The Case of the Runaway Racer

In this episode the writers are doing their best to present a different approach to a story that has been rehashed many times during the Perry Mason series. This time we have a murder that happens in the setting of a motor raceway.

Perry's defendant Pete Griston (Hank Brandt) is accused of the murder of Harvey Retting (Anthony Caruso). Pete had entered a contract with Harvey Rettig to race his cars. However the contract was well in the favor of Mr Rettig.

Pappy Ryan (Michael Constantine) was a race car builder for another team. He had developed a new transmission gear that would be the rage of the race car industry. But Mr Rettig finds a way to disqualify Pappy's car from the next race and also take over the production of the gears from Pappy.

When Pete hears this- he wants to quit his contract and have nothing to do with Mr Rettig. However the contract is clear and he expects Pete to drive and also win the next race. When Pete goes to talk with Mr Rettig he is found dead and all the evidence points to Pete.

Even though the story is somewhat simple, the episode has many characters that also have a motive for seeing the death of Mr Rettig. In fact the episode has too many characters and too many strange situations that it is difficult to keep them separate. Nearly all the remaining cast is highly suspect.

The mystery ends when Perry, in an informal race inquiry meeting, begins telling everyone how the murder and deception took place. And only in a 'Perry Mason' show could we have one person telling everyone, including Hamilton Burger and the police, how all the events transpired and who really is the true murderer. It came across as just too unbelievable.

I will say that the story had a different setting but did little to help the show. Just a middle of the pack show. Nothing really new to see here.

Note-Why they casted Michael Constantine as an older gentleman I do not know. He is good actor but the stretch was somewhat beyond-the-pale. It appears they spray-painted his hair gray to make him look old. On TV his hair looked as though he had walked through a room of cob-webs.

Although this Perry Mason episode in a reach for originality has the venue of the lawyers be a hearing on a race car accident it truly wasn't all that original. Without an official setting we've seen detectives like Nick Charles, Hercule Poirot, and Miss Marple gather all the suspects together where all is revealed.

Raymond Burr's client is Hank Brandt who originally asked him to look over the contracts in a partnership that he's entered with Anthony Caruso about a race car Brandt has developed when he's suspected of Caruso's murder he's sure glad he's retained Perry Mason.

There are a host of suspects, but with Burr taking the lead in the inquiry at the racetrack inquiry the truth is soon known. I will say the murderer reveals himself rather stupidly.

This is the most Agatha Christie like Mason episode I've ever seen.

This case involves a lot of cheating and too much trust. First of all, a defective gear is the cause of a fiery accident. A driver is badly injured. But we find out that deals were made and people were cheated along the way. Perry and Paul and Della all get into the act to wade through the development process. By the way, none of the drivers wear seatbelts, including our worthy lawyer and his special investigator. Any kind of mishap would have killed everyone.

Welcome change of pace mystery, replete with racing cars and homicide. Excellent writing by Sy Salkowitz, who followed Raymond Burr to IRONSIDE. Not a surprise.

Hank Brandt plays a race driver named Pete Griston who gets into a questionable partnership with Anthony Caruso, playing Rettig. It actually begins with Pete asking Perry to go over the contracts, add the introduction of a revolutionary transmission developed by master mechanic Michael Constantine. As to be expected, Caruso is murdered and Pete tagged as the prime suspect.

The most important thing for all us Mason buffs is the tidy list of suspects, making the "reveal" between Perry and Burger a gem. The closeups of the suspicious faces, and in atmospheric black and white, remains a camp favorite after all these years. I agree with the last reviewer, modeled after the likes of the THIN MAN or MISS MARPLE.

Popular actress Jan Shepard (known for CLEAR HORIZON) guest stars, also Robert H. Harris, a standout in any whodunit. A favorite of Hitchcock in his tv series. Early roles for both Gavin MacLeod and Paul Winfield. The culprit is definitely not who you would think.

Richard Anderson, playing Lt. Drumm, always a class act. He appeared in 26 episodes for the series. Jesse Hibbs gets the job done with this cast. Love the scene with Perry and Della searching some eerie dark rooms. Direct from the Erle Stanley Gardner playbook.

Yes, I agree. If you watch carefully, seat belts are NOT used. A sign of the times when belts were limited.

Partly filmed at the scenic Paramount Ranch, home to both movie and tv westerns, located at Agoura, about 35 miles north of LA. SEASON 9 EPISODE 10 remastered dvd box set. Note there are two volumes released via CBS.