The Case of the Nautical Knot

Plot doesn't do it. Several attractive females don't do it. The whole wedding thing doesn't do it. There are just so many things that would have got in the way to come to this end. I'm also interested in how one finds a body and then gets totally covered in blood from a dead person. Oh--ha ha. The old fireplace poker strikes again.

Too many elements get thrown into this particular Perry Mason episodes and are not mixed well. Anne Whitfield best known for playing Dean Jagger's granddaughter in White Christmas plays a nurse who marries Hank Brandt and winds up accused of the murder of his uncle Tom Tully.

For reasons I'm still trying to fathom Whitfield is hired by Tully to look after Brandt after an eye injury. But that's just a ruse to keep Brandt away from a company board meeting. There's embezzlement afoot and rather than look for help from his relations who are not presented as wastrels Tully goes it alone. Dumb decision in a rather inane plot situation.

Not the best Mason, the writers were getting tired.

Robert Leslie Bellem wrote this interesting whodunit, one of the great tv writers for action heroes; DICK TRACY, SUPERMAN and CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT.

Hank Brandt plays a young gentleman recovering from one of those rich people's mystery illnesses in Mexico -- all the while his workaholic uncle Harry (played by crusty Tom Tully) maintains the family business in Los Angeles. But what happens when the old man is killed?

The old fireplace poker across the head routine. Bellem likely threw that in from his comic book adventures.

Question: And I agree with the last reviewer. How did the person who found the body get covered with blood? Stay tuned.

Perry Mason intrigue, very well done with a top cast. Barbara Bain plays Elayna and beautiful Lisa Gaye is cast as Pamela, obviously getting a lot of attention.

Of honorable mention is veteran actress Arline Judge, playing Emmalou, who has some good scenes. Judge was popular in the 1930s and 40s in many films, once married to director Wesley Ruggles. She made news headlines about her many marriages, but always featured in movies and tv, and the crew dressed her up for this one.

Famous silent film actor Francis McDonald plays a guy named Peg Leg? McDonald appeared in westerns and at one time was married to Mae Busch, famous for Laurel and Hardy comedies.

Some portions filmed at Bronson Canyon and Griffith Park, just outside Hollywood, all about atmopshere.

Guessing this one is fun.

SEASON 8 Episode 6 (1964) CBS remastered dvd box set. Released 2012. Volumes 1 and 2.

Great cast, good acting and interesting story. Worth watching. Kenneth MacDonald was the judge again, he had a great voice for the part of a judge, which is likely why they used him a lot

While watching this show I thought of just how many times you can do an episode on embezzlement. Seems that 'Perry Mason' series had done every form of the crime that can be done- and sometimes twice. So you have to change the characters in order to make the story interesting to viewers. I thought they did well on this episode.

The show opens with Rick Scott (Hank Brandt) being tended by a nurse, Joanna Monford (Anne Whitfield), in sunny Mexico. he is recovering from some accident and his Uncle Harvey Scott (Tom Tully) is running the family business back in the States.

Word gets out that Uncle Harvey is planning some merger with another company that none of the family knew was about to happen. So Scott's brother rushing to Mexico to bring Rick back to LA. In order to stop the merger Rick has to marry someone to get control of the company so he quickly marries the nurse Joanna. (At the time none of this is known to Joanna)

When they get back to LA, Uncle Harvey calls all the family for a very important meeting. As everyone is arriving, Joanna comes stumbling out of the house, covered with blood, saying Uncle Harvey is dead. And just so happens that Perry has also been called to the meeting and he is the one that goes inside to find Harvey beating with a poker. (Pokers were used a lot in Perry shows)

The story takes off from there with Joanne on trial for the murder. And we get to meet all the wonder Scott family during the courtroom drama. To me, nearly everyone was a suspect. So we have Perry to help us along the way to finding the real criminal.

Notes about the show- In this episode we have Paul and also Perry take the stand for the state. ---- Also there is one thing I found odd. When Perry was on the witness stand he said that when he felt Uncle Harvey he was still alive. But then he said his pulse stopped. If so Joanna, a registered nurse, came running out of the house with Uncle Harvey was still alive. Yet she said that he is dead I tried to help since I am a nurse.

Guess I watching too many Perry episodes. Not the greatest but a interesting set of characters to an old plot.