The Case of the Silent Partner

For lovers of film noir be sure to tune into this episode of Perry Mason. Almost all the noir tropes are here, and it'll remind you quite a bit of 'The Big Sleep.' And that should come as no surprise since the director of this episode edited that classic film.

A box of chocolates is at the center of this episode. It involves a possible poisoning and some greed. There is an effort to get hold of shares of a florist's shop through illegal means. The conclusion shows some good writing.

Mildred Kimber owns a flourishing (excuse the pun) orchid business. Unfortunately, a racketeer type who owns a chain of flower shops wants her business. Even more unfortunately, her deadbeat drunk of a husband loses a significant percent of the orchid business stock in a crooked poker game set up by the flower shop owning thug. When the card sharp who "won" the stock is found dead, Midred is the prime suspect. The case gets even stranger when the card sharp's girlfriend, Lola Florey, phones Mason in a panic telling him she has been poisoned - poison that was in chocolate candy she had a special fondness for. There was no just dialing 911 in those days and Perry calls Lt. Tragg. Fortunately, they reach Lola in time but there are more twists to the story. This episode is a rare one in that there are no courtroom scenes. It's also one of the very few episodes (offhand I can only think of one other) where Della and Perry both comment on how much they liked the murderer. A particularly good cast in this episode, especially Anne Barton (Mildred Kimber), Peggy Maley (Lola Florey) and Dan Seymour (Harry Marlow, the thug). Seymour is the only one of the three I recall ever seeing before.

The Case of the Silent Partner is more of a noir mystery than a courtroom thriller. It even has blonde bimbo type who might have a heart of gold.

Harry Harlow (Dan Seymour) is a sleazy ex con who wants his grubby paws on sickly Mildred Kimber's orchid business.

His way in is to exploit Mildred's the weaknesses of her gambling obsessed husband Bob. He has stock options on the business which he loses in a crooked card game run by Sam Lynk.

Lola the hostess (Peggy Maley) who has the hots for Lynk tells Mildred that the deck were marked and agrees to tell all to Perry Mason. Only for Lola to be poisoned by a box of chocolates and Lynk to end up dead.

Mildred ends up the suspect but Perry is on to this before it even ends up in court. He even gets Tragg to assist him.

An episode brightened by Peggy Maley. Her Lola seems to charm everyone she meets even though she is poisoned and later her house is burned. Seymour is suitably seedy and he excelled in these kind of roles.

One of the better episodes, probably due to the lack of courtroom scenes with someone standing up and confessing.

This episode from the great first season has, as usual, an excellent cast. Dan Seymour is wonderfully sleazy as the "Petunia King" Harry Marlow attempting to take over Mildred Kimber's Orchids Unlimited business by arranging a crooked card game with club owner Sam Lynk and Mildred's weakling husband Bob Kimber. I have a sneaking liking for Dan Seymour's character, who remains calm despite all provocations, including being slapped by Mildred and insulted by others. Despite her serious illness, Mildred is just as annoying as her husband. Both are co-dependents in a folie à deux marriage, she constantly covering up for his manifest derelictions. Then there is Peggy Maley as Lola Florey in her all-too-vulgar evening gown with pointed "roofs" over the bust.

The story leaves one question unanswered, however: who has the stock shares for Orchids Unlimited that Bob Kimber brought to the poker game and that disappeared from Sam Lynk's home? Marlow and Mildred do not have them; does Lola?