A terminally ill criminal defense lawyer played by John Williams hires the Checkmate team to prevent a murder. A murder he says that he will commit before the night is over. It will be one of the five other dinner guests that will be at his remote home that night. His diagnosis puts Williams well beyond the reach of human justice.
The five guests are Leo Gordon, Richard Anderson, Joe Mantell, Joyce Jameson and Elizabeth Allen. They were all successfully defended by Williams, but he thinks they should pay in any event because they were guilty. And for his own amusement he wants to see if Anthony George and Sebastian Cabot can figure it out and prevent it.
There's a sixth former client, Williams's own housekeeper Mildred Van Hollen who was one of his earliest cases. She's kind of creepy.
It was interesting seeing Cabot and Williams together as both played Brian Keith's butler in A Family Affair. I think you'll recognize some elements of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians in the story. Even though I figured out who the intended 'victim' was the characters of the dinner guests were very well drawn. Usually figuring out the perpetrator in a mystery is a downer for me, but not in this case.
I will say one thing more. Williams did not give the whole truth to George and Cabot in his invitation.
This is one of the best Checkmate episodes I've seen. If you get the box series, earmark this one.
The five guests are Leo Gordon, Richard Anderson, Joe Mantell, Joyce Jameson and Elizabeth Allen. They were all successfully defended by Williams, but he thinks they should pay in any event because they were guilty. And for his own amusement he wants to see if Anthony George and Sebastian Cabot can figure it out and prevent it.
There's a sixth former client, Williams's own housekeeper Mildred Van Hollen who was one of his earliest cases. She's kind of creepy.
It was interesting seeing Cabot and Williams together as both played Brian Keith's butler in A Family Affair. I think you'll recognize some elements of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians in the story. Even though I figured out who the intended 'victim' was the characters of the dinner guests were very well drawn. Usually figuring out the perpetrator in a mystery is a downer for me, but not in this case.
I will say one thing more. Williams did not give the whole truth to George and Cabot in his invitation.
This is one of the best Checkmate episodes I've seen. If you get the box series, earmark this one.