The Case of the Fan Dancer's Horse

Yes, the plot is confusing, but this one has lots of atmospheric touches that make it fun. The highlight is the gorgeous Judy Tyler as a "fan dancer." She was loaded with confidence, energy and sex appeal - and was an excellent actress. What a shame that she was killed in a car accident not long after this was filmed.

There is another actress named Susan Cummings who, like Judy Tyler, wears streetwalker outfits beautifully and is the last word in 1950's glamour.

Also some good jazzy music, the delicious Minerva Urecal doing one of her classic "suspicious old broad/landlady" bits, and even a car crash scene involving Perry and Della in a Ford convertible, a Mexican peasant woman in an old 1940's car, and a speeding tailgater driving a gorgeous 1956 Lincoln Premier.

This is a lesser Mason episode where Paul and Perry are driving around when a car tips over when passed by a hot rodding car. This leads to a fan dancer and a valuable horse and a murder. Also a case of mistaken identity. It's a little bit disjointed.

So obvious, the producers here were trying to keep up with 77 SUNSET STRIP -- lovely women, fast cars, jazzy music and homicide. What a trip.

Written by Stirling Silliphant, creator of NAKED CITY and ROUTE 66, yes, having some dark fun. In a twist of twists, a ranch is robbed by someone on horseback? Not too long after, Perry and Della happen upon a car accident near the ranch, collecting some interesting bits and pieces, like ostrich feathers?

Rather cleverly, Perry places an ad in the local paper concerning the items, and sure enough there are some responders, like the owner of the ranch, Mr. Callender (Hugh Sanders) and a fan dancer? Incidentally, all those concerned think Perry has a horse stashed somewhere? It gets even better when it turns out there's TWO fan dancers, Susan Cummings (as Lois) and Judy Tyler (as Chi Chi), who supposedly look very much alike. Poetic Perry Mason license.

Complicating the camp coincidence, Callender is murdered in a most unsual way -- by Japanese sword -- and the ladies have some questions to answer. Don't miss Chi Chi's leotards(!), and was that done to catch the producers of 77SS off guard? Sure looks that way.

On a tragic note, Judy Tyler and her husband were both killed in a car accident shortly after this episode, ending a promising career. Tyler had just finished appearing with Elvis in JAILHOUSE ROCK, and Presley became so depressed he was hesitant in seeing the film when it was released.

Tyler is complimented by B film actress Susan Cummings. Movie and tv buffs will appreciate Hugh Sanders, often seen on RAWHIDE and the LONE RANGER. Minerva Urecal, soon to co-star in PETER GUNN, plays the landlady, a role she mastered for years.

PS; The password is Palomino. Seconded by Chi Chi.

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Perry and Della happen on a roadside wreck, discover some expensive ostrich plumes, and advertise for the owner. This sets off a strange set of events where two look-alike women (Cummings and Tyler) both claim to be the same woman, and an aggressive man (Sanders) claims Perry is hiding a horse, of all things. It's a pretty complicated plot, and I confess to getting lost at times. But that's okay because the main reason to catch this entry lies elsewhere. There's some good snappy dialogue from Tragg, while Perry gets snappy himself and cuts a few legal corners, at the same time. He's still an interesting character in these early episodes, before becoming the predictably model attorney of later entries.

Note too, from the byplay, how the writers still haven't decided exactly how to handle the relationship between the handsome Perry and the attractive Della. But that scene between Perry and Chi- Chi (Tyler) in her skin-tight leotards may be the most unabashedly sexual of the entire series, and I'm a bit surprised it passed the watchdogs of Standards and Practices. Be sure to focus on the star-crossed Judy Tyler who was tragically killed shortly after this episode and her co-starring role with Elvis in his classic Jailhouse Rock (1957). She's obviously quite talented, with a good career in the making. Sometimes it's hard to remember there are real people behind these make-believe roles, especially when they appear so full of life, as she does. What a shame.

The 15th episode of the first season of Perry Mason was the farewell performance of young Judy Tyler recently of Broadway, Elvis Presley and the Howdy Doody Show. She had one bright promising career and on this Perry Mason episode she showed a lot of verve and style as a Sally Rand like fan dancer.

It would almost seem like he's ambulance chasing but Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale are in fact just driving along and they witness an accident. That leads the whole crew into a story involving a stolen quarter horse, an estranged husband, and two women who look somewhat alike, one of whom is married to the estranged husband and becomes Burr's client and the other is Judy Tyler.

The story is a confused one, but this show breaks the paradigm somewhat in that the real perpetrator isn't discovered at trial. Burr knows who it is, but he lets William Talman figure it out on his own.

For a 9 year old late of the Howdy Doody Show by a few years the death of Princess Summerfallwinterspring was quite the childhood trauma. Judy really steals this Perry Mason show from the rest of the cast.