User Reviews

"The Case Of The Bogus Books," which begins the 1962-63 season of the Perry Mason series, is a very good episode. Joseph Kraft, a used-book salesman, runs a thriving operation in forgeries of rare first editions that nets him $70,000 a year. But Kraft slips up when he finds that a copy of Tristram Shandy is missing. Not long afterward, he is found dead, and then we go through the process of finding the killer.

The episode features two noteworthy performers, Adam West and H.M. Wynant. And their roles somewhat mirrored their performance together in another show they appeared in—Batman. Mr. West plays the boyfriend of the accused, and ends up playing detective; Mr. Wynant, in this outing, plays a hustler involved in the book racket. The two would again face off in March 1967 as Batman and as Frosty the henchman, respectively.

And that adds a little extra spice to a strong episode, which has the usual cast members. Overall, a solid entry for a series that was at its peak.

***SPOILERS*** Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, starts off his 6th season, with the show's time slot changed from Saturday to Wednesday evenings, like gang busters tackling this book swapping rings out of old man Joesph Kraft's, Maurice Manson, used book store. Kraft has been using a bunch of library crooks to do his dirty work in substituting valuable first editions and replacing them with counterfeit copies.

It's when there's a major slip up in Kraft's book store that involves his behind the counter cashier sweet and innocent Ellen Carter, Phyllis Love, that Kraft blows his cover by overreacting to what he believed Ellen did in lifting a $8,000.00 worth copy of a first edition of "Tristram Shandy", that was on sale for only $8.00, from the book shelf. This opened the door to one of those who had it in for him for years in the shady dealing he was doing to do the guy in by gassing, in turning off the pilot light of his office heater, Kraft to death. Now the #1 suspect in Kraft's death Ellen gets Perry Mason to defend her despite, in her by then being dead broke, not having the cash to pay him!

***SPOILERS*** Perry has his work cut out in this stolen and fake book murder case but he gets to the bottom of it by discovering a secret fuse box in Kraft's bookstore's washroom that his killer used to do him in. The case is broken wide open in court when Kraft's killer, feeling a bit of guilt in implication Ellen in his murder, voluntary admits, without much probing on Perry's part, that he murdered that low life swine in his, off all people, accusing his soon to be murderer of being a thief! That for taking $2,000.00 in cash that he hid in his book store that was to pay off those who doing the stealing for him! This from a guy who's been stealing irreplaceable and valuable first editions from libraries for years.

P.S Check out future TV Batman Adam West as the beatnik like guitarist Peter Norland who hangs around Kraft's bookstore not to buy any books but to be close to his secret love the store's pretty cashier Ellen!

**SPOILERS** Everyone else has the plot pretty well covered, but I'll throw in $.02 anyway. One thing that I found very interesting was when the (at the time), unknown guy came running out of the washroom, and knocked Paul over, along with a pile of books. Paul got off one punch, but the guy got away. THEN, Perry tells Paul to watch the office. "Office?" asks Paul. "Yes, OFFICE!" Perry replies angrily; obviously upset that Paul had let the little dweeb get away. He didn't pay Paul to let nerds, dorks, geeks, and drips get past him. It was kinda like watching 77 Sunset Strip, only worse, because Paul's supposed to be cool. Next day in court, the thieving putz realizes he can be I.D'd because of his shiner, and he's crapped out on the book thefts. Pop quiz on this later, Professor.

The guy playing George Pickson was Woodrow Parfrey (what a great name), he was just perfect for playing strange little men with snake oil looks who almost always plays "The little man who wasn't there". Yeah, you'd almost see his point, until you realize, very quickly, that he was cruelly willing to sacrifice Ellen the wallflower. It's gotta be Murder 2 with no leniency. Ripoff Prof? Felony Grand Theft; he'll probably serve 3 for 8 and lose all credentials in the intellectual community (a far worse punishment, to be sure).

One last thing. How did they open the dusty, dumpy bookstore back up, when the louse who owned it was croaked?

Spoilers for one of the main plots of the episode.

I don't quite understand the book forgery story in this episode. You would think that someone would take 2nd or 3rd editions of valuable books, alter them to look like first editions, and switch them out for the valuable first editions. And in a way, that's what happens. But once the first editions were acquired, they too were altered and then resold. I don't understand why anyone would do that? Surely the market for the original first editions would be stronger than the market for an altered version. After all, if you're going to steal the Mona Lisa, you wouldn't paint a mustache on her before selling it, would you? I've never heard any explanation, plausible or otherwise, of why the supposed mastermind of this book-theft ring would mar (ruin) a valuable object. Or was there an explanation of this on the show that I missed??