The Case of the Dead Ringer

In an unforgettable Perry Mason production, Mr. Raymond Burr gives what is nothing less than the performance of a lifetime. A dual role is always challenging but this is an actor who meets it with all the power and art of his craft. This is simply an unforgettable viewing experience and an hour of incredible acting that should be a monument to a truly fine actor and one that demonstrates his range and skill. This, indeed, is one for the ages and will stand for all time as Mr. Raymond Burr's lasting legacy as an actor.

... but in fact it was very well done and an unusual showcase for Raymond Burr's versatile acting talent as he breaks out of his attorney persona.

The son of a man being sued over the theft of intellectual property from a now deceased boss decides to frame Perry for bribery by getting his look alike, a sailor on a fishing boat (Burr in a double role as Mr. Grimes), to dress up and imitate Perry and have him very publicly toss a witness in the case an envelope with ten thousand dollars in it along with instructions as to how to answer any questions put to her on the stand. The witness breaks down on the stand and testifies of his bribery attempt, and she has the ten thousand dollars to prove it. This undermining of Perry's credibility causes the rare occasion of Mason losing a case. But now he could be indicted for suborning perjury, so he must get to the bottom of what happened.

When I say that Grimes is a Perry Mason look-alike, that is a very loose description. Grimes is aptly named as he doesn't look like he's bathed in a month of Sundays and has a cockney accent and a very rough way about him.

An interesting factoid - One of the supporting players in this episode is Henry Beckman who you may remember, if you are old enough , played old salt Captain Clancey on Here Come the Brides from 1968 to 1970. His portrayal is so close to that of Raymond Burr's rendition of Grimes in this episode that I have to wonder if he used that performance as an inspiration for his own in that TV series.

When I first saw that Raymond Burr was going to play two characters in this show, I thought that the writers had run out of scripts and was using anything off the floor. But this was actually a very fine episode and a nice mystery.

The episode begins with Perry in civil court representing Barbara Kramer in a patent suit against Otis Swanson. When one of the witnesses advise that Perry Mason had given her money and a list of answers to questions it appeared poor for Perry. In fact, there are witnesses that testify that they saw Perry give the witness an envelope inside a hotel lobby.

But what has happened is that people from the other side of the lawsuit have found an old sailor that looks much like Perry. They use make-up and hair-dye and sure enough the person named Grimes looks just like Perry Mason.

After Perry loses the civil case, Perry has to appeal. In the meantime, his client, Barbara, is found inside Otis Swanson's home next to his dead body. Now Perry will have to defend her in criminal court for a charge of murder. Perry will need a lot of help from Paul Drake's private detective team if he wants his client released of the charge.

I really have never like those two character episodes, especially when it involves the main character. Most of the time the show is just so unbelievable that it makes no sense. This show proved me wrong. Raymond Burr was believable as he separated both parts with fine acting. Instead of the stuffy lawyer type, he became a rough and salty sailor. The mystery was interesting and the characters interesting. Good watch.

All I will say about this is, I'm a Brit, and I admit that there are American actors who can pull off British accents, not many, but some. So, why do American actors who definitely CANNOT do British accents insist on trying to do the impossible? Raymond Burr's British accent made my teeth ache.

One of the more interesting aspects of the Perry Mason character in the television show is the scope of his practice. Though primarily known as a criminal defense attorney, his cases range from incorporations to patent cases. It's the latter that he's engaged in at the start of the episode, as he has taken on two clients suing over a patent. And as usually the case, Perry Mason is crushing it in the courtroom.

Desperate to turn their failing case around, the defendants try a desperate gambit by dredging up a drunken sailor who happens to look like the legendary lawyer. This gives Burr a rare chance to play a dual role in the show and he embraces it with gusto. His Grimes is a raspy and disheveled mess, played so over the top that the ham in Burr's makeup is on display. It's fun, but at times it gets in the way of one of the better plots in the show's final season, one that features a fun amount of intrigue on all sides.