The Case of the Perjured Parrot

This episode may have been the funniest Perry Mason, but it was hard to take it seriously. First of all we have Uncle Joe from Petticoat Junction sort of conducting an inquest but not doing too good of a job. We then have good ole Mr. Wilson from Dennis The Menace trying to be a crime expert who ended up being just as inept as Mr. Wilson was at dealing with Dennis. The whole story was crazy and Mel Blanc topped it off as the voice of a parrot that didn't move his mouth half the time. I'll say this, it was entertaining.

The ending of The Perjured Parrot seemed anti-climactic compared to other Perry Mason episodes. And, supposedly Robert Young appeared in this episode as an uncredited townsperson-I sure did not find his appearance-did anyone else see him?

Casual for a Perry Mason but entertaining. Another reviewer mentioned he didn't see Robert Young. When the neighbor stood up in the courtroom audience to answer a question Robert Young was to his right.

Camp episode written by Marian Cockrell, who wrote quite a few classic stories for Alfred Hitchcock's tv show, also for BATMAN in the 60s.

The murder of a wealthy man brings forward a talking parrot, which actually is no joke. There have been documented cases where what a parrot "said or repeated" was, in fact, recorded in a court of law. In this case, not too popular businessman Charles Sabin ( Maurice Manson) is murdered while on a camping trip, outside Los Angeles. His wife, Stephanie, played by actress Fay Baker, naturally contacts Perry, and enter Casanova, her husband's pet parrot. This smart bird may have something important to add to the mystery.

An intriguing story, again not to be taken lightly. In fact, a famous case from 2016 included a parrot who was instrumental in convicting a Michigan woman of fatally shooting her husband.

Perry's strange case moves to a small town courtroom, replete with some excellent supporting actors to highlight the proceedings. TV favorite Edgar Buchanan guest stars as Andy, a natural for this story, Jody Lawrence plays Ellen and Joseph Kearns (DENNIS THE MENACE) plays a criminolgist. Many other familiar faces if you're a tv buff.

Fun fact; voice master Mel Blanc is the voice of Casanova. He was a regular on Jack Benny's tv show at the time, many classic radio shows and cartoons.

Something different to be sure, and wait for the courtroom showdown.

Worth an extra cup of coffee if you can figure it all out before Perry.

10 Stars. I rest my case.

SEASON 2 EPISODE 11 remastered CBS/Paramount dvd box set. Released 2007. Volumes 1 and 2.

A couple of things about this episode that is different from the norm. First the crime happens in a small town named Logan City, the hearing is at a coroner's inquest instead of a criminal court setting and a obnoxious parrot is called as a witness- these things make the episode quite different that we see in most Perry episodes. Then you add a rather confusing ending and the whole thing is more bizarre than ever thought.

It begins rather simple enough when a unlikable man named Charles Sabin blows his wife, Stephine, and his daughter in-law, Helen Watkins, off when they are not ready to go on a trip to the cabin. He is so mad that he says he is going by himself. He even accuses Helen of a crime that we later find out is forged checks. An all around poor guy.

Anyway later they find Charles Sabin dead and the parrot is walking around the room saying 'Helen put the gun down'. So you would think that Helen Watkins is the main suspect in this story. But it even gets more complicated.

Later we find out that supposedly Charles Sabin had just gotten married to a younger librarian named Ellen Monteith. (this would make Charles married to two women at one time) It gets bad for Ellen when they find some of her clothing at the cabin plus it was her gun that was the murder weapon. So Perry will be defending Ellen on what could become murder charges after the coroner's inquest.

During the informal inquest, headed by the country actor Edgar Buchanan, we get to hear some confusing testimony that will leave your head spinning from all the twist the writer tried to place. This was a really good mystery that was made too complicated by trying to throw suspicion on everyone in the cast. Only Perry Mason could have comprehended all the twisted testimony and finally saw one situation that would clear his client.

This episode ended is a way that seemed almost to complex until Perry has the court reporter read a person's testimony back to the inquest. Then the ball drops. But there is also one last twist left that will have the viewer discombobulated- but that is something that you will have to see.