The Case of the Fiery Fingers

Mostly thanks to Lenore Shanewise, this is an above average Perry Mason episode. Imdb and their 150 character requirements is a royal pain and discourages reviewers.

The acting and direction are good. But the original book by the same name is a lot more interesting. It has lots more time to develop a more complex plot. The writers of this episode cut it down drastically. "Fiery fingers" meant a lot more in the book.

Of course Nora Mae is not guilty because she is Perry's client. However, she should have been acquitted based on the evidence rather than the coerced confession of the real killer.

It was known that the pills Nora Mae put in the milk were a sedative rather than arsenic - this is admitted by the husband who provided the pills to Nora Mae and verified by the one pill collected by Perry and tested at a lab. Trag confirmed under oath that no trace of sedative was found in the carafe, which is consistent with Nora Mae's statement that she dumped the carafe after putting the pills in it, and filled it with fresh milk. Therefore the "evidence" that she put pills in the carafe is not relevant to the case, and there is no evidence at all that she doctored the milk that the victim drank. I wonder why the world's best defense attorney never brought up the fact that the prosecutor had no evidence against his client.

Otherwise, an excellent Mason as always.

If you're keeping score, many of Perry's cases dealt with money and shear greed. A lethal combination. Here, Edward Norris plays a questionable gentleman named George Gordon who married a very wealthy woman. Still he's not happy. He has a gal friend (played by Fay Spain) on the side -- and you know his wife Louise (Susan Dorn) hasn't long to live. In fact, poor Louise prefers the company of her elderly nurse, Nora Mae (played by Lenore Shanewise), but it's not enough protection when she winds up poisoned. Even more tough luck for Nora Mae who stands accused of the crime.

In a way, you kind of figured something like this would happen, and watch how it all plays out. I agree with the last reviewer; the courtroom showdown is a gem. Of course, all us long time fans couldn't wait for the finale no matter what the case was about. Much due to excellent actors and the craftsmanship of director Arthur Marks, also series producer. Watch every single face!

On an interesting footnote, Lenore Shanewise was the senior director of the famed Pasadena Playhouse and a good friend of Raymond Burr.

Poker face Charles Lane turns up as a doctor. We love him. Actress Susan Dorn, who appeared in many dramatic tv shows, passed in 2020. Yes, comedian Connie Cezan returns as Gertie.

Another fine script by Laurence Marks, who later gained fame for many winning episodes for MASH.

SEASON 1 EPISODE 31 remastered CBS dvd box set. Volumes 1 and 2. The entire series is on dvd in an impressive box set. For ultra fans.

Wealthy Louise Gordon finds out that her husband, George, is cheating on her. In the ensuing argument and tussle, Louise falls down the stairs and becomes an invalid as a result. She tells her cousin and caretaker, Vicky Braxton, that she realizes her husband married her only for her money and that she plans to write him out of her will.

Meanwhile, Louise's nurse, the elderly Nora Mae, has a case of sticky fingers as she enjoys borrowing Louise's expensive jewelry, even wearing it out of the house at times! George confronts Nora Mae about the jewelry and threatens her with the police if she does not give Louise some pills that he gives her. The next day Louise is dead from poisoning and Nora Mae is arrested for the murder. Looks rather cut and dried doesn't it? Not with Perry Mason on the case.

This was based on one of Erle Stanley Gardner's original Perry Mason novels, and as a result it has a rather short but interesting group of suspects. This differs from the later original screenplays that are more complex but would probably be indecipherable in a purely written medium. To me the actual murderer was just too doe eyed and made a mistake that was obvious. But I say that as a veteran watcher of a bunch of these episodes over several seasons.

In explanation of calling Perry a profiteer - Nora Mae thinks that she is being very generous giving Perry five dollars for their initial consultation and ten dollars for the entire murder trial. This is probably a significant chunk of all she has in the world. Perry has a twinkle in his eye as he does not want to deprive her of this illusion and so accepts this payment with a smile on his face.