The Case of the Captain's Coins

I never quite got into this one. First of all, like so many of the defendants, the guy was such a hothead. Why not be a little secretive instead of blabbing your feelings? I guess the fifties and sixties depended on so much emotion. The guy who finally confesses to the crime can't control himself. Why not sit through your own trial and try for a reduced sentence or something. But then, there is very little realism in this series, enjoyable as it may be.

In a rather complex family situation this episode relies on the viewer to make sure that they remember the two separate parts of the Faraday Family. This became awkward at times when nearly half the cast had the same last name. But even with trying to remember which side of the family each character was sided- the show ended nicely and the viewer was treated with a nice mystery.

On the show the Faraday family consisted of two divided members. One side headed by Ben Faraday had money, while the other side that included Evelyn and Carter Faraday were poorer people hired by Ben on his shipping company.

What had happened was that in the late 1800's, a Faraday, one of Ben's descendants, saved the son of a Malayan king while anchored near the coast. However there was some dispute about who saved the boy since both sides of the family was represented. If Carter and Evelyn could prove that their descendant was the true savior of the boy then they would have equal shares in the shipping company.

It seemed that a medal from 1871, that was to be on display, had a picture of the true person that saved the boys life. And both sides of the family was doing everything they could to either present the medal or hid the medal from public viewing. And when Ben finally gets the medal in his possession, he ends up murdered and the medal stolen.

And to make the matter more complex the boyfriend of Evelyn Faraday, Phillip Andrews, that had been fired after publishing a story on the Faraday family, was accused of the murder and will be defend by Perry in court. The hot-headed Phillip was a good suspect and was always presented in a matter that seemed suspicious. As the moments before Ben's body is discovered- Phillip comes running out of the room, in front of many a witness, where the body is located- but had no idea anyone had been murdered.

Even with the complex set up, the mystery plays out well. Perry resorts to a little trickery in the courtroom that will have someone confessing before the credit roll. Fine show but wish they had renamed some of the characters.

One of the more convoluted plots in a Perry Mason episode was in this one where a Malay commemorative coin from about three generations back will determine the ownership of a ship line. It seems that back in the day a Malay crown prince was saved by one of the Faraday brothers. But which one. The likeness on said coin will determine which half of the Faraday family should own the shipping business.

Herbert Rudley is the arrogant hard driving owner of the line and he's found dead in his cabin and the likely suspect is Jeremy Slate who wrote some articles denouncing him on behalf of his girlfriend Joan Patrick who is from the poorer side of the Faraday clan.

During the trial for Slate, Raymond Burr drops a little hint where the stolen coin could be. William Hopper's operatives do the rest and the killer is nabbed. It happens to be the one who provided the best evidence for Slate's guilt.

Nicely done story, if a bit too complex.

While by no means the worst episode in the series, this one comes up tails. The plot is confusing, and the characters are either angry, annoying or boring. Once again we have an emotional courtroom galley confession that doesn't serve what thin plot there is. Only upside is the reveal of the Malay commemorative that ties all the loose ends together, but it's little consolation for what you have to sit through to get there...

Perfect example when you have a super writer on board, a spinner of creative yarns. True, a bit complicated, however it's fun to sort out, not to forget PERRY MASON whodunits were designed for those who enjoyed puzzles. This is the ultimate.

To writer Adrian Gendot's credit, although a tale of greed, he made this more a character study, and what sly characters we have before us. All about the wealthy Farrady family, who gained their money in the shipping business due to an age-old incident in which a member saved the son of a king, thus being awarded a lucrative shipping empire as a gift.

The stubborn talking point is wealth split two families apart; one side claiming the other took control and they were shortchanged. And who really saved the king's son? Herb Rudley plays Ben Farrady, representing the rich and influential side, naturally the one who gets bumped off. On the other side of the playing field is Joan Patrick (Evelyn), representing the disenfranchised family members, though it's her fiancee Philip Andrews (Jeremy Slade), outspoken critic of Ben, who stands accused of the crime. Slade, a wonderful young actor, reminded me of Brian Keith.

Plenty of finger-pointing and delicious gossip to go around, complimented by a fine cast; Joan Patrick is best known for DR. KILDARE. Jay Novello plays Nickolas, also veteran actor Arthur Franz as Evans.

Why we love Herb Rudley, who could play both finks and fun guys to the hilt. He was a natural. Writer Adrian Gendot, incidentally, had the experience, head writer for the WHISTLER and DANGEROUS ASSIGNMENT in the 50s.

Give this one a watch. You will be pleasantly surprised. SEASON 5 EPISODE 17 remastered CBS dvd box set. Volumes 1 and 2.