User Reviews

The title of this particular episode really gives away a major plot element but that is just a minor part of a show that features appearances by a screen legend and future actors that will later find success on the small screen as well.

Fray Wray of "King Kong" fame plays Mrs. Harrison, wife to the accused murderer, played by veteran "heavy" John Hoyt. Nancy Kulp, who would later make a name for herself as "Miss Hathaway" on the long-running "The Beverly Hillbillies" plays the maid, sans make-up, looking extremely plain. Richard Bull, later to play "Mr. Olsen" on "Little House on the Prairie", assays the role of the court clerk, while Terry Becker, known as "Chief Sharkey" on the 60's series "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", plays the victim.

Others rounding out the guest cast include Ann Doran, memorable as the mother in James Dean's "Rebel Without a Cause" and Herbert Rudley who would later play one of the husbands on the short-lived "The Mothers-in-Law" series starring Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard.

The episode also gives the regular cast some prominent screen time, even though, of course, Raymond Burr gets the lion's share of being on-camera.

Well, the show is about his character!

Opening scene has the annoying founder's son, Phillip Larkin, hitting on employee Lorraine Stevens in the Larkin office. The couple once dated but the relationship was stopped by Lorraine, furthermore, she does not want anything to do with him. Larkin's secretary, Irene Collaro, witnesses the confrontation while in plain sight of both; Lorraine leaves for the day running an errand for someone in the office while Irene returns to her office.

Joseph Harrison drops into his former home to see his ex-wife, Ethel, noticing a dead man lying on the floor; the deceased is Harrison's step-son. Harrison is accused of the murder due to his fingerprints left from inadvertently touching the gun case when he first saw the body. Mr. Harrison's former secretary, Irene Collaro, had taken 16mm-film of the former married couple, showing Joseph slugging the deceased, i.e. Phillip Larkin. Tragg found the film at the Larkin home, throwing further suspicion on Joseph Harrison, Perry's client, the defendant.

Burger has a victory grin after showing the film in court; he and Tragg think they have conclusive evidence to proceed to trial. After the film was shown, the judge adjourns until 9:30 the following morning when he will decide to admit this video into evidence; meanwhile, Perry meets with Joseph Harrison, discussing the film's existence, curious he never saw fit to mention it before, refusing to say who held the camera. Perry admonishes Harrison for not revealing these facts, stating the answers could cost him his life.

Perry, Paul and Della are in Mason's office discussing tomorrow's preliminary trial with no Mrs. Harrison. Perry states Lorraine was sent to the jewelry store by the killer in order to get away from the Harrison house; she is the only one on this case who has an alibi since Paul corroborates she was at the jewelry store at nine PM. Claire Durell calls Perry's office not wanting to give her name but informing Mason where Ethel Harrison is hiding. Claire Durell is the wheelchair-bound wife, injured from accident by husband George Durrell when twenty-five years ago he drove his car into a truck; wife Claire believes George has eyes on Lorraine, creating a scene in the Larkin office and over the phone when Lorraine called to confirm the aforementioned package. George Durell worked at Larkin for many years, taking over after Phillip was killed. Irene told Lorraine about the accident and why George pays for it with guilt the rest of his life.

Mason visits Collaro's apartment, confronting Ethel based on his tip from Claire. Perry deduces it was Irene who held the camera filming the assault. Tragg enters, requesting Ethel come with him to the station and meet with the District Attorney. Note the exiting Perry Mason and the serious looking Lieutenant; their expressions are priceless revealing how expertly the two played their respective roles.

Perry meets George Durell with a letter Ethel Harrison gave him permitting the perusal of the company books, then Mason visits with Lorraine at her home where she insists there was nothing between George Durell and herself. She states Claire must have gotten the idea from the phone call made inquiring about the package at Alcorn Jewelers. Lorraine tells Mason someone had left a note on her desk to pick up a package at the jeweler; she discarded the note. Mr. Alcorn waited on Lorraine, finding no such package under any name prompting the phone call to the Durell residence.

After company founder Larkin died, Ethel Larkin was left the business; she let Joseph Harrison run the business. Phillip Larkin opposed Harrison outright, Joseph owned a similar business before marrying Ethel. Ethel Harrison meets with Mason wanting him to represent her ex-husband knowing he did not kill her son Phillip. Perry tells Della Mrs. Harrison is still in love with the man she divorced. Phillip Larkin was boss at Larkin Imports where he forces George Harrison out; Ethel divorced Joseph soon after Phillip accused him of being Miss Stevens' father.

In court, Burger puts Irene on the stand asking why Phillip Larkin provoked Joseph Harrison as she held the camera while filming the Harrisons. Burger has Irene explain Phillip accused Mr. Harrison of being the father of Lorraine Stevens. Mason cross-examines Irene getting her to confess to being Lorraine's mother. He also has her admit Joseph Harrison is Lorraine's father after the court reporter reads back her prior testimony quoting Irene saying they came to the firm I was working for. Perry insists Irene answer the question who came to the firm, who was it? Mason presses Irene preaching you've been protecting people all your life, haven't you Miss Collaro? Protecting Lorraine from Phillip Larkin, protecting her from society, her father from his responsibilities. Mr. Harrison was in process of setting up offices in various foreign cities according to Irene. They came to the firm I was working for in Paris. Who came Miss Collaro, who? Who came? Who, even now, is willing to see Joseph Harrison pay for a crime he didn't even commit? Perry is interrupted, you are right Mr. Mason, all her life Irene has protected someone. I killed Phillip Larkin. I felt I should do my own protecting for the daughter I couldn't call my own. Noticeable are tears in both Irene and Lorraine after George Durell confesses to the judge, he killed Larkin.

