The Case of the Bogus Buccaneers

I keep saying that PM eps are ridiculous and keep topping themselves as such. Really though, it's the whole series! What silly, utterly unbelievable garbage!

What were there in this one? 6, 10 clowns all dressed up in pirate getups and all walking around in public at night? LOL!

PM does provide laughs.....just call it a parody of a lawyer show and you've got something!

The episode begins as we see a TV show that features a buccaneer named Martin Eldridge (Rhodes Reason) that makes women feel more beautiful. Through the magic of TV the buccaneer transform a women into a beautiful walking model by means of hair-care products and cosmetics. And for this story's plot-- the TV show is popular.

Anyway the producers of the TV show also send out other buccaneers in the area of the show and give them baskets of free gifts. Most love the gifts until we get this one situation.

Tony Polk (Steve Harris) goes through his routine at the home of Grace Knapp (Kathy Crowley). However Ms Knapp actually is upset saying where is the $25,000 that was promised. In fact she gets rough with Tony until he has to push her down and leave the house. However he leaves his costume's hook in the residence when fleeing. All the while a neighbor is seeing the entire incident.

The neighbor calls the police and by the time they arrive Ms Knapp is dead from a wound with the hook. And all evidence points to ex-con Tony Polk as being the murderer. But thanks to his parole officer, Perry decides to take the case and defend Tony in court.

For the rest of show the viewer is dished out many meaty chucks as part of the mystery. Blackmail, trickery, bribes, polygamy and intimidation - all these add up to a show worth watching.

This may have not been the best premise for an episode but I thought it turned out quite well. Overall it was a good watch. There was actually some good acting in this quirky episode.

Note-- Della has to knock someone unconscious in this episode. That along is a must see.

A silly TV show that is designed to show us how stupid housewives are. This macho jerk prances around, getting women to swoon over him and his products. One of the Buccaneer's little helpers is at the scene where a formidable, drunk lady is murdered. The whole thing seems awful and probably much like about half of prime time TV today.

If you are ever an aspiring actor Michael Fox is definitely the agent to have. When his client Steve Harris gets himself in a huge jackpot, Fox gets him Perry Mason as an attorney. Best move he ever made.

This was one unusual episode involving an actor played by Rhodes Reason who plays the Beauty Buccaneer like some romance novel hero, but it's a gimmick to sell beauty products. He does his TV pitch and then a couple dozen or so 'Buccaneers' go out like Avon salesmen with the various beauty products.

Harris is one of those salesmen. Only on his route a somewhat psychotic Kathleen Crowley is waiting for him to deliver some kind of money payoff and Harris hasn't a clue. She scratches him up pretty good and he has to flee. Later on Crowley is found dead and when he's got a good amount of cash on him that he won't explain to the cops, Richard Anderson is thinking Harris is looking real good for it.

This episode involves a lovely tale of bigamy and murder to cover up same. It even involves Della Street being kidnapped, see how Barbara Hale gets out of that.

A most interesting tale from Perry Mason's last season.

What we have here are more cliche's than you can throw a hook at. We have gone from girls in skimpy bear suits to guys in stereotypical pirate get-ups replete with hook-type prosthetic hands. Again the writers have outdone themselves (and not in a good way). More of the ex-spouse (or should we say wench in this case) blackmail stuff that we've already seen. Add to that a defendant with a past criminal history that makes him an easy mark for the authorities to lay the blame on. Then add in a scared and pregnant wife to add to the angst. The only thing that keeps this galleon afloat is Della's accuracy with a frying pan...