****SPOILERS**** Over-plotted and utterly confusing Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, episode that has to do with the murder on stage of the director of this half-a** Shakespearean road-show company Franz Lochman, Jeff Morrow, during the play Romeo & Juliet. Lochman was found dead, with him being run through with a sword, after the lights went out during his fencing match with the person playing Romeo Steve Brock played by Rex Reason. With Perry Mason who was in the audience watching the play defending Brock for murder he feels that the person who really murdered Lochman used the blackout to run him through and make it look like it was Brock who did it!
What at first looked like your garden verity murder mystery gets a bit more confusing in the fact that the costumes used by the actors and actresses in the play were filled with stolen jewelry from South Africa, the diamond capital of the world, that was being smuggled into the USA. Perry realized that Lochman, whom nobody liked and felt he got just what he deserved, somehow found out about the smuggling scheme and was about to go to the police and US Custom Agency with it. And it was a member or members of the cast and crew of the play who made sure that he didn't!
****SPOILERS**** Off the wall ending with Perry assembling everyone involved in the play to act it out on stage in front of the presiding judge,Willis Bouchey, in order by process of elimination to smoke out Lochman's murderer! Great breakdown scene with the killer, after being exposed by Perry, spilling his guts out on why he did in Lochman more for the reason that he was going to expose his smuggling operation more then all the abuse he took from him all these years in him working for the creep.
P.S the story was so confusing and hard to follow, with all the many sub-plots thrown into it, that even Perry Mason in the episodes epilogue couldn't quite figure it out or explain it to the befuddled audience!
What at first looked like your garden verity murder mystery gets a bit more confusing in the fact that the costumes used by the actors and actresses in the play were filled with stolen jewelry from South Africa, the diamond capital of the world, that was being smuggled into the USA. Perry realized that Lochman, whom nobody liked and felt he got just what he deserved, somehow found out about the smuggling scheme and was about to go to the police and US Custom Agency with it. And it was a member or members of the cast and crew of the play who made sure that he didn't!
****SPOILERS**** Off the wall ending with Perry assembling everyone involved in the play to act it out on stage in front of the presiding judge,Willis Bouchey, in order by process of elimination to smoke out Lochman's murderer! Great breakdown scene with the killer, after being exposed by Perry, spilling his guts out on why he did in Lochman more for the reason that he was going to expose his smuggling operation more then all the abuse he took from him all these years in him working for the creep.
P.S the story was so confusing and hard to follow, with all the many sub-plots thrown into it, that even Perry Mason in the episodes epilogue couldn't quite figure it out or explain it to the befuddled audience!