As season seven of "Perry Mason" began some of the shows looked tired and grasping at any form of a mystery. Some of the shows lost the appeal by having poor acting and rehashed story lines. However this episode is a gem among the rough.
From the guest actors which included Richard Anderson(Edward Lewis) and his wife Gail Kobe(his wife and later "Payton Place" star) do a great part in leading this episode along the path of viewable.
Australian Murray Matheson(BK Doran) does a great job as playing the leader of the family business. His presents on screen makes one believe that he is just the right person for the role. His action and screen appearance could not have been better if it was a million dollar silver screen project. Instead on the small screen he leads the viewer into the world of business and transgressions all while maintaining the perception of a business leader.
Robert Armstong (Phil Jenks) who is best known for his line in "King Kong"- "Twas beauty killed the beast" is cast in one of his last performances. It was reported that Mr Armstrong suffered a series of small stokes the following year effecting his speech and movement. Was good to see him at his full abilities during this episode in which he played a large part of the story line.
Maybe I knew that this was his last, or near last, acting jobs. But when Mr Armstrong, who played Phil Jenks, makes his last speech of the show- it kind of pulled on the old heart strings. An actor performing his last lines with the pomp and circumstance of his long and brilliant career. This was one show that I will not forget.
Another great moment is when, outside the courtroom, Perry and Hamilton Burger work together to solve the crime. And even in the courtroom they are still working at one goal which is to bring justice to a cloudy set of facts.
Overall this episode is one of my favorites from season seven. With good acting and a good script, even after seven years "Perry Mason" still has what it takes to make a great show.