the body has disappeared! Ultimately, however, Janice is charged with Perez' murder, with circumstantial evidence provided by a candid camera which the dead man used for his extortion racket. Making things even dicier is the possibility that Janice's own mother Maureen (played by Patrice Wymore, former wife of movie superstar Errol Flynn), is the guilty party!. Excluded from the original Perry Mason syndicated rerun package in 1966, this episode remained unseen until it was telecast on cable TV in the mid-1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Not long after divorcing his wife Valerie (Julie Adams), Roy Comstock (John Conte) apparently commits suicide. In truth, both the divorce and the phony suicide are part of an elaborate scheme to swindle Comstock's partner Peter Brent (Carleton Carpenter). When Comstock turns up dead for real, it is Brent who is charged with murder--whereupon Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) sets about to untangle the web of deceit that has already enmeshed this sordid affair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
The "teaser" opening of this episode shows Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) losing an appeal before Judge Daniel Redmond (Robert Middleton). Later on, however, Redmond is banking on Perry to win in court--in fact, the judge's life depends on it. It seems that Redmond is running for lieutenant governor, but may be discredited in the eyes of the voters thanks to the dissolute Martin Weston (Vaughn Taylor), who claims that the Judge was involved in a nasty fraud scheme twenty years earlier. When Weston is killed, the police are convinced that Redmond is the guilty party--and it is up to Perry to un-convince them! This is the final episode of Perry Mason's sixth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Thanks to the curbstone advice of Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), Sarah Breel (Lurene Tuttle) is cleared of a shoplifting charge. Not long afterward, Sarah's niece Virginia (played by former child star Margaret O'Brien) tells Perry that she believes her aunt is involved in a jewel robbery--or at the very least, is covering for her no-good brother George. When George's partner Austin Cullins (Blair Davies) is murdered, Sarah is found near the scene of the crime with the murder weapon and a cache of jewels in her purse. Naturally, Perry agrees to handle Sarah's defense--a job that becomes doubly difficult when dear brother George turns up murdered as well. Keep at eye out for a pre-"Mr. Spock" Leonard Nimoy in a supporting role. This episode is based on a 1938 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
John Flickenger (Benny Baker) takes no chances in planning the robbery of the trucking company where his sister Sylvia (Constance Ford) works. Unfortunately, he is less careful after the heist, leaving the gun he used to pull off the job within the reach of his nephew Miles (the versatile Billy Mumy)--who promptly hides the weapon where absolutely no one can find it. This proves problematic for Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), who needs the gun to prove that Sylvia is not guilty of the murder of Joe Downing (Ray Teal). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
The citizens of Cliffside Heights hire Perry (Raymond Burr) to press a libel suit against novelist Richard Harris (Michael Pate), the author of a Peyton Place-style "roman a clef." A financial settlement is reached, but turned down by publisher Albert McCann (David Lewis), who for some reason is afraid of Harris. Likewise fearful is Harris' ex-wife Margaret Layton (Peggy McCay), who is desperate to hide her lurid past from her children--so desperate, in fact, that she becomes the Number One Suspect when Harris is murdered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
In the seventh-season opener of Perry Mason, scheming seaman John Brooks (Ron Starr) has concocted what he thinks is a foolproof scheme to pass himself off as Caleb Stone, heir to the fortune possessed by elderly sisters Sophia (Beulah Bondi) and Minevah (Meg Wyllie). The scheme involves persuading another man named Caleb Stone (Ivan Dixon) to adopt the alias of John Brooks, so that the two men can periodically switch identities and confuse the authorites. Things go horribly wrong when the phony nephew is accused of murdering another of the old ladies' relatives, Ernest Stone (Hugh Marlowe). This is a fine way for Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to start off the new year! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Since her husband Felton (Michael Conrad) always seems to be out of town on business, nervous Nell Grimes (Jackie Loughery) asks her best friend, door-to-door salesperson Gwynn Ellison (Pippa Scott), to temporarily move in with her--which Gwynn does, despite the fact that she hates Felton with a passion. Not long afterward, Gwynn accidentally discovers that Felton is leading a double life as "Frank Gillette", complete with a second wife!. In a rage, she concocts a scheme to bump off Felton, but someone else kills him first. In his efforts to clear Gwynn of a murder charge, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) comes upon several other "respectable" gentlemen who are carrying on double lives as well. This episode is based on a 1961 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Poised to receive a huge inheritance on her 21st birthday, mixed-up Merle Telford (Jana Taylor) plans to free herself from her domineering Aunt Olivia (Jorja Curtwright) and elope with boyfriend Danny Pierce (Jack Ging). Correctly sizing up Danny as a fortune hunter--indeed, he intends to swipe the inheritance and run off with his real sweetheart Gina Gilbert (Joan Staley)--Olivia hires detective Paul Drake (William Hopper) to prevent Merle from ruining her life. But it appears as if Drake will be too late when Merle is accused of murdering Olivia during a party. Lucky for Merle that Drake is a close friend of defense attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr). This is the final episode of Perry Mason's fifth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Philanthropist Carleton Gage (Everett Glass) hires Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to alter his will so that the orphanage he supports will remain open. Unfortunately, Gage lapses into a coma just before the will can be finalized. As Gage's life ebbs away, two of his beneficiaries, his cousin George (Jacques Aubuchon) and his employee Ernest Demming (John Morley) demand that the orphanage be shut down--while Gage's sister-in-law Joane Proctor (Jan Shepard) just as insists that the place will stay in business. By and by, Demming is murdered, and Joane is charged with the crime--meaning that Perry will have to redirect his energies to save Joane from being convicted. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
