The Case of the Crimson Kiss

... because that is the real mystery here. The first scene even shows this guy's obvious pedestrian style that - for the only time in the episode - actually and understandably repulses a young woman sitting in an apartment house lobby.

Anita Bonsal and Fay Allison are roommates in an apartment building with pretty good security. You can only get into the building with a key or by being buzzed in by a resident. Pretty modern security for 1957. In a matter of days Fay is going to marry a wealthy young man that Anita once dated. Anita says she isn't bothered by this, but she obviously is. She says she is going out, but instead she goes up a floor to see the previously mentioned worthless womanizer, Carver Clement. Married not single, not smooth, and definitely not handsome, I can't see what Anita sees in this guy. She gets angry that he won't go out with her and returns home.

Later that night Perry Mason gets a call from a friend of his, Louise Marlow (Frances Bavier). She is Fay's aunt, has come into town for the wedding a day early, and has found the two girls in their beds and unconscious. Perry and Della investigate. It turns out that the two girls are unconscious from an overdose of barbiturates, but that medical intervention arrived in time. That's one mystery. The other mystery is that Carver Clement is found murdered in his apartment with a red lipstick kiss on his forehead, some of Fay's clothes in his closet, and a key to his apartment in Fay's purse. What goes on here? Watch and find out.

Like I said initially, the real mystery here are the multitude of women who are just mad about Carver Clement. Since there are a couple of mysteries here, maybe related and maybe not, I thought this episode was a very good one. And you have Perry doing some things that are out there even for him, such as walking up to women, taking out a handkerchief, and grabbing an imprint of their lips to compare to that one found on Clement's head. Why doesn't Hamilton Burger ever think of these things?

This was a pretty decent episode as a woman about to be married is arrested for murder. Articles of her clothing were found in the dead man's apartment as well as a fingerprint. There is also a big lipstick kiss on the man's forehead. There are some things that one must question, however. First of all, for come reason the lipstick was never used by forensics, allowing Mason to use it later. Very careless of Berger. The other thing is a dramatic ending which has people running all over the courtroom. In a real trial, these people would have been subdued and the trial resumed or put in recess. Also, Mason uses some invasive techniques. Still, it's a decent mystery.

Even if the first of this episode is not to your liking you will not be disappointed in the last half. The last half is filled with Della on the witness stand, a room-mate giving false information, two women admitting to having a relationship with a married man, a witness threatening to jump out the court house window, a person lead away to be charged with attempted murder, Perry getting some evidence by some rough means and another person lead away to be charged with murder. Talk about being jammed packed with excitement the last half is overflowing.

The story involves two room-mates. Anita Bonsal (Jean Willes) and Fay Allison (Sue England) that live on the sixth floor of the Mandrake Arms. Ms Allsion is a few days away from being married to Done Grover (Douglas Dick) who just happens to be an ex-boyfriend of room-mate Anita Bonsal. Needless to say Ms Bonsal is not overwhelmed at the marriage.

Ms Bonsal is secretly seeing this man, Carver Clements (John Holland) on the seventh floor of the Mandrake. And when things turn cold with the relationship Ms Bonsal seems to turn from upset about the marriage to furious about how things are going in her life.

The next day both Anita and Fay are found poisoned by barbiturates and Mr Clements is found dead. And it just so happened that Perry and Della are at the Mandrake Arms and are the first to find the murdered victim and call Lt Tragg.

When Lt Tragg starts investigating all evidence points to Fay Allison as the murderer of Carver Clements. So now Perry enters the courtroom where all heck breaks out in the last half of the show.

The only problem I had with the show was too many characters that were introduced in haste. When you see a apartment neighbor in one scene in hair curlers and a bathrobe- and then a later scene she is in a sexy dress- well I had to ask myself, who is that? Anyway a good watch for all Perry fans.

Note- There is one situation that puzzled me about this episode. When the true murderer is found then how in the world did Fay's fingerprint get on a glass in Carver's apartment? Oh well, either I missed it or it was TV magic.

Louise Marlowe comes to visit her niece, Fay, prior to Fay's impending marriage. Upon arriving at Fay's apartment, she finds Fay and her room mate, Anita, unconscious. Unable to awaken them, she calls her friend Perry instead of doing the logical thing and calling the hospital or police. Perry calls his doctor to go to the apartment and then he and Della rush over as well. Fay and Anita had taken, or were given, an overdose of barbiturates. Della and Perry find a key in Fay's purse to another apartment in the building. They go to that apartment and find the body of Carver Clement, a married philanderer, with a lipstick kiss on his forehead. Perry says "Someone bid him a fond but unfriendly farewell." Since Fay's clothes and a glass with her fingerprints are found in the apartment, Fay is charged with the murder. The resolution relies during the trial on somewhat sloppy forensic work and on some court room dramatics by Perry. Seeing Della on the witness stand while Perry nonchalantly doodles on a notepad was a nice touch. An entertaining episode with acting kudos going to Jean Wiiles as Anita.

A good story that showcases Perry Mason's courtroom skills.

Anita Bonsal and Fay Allison are roommates and both work in a sensitive government job. Fay is due to be married in a few days and Anita is on edge. She used to go out with Fay's fiance.

Anita is also secretly seeing a man called Carver who lives in the same apartment block. He is older, wealthier and almost divorced.

The next day Fay's aunt discovers that both Anita and her niece have been overdosed on barbiturates. She calls her old friend Perry Mason. He discovers a key to Carver's apartment, he and Della find Carver dead with an imprint of a kiss on his forehead.

Lt Tragg believes that all the evidence points to Fay Allen and she stands trial.

There may be two crimes here. An attempted murder on the women, although it has to be noted that Fay was more severely overdosed. Then the killing of Carver. As Perry and Della were spotted leaving Carver's apartment ba nosy neighbour in another apartment they are also implicated.

Perry quickly proves that the imprint on the forehead does not belong to Fay Allison. However he needs to smoke out the real murderer.

An episode that is jam packed full of intrigue and al packed in a hour long story.