User Reviews

**SPOILERS** Yeah, Linda (Antoinette Bower), is pretty, and she's got a neat British accent. does that really excuse the utter stupidity she displays in this drama? No. Floyd Grant's behavior is totally hostile to her immediately; why? Doesn't matter, except that she'll get everything he's swindled, blackmailed and murdered for. He tries to kill her first by gas. The Sheriff, by the way is either a complete idiot, or... No, he's a complete idiot. Tea kettles do not boil over. They may boil dry, but either way, they would NOT drown out the flames on a stove's burner. Also, if it were boiling, it would whistle loudly (just like they all do), and Linda would've awakened to shut it off. While we're at it, why didn't the manager just open the door with the key he had in his hand, or why didn't Clay (Peter Breck), just try the window before kicking it in?

Next, Joe had to bypass at least three safety shut down mechanisms before the compressor would "blow up". It would NOT have produced an explosive force through ignition of a flammable gas, but rather from an explosive pressure release of Ammonia Gas. Highly dangerous when released from confinement, by itself would kill any breathing animal, or person. Plus, there would have been an immediate inspection by the California State Dairy Association's experts. They would have very quickly determined that the safeties had been disabled. Joe would know this. Of course, he might have been able to reset the safeties; given the fact that the Sheriff, as I previously stated was a moron; he probably wouldn't have posted guards, would he?

Charlie was a drunk, and he proved it by letting Grant scare him into revealing his weakness before his mother and wife. As dirty as he was, Grant was also murderous, greedy, and cruel. Bill Williams played these parts to perfection; I wonder if he wasn't just a little upset that his wife, Barbara Hale had a premier role in this dramatic show, and he was a bit player?

Back to the stupid Sheriff. Linda was supposed to do what? Work Grant over? Beat him up? If the motive was as the Sheriff and prosecution said, he would never have been taken by her; it would have been the opposite...she was half his size, and he was a killer. When Perry pointed out that the contracoup lacerations could NOT have happened the way D.A. alleged, and that Charlie could easily have been in Grant's house to kill him, an alternate theory of the crime had been given. Prima facie was therefore off the table. Also, since the weapon was already there, and she did not take it with her, Murder 1 is a no-go.

In summation, there is no way Grant could have hoped to get away with his land swindle after the requisite title searches, permits, all liens, State land inspections, and good Lord only knows what else would have to be settled before any oil leases could be started... forget it; it's just too complicated. In California, way before the 1960s, the State would have exerted its influence in every way possible to make sure there wasn't any hanky-panky with any land already in the realm of the courts, as it was, due to the Inheritance and Escheatments.

Frankly, I'm surprised that nobody killed Grant before this, but everyone must have been delighted that he was dead. My guess is that the killer would get Manslaughter, and in the local court, probably a very lenient sentence. Linda will be wealthy, and if she can gather enough working brain cells, she'll sell out and get as far away from Clay Elliot as possible. He had already started talking about community property with her and Perry.

The one who's gonna get some serious time out of it is the engineer, Joe Italiano for rigging a pressure vessel with dangerous chemicals (Ammonia) to blow up in an insurance fraud scheme. He endangered many lives doing so; even IF Perry conned him into thinking he's some kind of hero. He DID confess, after all.

***SPOILERS*** Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, gets himself involved in defending a young woman Linda Blake, Antoinatte Bower, who just happened to be at the scene of the murder-with a wooden walking stick-of dairy owner Floyd Grant,played by Perry's secretary Della Street's (Barbara Hale) real life husband Bill Williams. It soon turns out that Grant had been blackmailing someone involved in the accidental shooting of Linda's estranged father Addison Blake by the now part owner owner of his diary company Charles Lambert,Robert Knapp,who was too drunk at the time to remember what happened!

With Linda being her father's only surviving relative Lambert's partner in the business Floyd Grant plans to have her murdered or knocked off to prevent her from taking ownership of it. Despite Grant's best efforts he in fact ends up getting murdered with Linda being the #1 suspect in his demise. Perry Mason who was handling the paper work in this case defends Linda, pro Bono of course, and soon realizes that there was another person involved in Grant's murder! Someone like the drunk and mostly out of it Lambert that he was blackmailing for years who took advantage, with Linda being charged in his murder, of the situation.

Another overly confusing Perry Mason episode with Perry getting the killer to confess to the crime without as much as having a coffee brake in between his cross examination. Perry at first was a bit confused in who murdered Grant with Grant himself possibly the person who murdered Linda's father Addison Blake-And thus deserving what he got-but had to prevent Linda for getting convicted and possibly facing the death penalty. The fact that Grant's killer broke down and gladly confessed to the crime in wanting this Perry Mason episode to come to an early end made the job of Perry getting Linda off the hook that much easier for him.