The Case of the Bigamous Spouse

This episode is well written and acted and features expert editing, but for me the experimental nature of the directing techniques only results in a show totally dominated by one person, namely the director.

Almost entirely filmed with extreme closeups of faces (one scene with Paul Drake on the phone has his face filing the entire frame and I mean all of it). Every inch of William Hopper's normal facial fat is greatly exaggerated and thus quite unflattering to him.

The camera does move rather strangely at times such as swirling around a witness on the stand and ending up filming her from behind her head. The camera is often above an actor's head, at times right above their ear. Characters sort of burst through doors or are seen rapidly walking out of a door, quickly shutting it behind them. Why, just for dramatic effect or something? Added brisk walking and running around is really not necessary because the script has plenty of drama as written.

Distracting.

Here is another interesting and suspenseful stories that is just as good today as it was in 1963. A good written mystery made better by the actors in the guest cast.

Gwynn Elston, a home-to-home encyclopedia salesperson, has just moved into Felton and Nell Grimes' house. Seems Felton is away much of the time and Nell needs some company while Felton is away on business.

Gwynn makes a call to a house across town to sell books to a women with a small child. When she looks at the picture of the husband it is Felton Grimes. He has another wife across town and is known to that family as Frank Gillette.

When Felton catches Gwynn going trough his desk, he knows that his gig is up. Gwynn then goes to Perry for help and is told to act normal until an investigation is done. So when Gywnn delivers the books to the Gillette house she is fearful on what she may find. Everything goes well until she is leaving and notices a man around her car. She runs a few blocks down the road near the large Baxter Estate. There she gets help from grounds keeper and makes it back to her car.

The next morning Felton/Frank is found dead and there is evidence that Gwynn was the murderer. So Perry will defend her in court against the charge.

The story is just beginning as we get led through a world of blackmail and wanted criminals. Perry leaves no stone unturned as he makes trips to a funeral home and a hermits cabin that has the viewer thrilled. Plus with Pippa Scott playing the accused client that you can actually fell sorry for, the viewer is kept on the edge of their seat the entire time. Very good show!

This is a standout episode. It was written by Jackson Gillis, who wrote many of the best PM episodes. One of the ways in which it is noteworthy, is that this is one of the most suspenseful examples of this series that I've ever seen!

Also, Perry Mason as portrayed here is probably closer to the character in Erle Stanley Gardner's novels, than in any other episode that comes to mind: he's crafty, always thinking way ahead, and he doesn't show his cards--even to Della, in a wonderful scene that has just the two of them.

And Della! The story gives her some fine moments where we see more of her personality than we usually get to see. Here she really is a person, as we get to see, and not just a smiling secretary greeting people, etc.

The plot is intricate and tricky. The courtroom scenes are very well done--being a lawyer myself, I really enjoyed them.

Paul Drake has some good lines, as he usually does. He's actually my favorite character of this series.

Highly recommended!

Tribute to Pippa Scott, who passed in 2025.

One of Scott's finest tv roles, all the emotions let loose, set against an atmospheric Hitchcock-like background. Some strange folks and situations decorate this whodunit, beautifully directed by Arthur Marks.

Scott plays a travelling salesperson, staying over with an old friend (Jackie Loughery), getting a crash course in bigamy. Whether writer Jackson Gillis was inspired by the classic film, THE BIGAMIST (starring Edmond O'Brian), a decade earlier, remains to be seen, however cheatin' husband Michael Conrad is one heartless soul. Conrad played his fair share of brutes, long before heroic fame in HILL STREET BLUES.

To her horror, Scott discovers the little town secret, putting herself in a tight spot, even worse when Conrad turns up dead and she's apparently first to find the body. Doing the Mason Math, generally the first to find a corpse becomes the prime suspect, but you could only feel sorry for Scott in this tight spot. FYI; O'Brian was more gentlemanly than Conrad is in this one, though both were cads.

Marks and Gillis were obviously influenced by Hitchcock with Perry and Della visiting an undertaker, and what is it with that funeral parlor music in the background? Watch Della's face, or Barbara Hale. A few other dark, creepy scenes afloat, particularly Scott walking alone one night, but not for long...

Exceptional cast of tv favorites, including comedian Alan Melvin, in a not so funny role, and Karl Swenson, playing an old timer caretaker.

Notice the more fluent camera work from Marks as opposed to Jesse Hibbs, who alternated as director. Both had unique styles of their own, Marks also the show's producer.

A mystery not to miss, and again, for a fine performance by Pippa Scott. SEASON 7 EPISODE 7 remastered CBS dvd box set. For ultimate fans, all nine seasons are now on dvd in a single impressive box set.

Pippa Scott is the client in need of Perry Mason's services. Scott is living with Jackie Loughery and her husband Michael Conrad and while on her sales route selling children's encyclopedia's door to door she discovers Conrad's picture at the house and the woman says that's her husband.

Conrad discovers that Scott knows he's a bigamist and she knows he knows when he tries to poison her. That's what sends her to Perry Mason's office. Later on when Conrad is found dead on a neighbor's lawn it's Scott who's arrested. Another client with the good sense to have retained Perry Mason beforehand.

Conrad is into a lot more than bigamy however which provides a host of alternative suspects. Those alternatives are uncovered of course by the investigative work of William Hopper who gets nearly jammed up himself.

Poor Pippa Scott, if it wasn't for Raymond Burr and his team she'd be facing the death penalty.