Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Hasty Honeymooner (1965) User Reviews

A Rogue for a client

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 18 April 2012]

In The Case Of The Hasty Honeymooner it looked for a while like the Perry Mason paradigm has shifted. For a while it looked Raymond Burr would be defending a guilty man in the person of roguish Noah Beery, Jr.

Beery comes to Burr via a reference from Dan Tobin who became a series regular in its last season as a restaurant owner at whose establishment the series regulars would unwind. The way that Val Bisoglio's place was for the Quincy regulars. Beery was in Tobin's outfit during World War II and had a reputation as an operator.

Anway Beery comes into Mason's office and asks him to draw up a pair of wills for his wife to leave each other their property. But Beery has no wife or at least one who's living. In fact he's had two previously both deceased. And a matrimonial matchmaking agency headed by Hugh Marlowe and K.T. Stevens has matched up Beery and Cathy Downs for an upcoming wedding.

And on the wedding night Downs is poisoned and Beery is in a jackpot and I have to say looking real good for the deed. It's quite a complex bit of business, but of course Beery the rogue is really innocent.

Can it be any other way on Perry Mason?

'55 in '65?

[darbski · 8/10 · 26 June 2017]

Noah, Beery, Jr. plays a real idiot in this one. He doesn't make sense no matter what he does. He played a stupid part very well. The other actors did their level best, too, but the story poisons itself with too many turns and blind alleys.

Which brings me to my main gripe. see, I remember this episode from when I was seventeen years old, and I had a real gripe, then, too. There was NO WAY in Southern California, or anywhere else in these United States of Hot Rodding that anyone would have been able to buy a 1955 Chevy 2-door post model for a measly $100. Not a chance in hell. This was second only to the '57 210 body style as far as popularity went (and still goes). Part of the 55-56-57 trilogy, these were some of the most sought after models Chevy ever produced. At this time, they weren't killer expensive, but $100 was about a third of what that dealer could have asked and gotten with NO problem. Even if this car had the 6 cylinder three speed, Beery would have had to cough up a chunk of cash for it. I still wonder what he did with the beautiful new Cadillac Eldorado convertible he drove onto the used car lot. One other very important point that I just noticed in re-watching this episode. The model of '55 that Beery bought was a "210" 2-door sedan; they further showed him driving it to the lady's ranch. The model car he actually drove ONTO the ranch was a two-door BelAir - a more expensive car.

I thought it was funny how crooked the characters turned out to be, and Strother Martin did an excellent job of portraying a man in the dark. Turns out that Beery's first wife died when he couldn't get her out of the car when it stalled on the railroad tracks. Now, I think they should have had "Teen Angel" playing in the background for that one, don't you think? Della was, of course very pretty in this mess that Perry drains out and cleans up .. all I'm in for is "8". And I mean it about that '55.

A Bad Computer Card

[biorngm · 7/10 · 26 August 2020]

Not too shabby a storyline with the questionable motive of future defendant with his rapid marriage to an unsuspecting victim. I was never fond of Noah Beery Jr., that fact aside, he performed his role sufficiently for me to shun my aversion. The plot was different enough as to who the guilty party was until the final court scene and the suspects were not plentiful. In fact, the stepson was obvious for revenge on his late mother's death while he was in the armed services. The same person was such a loser to begin with as Perry brought facts out in court regarding his life of crime with armed services a choice before jail.

A past friend of the scamming groom was doubtful too, as there was no motive. The married couple running the dating service seemed to know the would-be-groom was a bad fit, a faulty computer card mishap put the couple together by mistake according to the husband of the matchmaking company.

Three marriages total by the new husband with his two former wives deceased from unlikely although documented causes possibly leads someone to believe he was a swindler at best. Paul Drake recovers past events making the act of the poor country hick a false front; the guy did have actually have means, but he acquired assets through the former spouses.

Perry grinds through the prosecuting attorney statements proving the real killer was intending to rid the groom but an exchange of beverage made its way to the fallen bride instead. It was planned for the new bride to become mates with the killer, he divorcing his wife because he was in love with the victim. So infatuated was he that he owned the property where she was living and it so happened, she was involved with him; if he kills the new groom, the new bride is all his.

Also, truly a perfect touch having the restauranteur friend Mr. Clay played by Dan Tobin around for support through the case. This is above-the-norm for the writers since most cannot guess the identity of the perpetrator; only Perry suspects and proves who the guilty party was.

Recommend the watch to see Mason shred the prosecutor and get to the facts.

Keeps you guessing

[ealrussell · 8/10 · 7 October 2023]

I was left with more questions than answers after this episode. Where is our beloved William Tallman? The substitute district attorney did a good job but I do miss Hamilton Burger's sparring with Perry.

**Major spoiler** (Absolutely don't read any further if you haven't seen the episode. This is for the other reviewers who can maybe shed some light.) My other question is if Tolliver's medication reacted with acid, why did the killer even have to add any to the lemonade at all? Untainted lemonade would have been sufficient, no? And it would have made a great crime as there was no "murder weapon"!

**End of spoiler**

A few fun twists in who is really a "goodie" and who is not. Other reviewers mentioned a very unlikable protagonist that Perry ends up defending. I agree. But that's pretty typical, all his clients either lie to him or cover up things, and always are the last person to touch the murder "weapon". And most of them are fairly annoying too... Just like old times!

I enjoyed it.

Couldn't Wait for It to Be Over

[Hitchcoc · 5/10 · 1 March 2022]

I have to admit to having a very shallow reason for my dislike for this episode. The Noah Beery character was so sickening, I was astonished when Perry ended up with him. He is a pathological liar and has that phony accent, and he is a con man. I was pulling for the prosecuting attorney.

The episode never went anywhere

[kfo9494 · 3/10 · 29 December 2011]

Here we have another rehash of a tale that goes back as far as mysteries were written. Only after a few dates an older widower marries a younger widow and after Wills are signed the widow dies and all the evidence points to a murder. Nothing changes in this episode.

Lucas Tolliver (Noah Beery, a widower, has been picked to be compatible with Millicent Barton (Cathy Downs), a widow, by a computer dating service(something brand new for people in 1965). Only after a few dates Lucas and Millie get married. But not before Lucas goes sees Perry Mason to have Wills made that claim if either person dies the other inherits all the others belongs. Even to Perry and Della this was suspicious.

During a dance party after the wedding, Lucas gets Millie some lemonade that contains poison. Millie dies that very night. And now Lucas is to inherit anything.

The DA's office finds out that Lucas was the one who got Millie the drink. They also find out that Lucas's last wife also died from being poisoned which leads to charges being filed for murder.

Perry has to weave through all the evidence concerning Lucas's past and even Millie's past. And by the time the episode ends Perry has broke the computer dating service records wide open.

There really was nothing new here. Nothing stood out as being remarkable. It felt like another show with the same old storyline. The only change was a computer setting up the meeting rather than human friends. I never got in this story.

The writers did try to throw in a twist when Lucas's son shows up in LA. But that did more to hinder the story than help. Nothing exciting about this episode.