Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun

This made for TV mystery was dull and lifeless. There wasn't anything notable or well crafted about any aspect of it. The dialogue was flat. The cinematography was uninspired. Scenes are poorly staged with actors standing around awkwardly, and the pace in individual scenes frequently lagged. The acting was bland. The energy is low and the whole film lacks any real style or strong point of view. There are no interesting relationships here or memorable scenes.

The film features a dull mystery regarding the death of a priest. A nun he had been working with is charged with the crime. There's the usual collection of random, interchangeable suspects. Those used to smart and energetic legal dramas like "Law and Order" will be underwhelmed by the staid courtroom scenes. And the revelation of the killer falls flat, because really any of them could have done it. There's no real specificity or cleverness to the mystery's resolution.

Raymond Burr brings his trademark gravity to the Mason role, but the writers have not given him much to work with. Mason is a mostly expository character with little personality. He has no interests, quirks, passions or seemingly any personal life to speak of. He also doesn't seem to form even the slightest emotional bond with anyone else in the story. He's utterly disengaged. Follow his example and disengage from the film yourself.

Perry (Raymond Burr) is paying a visit to see an old friend in the church who has concerns that when it comes to the church's business dealings things are not quite on the level. But whilst there Father Thomas O'Neil (Timothy Bottoms) is murdered and Sister Margaret (Michele Greene) is charged with the murder despite claiming she is innocence. Unsurprisingly Perry takes the case and calls back Paul (William Katt) from his holiday in the sun to help do the investigating. It quickly becomes apparent that Father O'Neil's murder was due to him looking in to the business dealings of various people who weren't happy with his snooping.

The formula is there - the build-up to the murder, the investigations, Perry getting under people's skin with his questions, the revelations in the courtroom and of course Paul doing his usual snooping, and the final revelation. It's a standard yet solid and entertaining episode. Tom Bosley stars as a priest- not too long he would play Father Dowling in a mystery series.

Some people claim this one isn't up to the series standards..and although I don't know who comes up with the ratings that show up on television..this episode gets 3 out of 4 stars..so that makes this one pretty good..as with most Mason movies..this one also has faces that are familiar to most everyone..one face and voice that always stands out is William Prince who played corruption and evil perfectly in Clint Eastwood's The Gauntlent..and in this he plays above reproach..it's always been special to look upon the faces of the guilty as they are exposed and this no exception..stunned looks all around..this was still early in Paul Drake juniors turn as in-house Mason detective before he let his hair go from normal to over-the-top..there are enough sub-plots to satisfy and Mason with a gun in his hand is startling and somewhat amusing to see..but back in the 90's the Church was still held in high esteem..but there has always been dealings within the Church that looks better under a rug..swept away and not talked about..in this case an audit uncovers corruption and the guilty must cover up all they are involved in..hence..murder and scape goats..actually a nice entry in the series..

The writers and director have priests and nuns doing what no priest or nun would do. Simply preposterous. Suspending disbelief is not enough; you actually have to shoot, mutilate, and burn your disbelief and scatter the ashes at one of the poles in order to tolerate this garbage.

Michele Greene's character isn't a nun, but a novitiate. She'd be in the convent or in class, not acting as some visiting priest's aide-de-camp; in fact, no nun would be in that capacity with a priest. It's ridiculous.

The priest wouldn't be at a hotel. He'd be in a rectory guest room. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Priests and nuns wouldn't "pal around" as these two did. It simply wouldn't happen. Preposterous.

Nuns wouldn't gossip with one another in the convent as is represented in the movie. These are not naive schoolgirls who would spend their time ooooohing and aaaaaahing about some boy. It's pathetic what's represented as plausible by the writers and the director.

Too bad. Michele Greene is, as usual, hot, even with her snood, but it's all too, too preposterous. Have a vomit bucket next to yourself if you're forced to watch this nonsense by a Perry Mason/Raymond Burr fan whom you don't want to offend

I suspect Burr needed the money and Greene needed the work. Burr's no doubt spinning in his grave and Greene's still cringing.

Interesting that about five years before all the sex scandals started breaking with the Catholic Church, this Perry Mason mystery is about a nun accused of murder because she was trying to cover up an affair with a priest.

In Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun the eminent criminal lawyer is now defending Michele Greene who was working with Father Timothy Bottoms doing an audit of a Catholic hospital. But a letter in her room sent to her by Bottoms implicates her big time when he turns up dead.

But these two frocked accountants uncover a lot of pilferage from that hospital, in fact it was Archbishop William Prince who retains Raymond Burr to defend Greene. This other sin, this nonsexual one opens up a host of other suspects.

Perry Mason always had a G rating and the sex among clergy is a topic treated most gingerly. Still Greene's not certain whether she can take her final vows in the end.

David Ogden Stiers made the first of eight appearances as the District Attorney and James McEachin was in nearly all the rest of the Perry Mason films as Sergeant, later Lieutenant Ed Brock.

This is one of the better Perry Masons as we discover just which commandments are broken that provide a motive for a homicide. Come to think of it, that's a commandment as well.