The Case of the Silent Six

The Perry Mason paradigm was shifted just a tad in this episode. Not that Perry did not have an innocent client. In this one however we don't meet the victim at all who is usually murdered in the second quarter of the one hour show format. Here he's murdered right at the beginning of the show.

Richard Anderson who played LA Homicide detective Steve Drumm in the last year of Perry Mason asks Raymond Burr to defend Skip Homeier his fellow detective who is charged with the crime. It seems as though the deceased was beating on his sister Chris Noel who lived in that same apartment. But Homeier swears he didn't do it even though his service revolver was emptied into the victim.

An investigation shows that everybody in that small apartment had something against the deceased so alternatives are plentiful. But this episode has a particular note of tragedy in that the perpetrator made some wrong assumptions about the deceased and that was what led to his demise.

I had this one figured wrong. If you see this film I think you'll think as I did about who the perpetrator was. But it was one big tease.

A hot headed cop goes off half cocked and a man is killed. He is there to protect his sister. He becomes Perry's client, so we know he will get off. In the apartment building, numerous persons had a chance to come to the aid of the girl and that is an overriding issue here. Things eventually get resolved but that cop was a jerk and should have faced serious discipline. That he got off was lucky for him.

This story was loosely inspired by the infamous Kitty Genovese murder in New York City in 1963. But it's a feeble allusion, as Kitty was brutally stabbed to death and here, the girl lives and a man dies instead, shot by a gun. If you've ever met anyone who's been shot to death six times with a gun, they will tell you it's not so bad as being stabbed. Anyway, the story zips from caring less about who beat up the living girl to who killed the dead guy.

The girl is played by the beautiful Chris Noel, who, even with bruise makeup on her face, still looks gorgeous. You should look up her bio in IMDb, what a life of public service she's had.

There are no less than four possible ways the killing could have gone down, we find out in scene two or three maybe, and Paul Drake is just the sleuth who can suss them out, after he receives his clever instructions from Perry.

Do we spot a hint at a gay relationship between Ron and Hamp Fisher? These two hunky good- looking males were "just driving around" together when the attack on the Babe and the killing took place. Homosexuality was dangerous in 1965, as Raymond Burr and everyone who cared for him knew. Perhaps the characters are just gay for the slay?

Luckily we have Good Old Judge Kenneth MacDonald on bench to keep Perry and Hamilton in check with his best "Now See Here" arguments. There'll be no stoogery in this courtroom!

In the end the Guilty Killer's dramatic confession speech tries to tie it all back to Kitty by blaming big city fears and inhumanity as the cause for his actions. I guess that works, even if the "38 passive observers" in the Kitty Genovese story was debunked in a 2016 film made by her brother.

This episode begins at an apartment complex with a girl screaming for help. The camera then begins to show people in their apartments either trying not to hear the screams or trying to cover up the noise of the screams. Thus we get the title "The Silent Six".

It just so happens the women screaming is Susan Wolfe (Chris Noel) her over-protective brother Dave Wolfe (Skip Homeier) works with Lt Drumm in homicide at the LA Police Department.

Susan has had trouble with the apartment manager named Joe Oliver. He had been making passes at Susan much to the chagrin of Sgt David Wolfe. He went so far as to tell Mr Oliver that he would 'get' him if it ever happened again.

And guess who is the first car to arrive at the screaming-- yes Lt Drumm and Sgt Wolfe. He goes running up to his sister's apartment and enters the door. He then gets hit over the head and dropping the gun to the floor. Next thing Sgt Wolfe knows is he is waking up and Mr Oliver has been shot six times with his duty weapon. And now he is charged with the murder of Mr Oliver. And Lt Drumm ask Perry to handle the case.

Mr Oliver was not the most likable person. We learn through Paul Drake that just about everyone that were the so-called 'Silent Six' had some kind of hatred for Mr Oliver. Everyone is a suspect until Perry examination of a certain witness reveals that all six were not as silent as we were lead to believe.

I like the way the story centered around people that did not want to get involve. Only after Ms Wolfe was beat to the brink of death did everyone wish they would have acted in some way. A good story and good show. Very interesting characters and all carried some type of baggage that adds to the story.

Note- I sure this has happened before but this is the first episode in the LA courthouse that I remember Perry and Hamilton Burger's table were on opposite sides. Perry is to the left of the judge and Hamilton sits to the right. Usually it is the other way around.

Good writing and great acting, especially by Virginia Gregg. Watch her on the witness stand as Mrs. Oliver. Nuanced, and compelling. But the whole cast was great.