****SPOILERS**** This turned out to be one of Perry Mason's, Raymond Burr, most heart-breaking as well as baffling cases. A case after it was finally over with Perry, as you would have expected him to, getting his client off hoped that he never had anything to do with it.
Called in by his good friend financial expert and attorney Frank Halloran, Mason Adams, to handle his client ex-mobster Johnny Sorrento, Michael Nader, capital case in the murder of his wife Maria, Swynyth Walsh, Perry is very hesitant at first in taking it. Against his better judgment and the judgment of his private secretary Della Street, Barbara Hale, and assistant an d human punching bag Ken Malansky, William R. Moses, who always,in every one of the Perry Mason mystery movies, takes a licking but keeps on ticking Perry takes the murder case that almost has him ending up being a murder victim himself! It was Maria catching her cheating husband in the arms of part-time model and aspiring actress Karen Tatcher, Beverly Leech, that had her throw a fit get herself good and drunk at the Calder Estate where her husband,now a big time and legitimate businessman,was finalizing a business deal. Jumping into Johnny's sports car Maria driving drunk ends up falling to her death, after her cars tires were shot out, down a 250 foot Rocky Mountain cliff . Being the #1 suspect in his wife's murder in him threatening her in public at the Calder Estate, as well as finding his high powered rifle at the murder scene, to kill her if she tries to devoice him Johnny is now facing life or even worse if he, with his long criminal record,is convicted.
Even though Perry did his best to get his client Johnny Sorrento off the hook Johnny himself stupidly and brainlessly did everything in getting himself convicted in his wife's murder! The not that bright Johnny goes so far as to pay a couple of hoods who once worked for him to stage a fake drive-by shooting,in order to gain sympathy, that almost had his lawyer Perry Mason killed in the process! We also get to see Johnny's estrange 23 year-old son Jeff, Sean Kanan, who want's to have nothing to do with him blaming Johnny for his mom's, Maria Sorrento, murder with Perry playing "matchmaker" in trying to get father and son back together again. This leads to a strange reunion at the conclusion of the movie where despite finding out what a low down and dirty rat his father really is and always was Jeff's somehow finds it in his hear to forgive him!
***SPOILERS*** The most shocking as well as mind boggling sub-plot in the film is the actual murderer of Maria who was in fact responsible for the murder of drug dealer Ray Dominic some three years earlier. This had to do with Jeff's then drug addiction that Johnny held Dominic, Jeff's drug supplier, responsible for. Using the same tactics and hit-man who was himself knocked off later in the film, in order to keep him from talking, had the some thing done to Maria!
A real bummer for Perry Mason who had no trouble exposing Maria's killer, who in fact hired someone to murder her,in him leaving a paper trail with his fingerprints and signatures on it that stretched as far as Seattle to Boston! The guy found out the hard way that Perry was a hell of a lot smarter then he gave him credit for.
Called in by his good friend financial expert and attorney Frank Halloran, Mason Adams, to handle his client ex-mobster Johnny Sorrento, Michael Nader, capital case in the murder of his wife Maria, Swynyth Walsh, Perry is very hesitant at first in taking it. Against his better judgment and the judgment of his private secretary Della Street, Barbara Hale, and assistant an d human punching bag Ken Malansky, William R. Moses, who always,in every one of the Perry Mason mystery movies, takes a licking but keeps on ticking Perry takes the murder case that almost has him ending up being a murder victim himself! It was Maria catching her cheating husband in the arms of part-time model and aspiring actress Karen Tatcher, Beverly Leech, that had her throw a fit get herself good and drunk at the Calder Estate where her husband,now a big time and legitimate businessman,was finalizing a business deal. Jumping into Johnny's sports car Maria driving drunk ends up falling to her death, after her cars tires were shot out, down a 250 foot Rocky Mountain cliff . Being the #1 suspect in his wife's murder in him threatening her in public at the Calder Estate, as well as finding his high powered rifle at the murder scene, to kill her if she tries to devoice him Johnny is now facing life or even worse if he, with his long criminal record,is convicted.
Even though Perry did his best to get his client Johnny Sorrento off the hook Johnny himself stupidly and brainlessly did everything in getting himself convicted in his wife's murder! The not that bright Johnny goes so far as to pay a couple of hoods who once worked for him to stage a fake drive-by shooting,in order to gain sympathy, that almost had his lawyer Perry Mason killed in the process! We also get to see Johnny's estrange 23 year-old son Jeff, Sean Kanan, who want's to have nothing to do with him blaming Johnny for his mom's, Maria Sorrento, murder with Perry playing "matchmaker" in trying to get father and son back together again. This leads to a strange reunion at the conclusion of the movie where despite finding out what a low down and dirty rat his father really is and always was Jeff's somehow finds it in his hear to forgive him!
***SPOILERS*** The most shocking as well as mind boggling sub-plot in the film is the actual murderer of Maria who was in fact responsible for the murder of drug dealer Ray Dominic some three years earlier. This had to do with Jeff's then drug addiction that Johnny held Dominic, Jeff's drug supplier, responsible for. Using the same tactics and hit-man who was himself knocked off later in the film, in order to keep him from talking, had the some thing done to Maria!
A real bummer for Perry Mason who had no trouble exposing Maria's killer, who in fact hired someone to murder her,in him leaving a paper trail with his fingerprints and signatures on it that stretched as far as Seattle to Boston! The guy found out the hard way that Perry was a hell of a lot smarter then he gave him credit for.