The Case of the 12th Wildcat

Mona Freeman is the Perry Mason client in this episode. She and husband Bill Williams are the owners of the Los Angeles Wildcats pro football team, but things aren't happy. All those around Freeman on the team, coach Robert Quarry, team announcer, Regis Toomey, equipment manager Karl Swenson, and business manager John Conte take her side against the unpopular Williams. As for Williams he's a boorish lout with a big gambling problem who keeps threatening to sell the team to pay off his bookies.

When Williams dies as a result of an arson fire there are a lot of alternative suspects, not just the ones I mention. But it's Freeman who is arrested.

When the Perry Mason series started there was a lot of antagonism between Hamilton Burger and Perry Mason. Over the years a certain professional respect grew between the two of them. But in this episode William Talman returned to the old days. But considering how Raymond Burr blew the DA's case apart, Talman can be forgiven a bit of hostility.

In fact the solution here was like no other I saw on the television series, but the same gambit was used in one of the Perry Mason films.

I'm not even really sure what to write about this mess -- all I can say upfront is it was very unsatisfying. And that's not the fault of the cast -- I like all the actors that appeared in this one (not to mention the members of my hometown NFL team, the L. A. Rams).

There were just too many distractions to make it coherent. And whoever's idea it was to cast Karl Swenson as an Armenian made his character almost laughable -- which is not a slam at Karl's acting chops but Hollywood was filled with other character actors (and many who peppered the show in previous seasons) that would have made the role much more believable.

The ending was an entangled imbroglio that I don't think I'll ever completely figure out -- why such an elaborate ruse was necessary just doesn't make sense.

And yes, the special effects sucked. There, I said it.

The members of the football team in this episode were actually members of the LA Rams - footballers playing footballers. They didn't have much dialogue but they had screen credit for depicting themselves

Perry gets involved in football. Obviously, in 1965, things weren't what they are today. But a pro football team traveling to a championship game on a train. Also, there seems to be more animosity between Mason and Burger than I've seen in eight seasons. Sort of dumb, anything goes, ending.

This turned out to be a good episode. It involves a football team named the Wildcats. The team is owned by Burt Payne (Bill Williams) and wife Ellen Payne (Mona Freeman). Burt, an obnoxious drunk that treats everyone like trash, is in some kind of trouble with a bookie and agrees to sell his share in the Wildcats to a firm. However Ellen ,who must also sign, knows nothing about the sell.

On a train trip with the team, Burt is again treating everyone like dirt when he dies in a fire aboard the train. Needless to say not many tears was shed but through some evidence that Lt Drumm discovers Ellen is arrested for the death of her husband, Burt. ( I would have declare it justifiable homicide). However Perry believes there is more to this case than just what was presented by the DA's office and set out to find the truth.

And the truth will come to a shock for many people. When Perry and Paul set an almost comical trap at LA Memorial Coliseum after a Wildcat football game.. When the results of the trap are revealed- there will be gasping in the gallery.

The acting in this episode is top notch. Bill Williams, the wife of Barabra Hale, is again cast in one of Perry's mysteries. Bill does a great job of being the hated drunk man. His casting was perfect for this show.

Mona Freeman, as Ellen, is also a good cast. She is one the viewer can connect with in order to make the story more interesting.

But make sure you stay for the ending. It will clear up a very muddy river of accusations.