The Case of the Sausalito Sunrise

This episode is perhaps the best in the Season 9 series. There was a lot of action in this episode with the regular cast getting out from behind the desk and taking part in the action. The action reminded me more of the first season than the last so this ranks as one of the best episode, in sometime, for the series.

Someone in this episode is stealing items and then fencing them off to other to be sold for profit. It just so happens that it is the Clune Art Gallery that is being taken and the local police is already on the case.

One detective has broken open the case and knows who has been fencing the art items. However before he can report the person, the detective is shot and killed inside the Clune Gallery. And it does not help Perry's clients when Mr Clune and Ms Dane, both already suspects, are the one that finds the body.

We also have Paul Drake going undercover as a truck driver and is given a baggage claim ticket to look into. When he goes and claims the baggage, Paul is arrest because the dead detective's gun is in the bag that Paul opens. {NOTE- At this point in the story is where red flags should alert regular Perry viewers to something very strange}

Perry has to go to trial when Hamilton Burger gets warrants on Mr Clune and Ms Dane but it proves fruitless as Perry keeps thinking about that gun in the baggage.

This leads Perry to the true murderer and ends the show in a very different way than most Perry episodes. It was looking like Perry may have met his match but thanks to Lt Drumm, Perry will be back for next week's episode. A good ending to a good show.

The acting and writing were very good in this episode. The only problem was the casting of Lt Dumm's sidekick Sgt Bradley (Mark Tapscott). It appears that they went and got a real cop, which may have won a raffle down at the local police precinct, and because he had the winning number that placed him in the role. The person that gave him a speaking part should be arrested for forgery 1st degree- he was no actor.

Note- During most of the show the writers had Lt Drumm perform his part in a rather aggressive manner. After a police officer is killed it seems that Lt Drumm is taking the killing too personal. However at the end it becomes clear that the writers knew exactly what they were doing.

Perry Mason defends two people accused in the murder of a cop and of a trucking company executive. The killings are a month apart, but they do tie in together and knowing that should tell you who the real killer is because Raymond Burr defends no guilty clients.

This episode involves William Hopper going undercover with the trucking company and nearly getting killed in a hijack attempt. In fact one of the hijackers is killed so there are three killings in this particular episode.

There is a trial or a preliminary hearing before a judge, I guess that is California's version of a Grand Jury. But the murderer is discovered by Burr and confesses in an entirely different place. And that individual is really the only possible suspect when you figure it out logically.

When I guess the murderer the Perry Mason episode rates less, but for the change of where the confession is obtained the episode gets marks for originality.

This episode has some very bad actors and storyline. The main cast was great as ever but the others were very bad. At least Marks was not the director.

It is incredible fun to watch episodes from the original and classic Perry Mason seasons here, in the UK. Correct region dvds of the series are both hard to find and expensive to boot. So thanks goes to respective CBS drama and justice channels for showing seasons 9 and 6. Hope more will follow.

However the main purpose for doing this is to draw attention to the inclusion in the cast of Elisabeth Fraser and Allan Melvin. Both played main roles in the 'Bilko', as it was known over here. Sheer joy to see them again, as it would also be if the tv series re-appeared on our screens.

Here we go again -- another re-write from season one. But in this case, despite knowing from the very beginning how it would all play out, it was still a very watchable episode. The episode it's based on (The Case of the Moth-Eaten Mink) is my favorite of the series, so I'll admit my bias right off.

That said, I think the writers did a good job of changing the aspects of the case to keep it interesting, despite knowing how the basic plot would run its course.

There was good chemistry in the scenes with Richard Anderson and Mark Tapscott -- with the former being obviously emotionally involved while the latter remained more emotionally detached (yet with the same perceived goal) -- and for good reason.

I also liked the similarities to scenes from the film "Bullitt", one of my favorite movies. Bravo.