The Case of the Bogus Books

The only issue I have with the story is that it says the murder victim was killed when the gas was shut off on the heater and turned back on. The room filled up with gas and he suffocated. This could not happen in real life. Those heaters have a valve called a robertshaw valve that has a safety mechanism to prevent something like this from happening. If you shut the gas off and the pilot goes off, the valve automatically shuts off the main gas until the pilot is re-established.

Here we have an unusual story with plenty of intrigue and red herrings. Although the plot stretches reality somewhat, it's not enough to ruin the whole thing completely. The weakest point is the manner of the death, which in reality would be impossible. Phyllis Love's character was a bit too mousy, but that could have been simply over-direction. Not the best, but far from the worst...

To begin the sixth season, we have a classic Mason mystery that is interesting and entertaining. In this show we get a look at the art of used books and how people abuse the system for profit. Which is a different type of plot with different techniques used by Perry to defend his client.

Ellen Carter is working at a used book store that is owned by an task-master named Joseph Kraft. Mr Kraft has been taking later editions of books and then have people manipulate the books so that they can be offered as first editions. This is highly profitable since some books bring in thousands of dollars.

When one of the books that was going to be manipulated is stolen, Mr Kraft fires Ellen Carter. When the whereabouts of the book is found, Perry helps Ellen get her job back. But the next day Mr Kraft is killed and the only evidence points to Ellen as the murderer.

With a host of seedy characters and some nice detective work, Perry is able to cross-examine suspects until the true killer is found. Even though the killer may not be your first guess, by the end of the show all the questions will be answered.

Nice way to start season six.

NOTE- First episode to feature a different opening. Beginning with this episode, when the introductions are made Perry is along in the courtroom sitting at the desk. He then reads something in a folder and smiles. Then the introductions and cast members of the show begins.

Perry Mason, 6.01, The Case of the Bogus Books (1962). The reason the stolen first editions were altered by Pearl Chute (Allison Hayes) was so Joseph Kraft (Maurice Manson) could sell them as original old books for $6000 instead of $8000. That way no one would know they were stolen first editions.

How about those coke bottle glasses the book store owner Joseph Kraft/Maurice Manson wore during filming--wow--big eyes. The crew must have positioned him on his spot and said, "be careful, don't walk into the furniture."

On all these Perry Mason episodes the answers are always present from the beginning but I only see them if I watch the episode twice.

Using a used bookstore and rare books as the center of this episode is quite refreshing. A gnarly old guy runs the store but focuses mostly on refurbishing old books and selling them as first editions. A beautiful woman from his past is his artistic partner. She does the retouching on the books. There is also a young woman who works in the store who through the actions of others becomes the defendant in the old guy's murder. This is a more sophisticated plot line.