The Case of the Positive Negative

While the basic plot here was far from original, it was enough to make it worth sitting through. My main complaint with it is if you pay well enough attention, you can hear the voice of the perpetrator quite clearly early on in act one, leaving very little mystery as to the solution. Basically, the viewer is simply left to watch how the pieces of the puzzle are assembled to get to the conclusion. My biggest beefs were some of the unrealities in the camera store fire scenes, but I guess you have to suspend some of your logic at times when watching shows like this. At any rate, I enjoyed the performances so just accept it as mindless entertainment...

Love the title, direct from the Erle Stanley Gardner book of catchy tag lines.

See this for Oscar nominee Brian Donlevy, an unforgettable actor (BEAU GESTE), in one of his final roles before retiring. Appropriately enough, he plays a distinguished general who is named to an anti-crime committee amid lots of publicity. Then comes a little tidbit concerning his wife -- photographed with one of his colleagues in a not too flattering situation. Good Grief.

All roads lead to slickster mobster Ted de Corsia (Emory), obviously it's "pay off" time for the general, who does confront him, while he's alive. Not long after the general leaves, Emory is murdered, you can guess the rest and Perry has his work cut out for him.

Simple story, however, very entertaining and applause for Donlevy, turning on the dramatics. Following this episode he co-starred with several western veterans in ARIZONA BUSHBACKERS. The debit is Ted de Corsia didn't have more screen time, dean of bad guys, fondly remembered for THE ENFORCER opposite Humphrey Bogart. Simon Scott (Stacy) guest stars.

Written by Robert E. Kent, author of several cult films, DIARY OF A MADMAN (Vincent Price) at the top of the list.

SEASON 9 EPISODE 28 remastered CBS dvd box set. Volumes 1 and 2. Thanks to METV for running these whodunits twice daily.

This episode was pretty interesting. My guess as the killer was Mayor Stoner from the Andy Griffith Show. Of course he was too obvious with his snarling voice and gritting teeth. The case against the General was not very strong and Burger seemed less than enthusiastic about the outcome of the trial.

I just couldn't get all excited about this one. Nothing wrong with it; just nothing new. It's the usual men's club, flexing their muscles. Yes, there was political corruption being addressed, but that's only part of the plot. When that picture of the General's wife is found, she appears terrified in the picture. There is nothing incriminating about it. She looks half asleep (which she is). The weekly series probably had run out of steam with too much pressure on the writers.

When you think that the writers have done every plot two or three times and there is nowhere left to go, you get a episode like this one and remember how great this series was to the TV world. This is a great mystery with fine twists and turns that make the viewer glad to watch.

A respected former General named Roger Brandon has been picked by the Governor to head a law enforcement committee against a man named George Emory that controls illegal operations in the town of San Carlos. With General Brandon leading the operation the other men on the committee will be Stanley Overton, Frank Cummings and Perry Mason. The committee will be made with people that want to put a stop to Emory's rule in the small town.

But when someone takes pictures of General Brandon's wife in a hotel room, they will try to blackmail Brandon into not taking the job. With General Brandon thinking Emory was behind the pictures, he goes to visit him. Emory denies taking the pictures or having the negatives. Right after General leaves his house, George Emory is killed. The murder weapon just so happens to be a gun belonging to the General.

With Perry defending the General in court, it will be the grainy pictures that will bring the case to a close. But the true murderer will be someone that you least expect. Someone that is not who they seem to be. Great story.