The case title comes from Perry's client returning to Los Angeles to see both his ex-wife and his estranged daughter. George Durell had no idea Joseph Harrison was going to return to Los Angeles. The prodigal parent is the defendant. Durell had Lorraine go to the jeweler permitting her an alibi not to be incriminated in Larkin's murder. It was not Durell's intention to incriminate Harrison, he just assumed he was 1,000 miles away. A winning episode with an unpredictable ending.

I like this episode a lot. Some is about compassion from one person to another but I won't say who they are. A common happening today but in some circles back then, an out of wedlock birth would be very scandalous. An earlier episode also deals with this subject.

Virginia Field and Andra Martin are perfectly cast as mother and daughter as there really IS a resemblance. Andra Martin passed away May 3, 2022. She hadn't been in film or TV since 1962 so the media likely never picked up on it.

I saw part of it on METV this morning, and had to get it out and re-watch it from my collection. Like I've thought so many times before, a dirtbag in a pricey suit is busted by Perry, and like so many other times (they all say the same thing) tries to say that he wouldn't have let the defendant go to the gas chamber. My butt; this creep even knew that Lorraine was his daughter. I mean, he's not just creep of the week, he's Shakespeareian in his cowardly evil. Express elevator into hell for this complete louse.

***SPOILERS*** Working as a secretary for Larkin Import Export Company pretty Lorrine Stevens, Andra Martun, is constantly harassed by her hot in the pants for her boss Philip Larkin, Terry Becker, to be his main squeeze, or woman, in the office. Refusing to have anything to do with the creep he in fact ends up dead from a bullet in the chest with Larkin's step father Joseph Harrison, John Hoyt, who had since divorced his mother Eathel, Fat Wray, as the prime suspect in his murder.

A strange thing happened at the time, between 8:40 and 9.00 PM, of Larkin's murder. Lorraine was directed to pick up a package at a neighborhood jewelry store that never existed! It soon becomes evident to Joseph Harrison attorney Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, that this was set up by Larkin's murderer as a alibi for Lorrine, who had every reason to knock off the guy, to be as far away from the murder scene in order to prevent her from being suspected of committing it! As Perry checks out all the evidence in Larkin's murder he or in fact prosecuting D.A Hamilton "Ham" Burger, William Talman, comes into possession of a home movie that can blow this case wide open. The one thing or person who isn't in the movie is the person who shot it! As it turns out it's that person who knows the real reason behind Larkin's murder and what he or she had to do with Lorrine Stevens who Latkin's killer went so far out of his way out protect from being accused of it!

***SPOILERS*** One of the better Perry Mason episodes that despite it's very complicated storyline, that covers over twenty years and two continent's, is easy to follow and for once makes sense. It had more to do with Lorraine's background, that she was completely unaware of, not the actions of her boss Philip Larkin that lead to his murder. And the person who did Larkin in turned to be someone very close to Lorraine without her knowing about it!

P.S This was one Perry Mason episode where the presiding judge or "Da Judge" in the case was played by non other then actor Morris Arkrum known to his legions of admirers as the take charge as well as take no BS "Eternal Colonel" of the sliver screen. It was Judge Aurkum admitting into evidence the home movie, which at first Perry objected to, that broke the case wide open and eventually proved his client Joseph Harrison innocent.

We enjoy the complex plots so let's enjoy taking this one apart.

We are introduced in the first scene to a young secretary being threatened by an ex-boyfriend who claims to have evidence he will make public if she does not go back to him. She cries, how can you make such accusations? We do not know what the accusations are because the next time he appears he is dead, and an old guy is standing over the corpse.

When the police arrive they are confronted by a remarkably defiant maid then head straight for the body. Shortly the old guy reappears and introduces himself as the decedent's ex-step father. When the police arrest this guy his ex-wife hires Mason, and exhibits little concern for her murdered son. Mason calls this "illogical" and she agrees. We are left hanging on this point.

At trial the prosecution has no case at all but never mind that. Mason claims a bunch of canceled checks show a French secretary at the young secretary's firm was paying to have her raised as an orphan by surrogate parents. Mason accuses the French lady of being her mother, to which she admits. When he accuses the old guy of being her father a random guy jumps up and admits to being both the father and the murderer. Seems he did not like his secret daughter's boyfriend so he killed him.

In chronological order: Twenty-five years before, a guy crashed his car and paralyzed his wife. Two years later he goes to Paris on business and knocks up a French girl whom he brings back to the US and employs at his firm, and pays for the raising of his illegitimate daughter. This guy is supporting three women- his invalid wife, his mistress, and his daughter. Then he up and kills his daughter's boyfriend because he does not like him. Uh huh.

A completely random guy goes on trial for the murder. Evidence? His coincidental arrival at the crime scene (which WAS coincidental), his fingerprints on his OWN pistol case which was just lying open and which the police admitted could be used by anyone, and a home movie showing the guy punching the boyfriend. Wow.

So now we know what the accusations were at the beginning. The boyfriend got it half right, figuring out who the mother was, but when he accused the old guy of being the father he got a punch in the face. Worse was his mother divorced the man she loved for having an illegitimate child, then blamed the son for breaking up the marriage so when he got snuffed she thought, good riddance and went to Mason to get her imprisoned husband back. I wonder if they made up in the end.

Red herrings distract from an already overwrought plot. The maid's behavior was pointless distraction, courtroom procedure unconvincing, events too random for credibility. The young secretary at court seems to have no idea but she knows from the beginning. What is tragic is she finds out who her real father is at the exact moment he is headed for the gas chamber. And what will happen to his invalid wife?