The Case of the Potted Planter

In this full-plated episode we get Martin Walden who is a wealthy nursery owner accusing his wife, Andrea Walden, of having an affair. This was not the first time that Martin has accused her of cheating but it seemed this time Martin was ready for a divorce.

There was some evidence that Andrea may be cheating. One was with a nephew of Martin named Roy Mooney and the other was radio station owner Nelson Tarr. Young Roy had actually been hired to make like he was the other man in Andrea's life while Nelson was an old friend that Andrea still talked with at times. This caused lots of talk with the people in the community.

Nelson had bought the radio station from Martin but when Martin sold the loan to the bank, the bank officials wanted payment to avoid foreclosure. When Nelson goes out to talk with Martin they get into a scuffle with Martin receiving a fist to the face. Later the police are called to the scene and Martin is dead. He had been hit, with great force, by a flower pot from the nursery. Nelson is charged with murder and Perry will defend him in court.

During court proceeding it is determined that Martin Walden was nearly bankrupt. He supposedly had been withdrawing money from the bank and gambling in Las Vegas. But Perry believes there is more to this case than what-meets-the-eye. And after Paul Drake does some investigating in Nevada, Perry's client will hopefully receive a satisfactory result.

This episode is more 'old school' than some of the previous shows. It is back to basic investigation is this nice mystery. Good Watch

This Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Potted Planter," is one of the best in the series. It starts off with one character, teenager Melinda Tarr, riding a motor scooter down a dimly lit road, wearing a party dress. From there, the episode zips along in Robert Dennis's great script. One character is played by Diane Brewster, who looks so good wearing large wide brimmed circular hats that she wears two styles of such hats during her court appearances. I thought courts told people in the room to remove their hats. I have all the Perry Mason episodes on DVD and I transferred them to XviD avi format, to watch them using my media player. Until two days ago, I never got around to watching this episode. This episode has plenty of rotten characters, most of them concerned with money. At one point, Perry says about his client, that he stands to lose his $29,000 investment spent buying a big share of a radio station. Those were the days, when a dollar was a dollar. Robert Hager was the DP for this episode and, boy, did he like photographing Diane Brewster and the shadows her big hats cast on her cheekbones. With several day for night scenes, this episode is one that would look good when Paramount releases Perry Mason on Blu-ray. Assuming Viacom doesn't spin off its Paramount subsidiary, now that parent company Viacom is falling apart (in April 2015). Even in DVD format, "The Case of the Potted Palm" is recommended viewing from one of television's finest series.

Another above average episode. Decently acted by a very talented troupe. Robert Bray is again in his element as a jealous, angry husband. Diane Brewster, whilst not the defendant, fills the screen with flair. Joe Maross reads his lines with purpose, and the red herrings are not overdone and well-placed. While the circumstances of the murder did come as a surprise, the only downside to a well-crafted mystery is the eventual murderer was again a little too obvious. The rest of the teleplay balances this shortfall reasonably well, making it still an entertaining watch. I'd have to classify it among the better of the late-season shows.

Robert Bray is a wealthy and troubled man, he knows that his wife, former film starlet Diane Brewster is cheating on him, but who is the question. He's settled on Joe Maross who recently purchased the town radio station from Bray. So Bray decides to fix his wagon by getting the bank to call in the loan Maross used to buy the station. That gives Maross enough reason to want to murder Bray and need the services of Perry Mason.

The murder weapon was potter and Bray was killed in his greenhouse. Right at the beginning Raymond Burr in his cross examination of the medical examiner elicits that the high temperature that the greenhouse was kept in could have skewered the time of death. That opens the field to any number of possible suspects including Davey Davison Maross's daughter who discovered the body.

Here's a hint, the perpetrator is someone who was looking to benefit from what Bray was doing to skirt California's famous community property laws. And it's not who you think.

This was a really clever Perry Mason episode.

A woman is maligned by her community because she is a successful actress and it is rumored that she is sleeping around. What is amazing is trying to figure out what she ever saw in that sober, abusive guy. Throw in some teenagers and a dose of jealousy and it works pretty well. Not so far fetched as some of these have been.