The Case of the Startled Stallion

This is a good PM episode in every way, but the casting rose to the level of genius. From the start, we realize that an actor was hired to impersonate an old man. The actor was played by Paul Richards, the old man was played by Trevor Bardette, and except in the matter of age, the two men could not look more alike! Their facial bone structure, their hair, their eye color, the shape of their noses and ears--all were identical. At one point, the actor is made up to look like the old man and brought into the courtroom, and everyone stares at him. All it took was whitening of his hair, a false mustache and some dark lines on his face, and Paul Richards was transformed into Trevor Bardette. We don't doubt for a moment that even people who knew the old man well would have believed the impersonation. This courtroom scene was once chosen as interstitial programming by a popular TV arts channel, and it's no surprise that it was singled out as the exemplary PM moment.

Perry Mason is not horsing around in this one. He has been hired by Jo Ann Blanchard to protect her inheritance and her prize horse.

The dispute is with elderly wheelchair bound John Brant who wants to control the Blanchard's inheritance.

When Brant is found dead in the stables. His newly married widow wants the horse put down.

Instead Blanchard is charged with murder. Perry Mason wonders if Brant's widow really did marry him at a quickie Las Vegas wedding.

There are a lot of hissable villains. The out of work actor Earl Mauldin who impersonated elderly Mr Brant. Then who blackmails the widow. Even Jo Ann Blanchard's brother is no angel.

There are many flaws to the story. You just know when Earl Mauldin impersonates Brant. It is actually the actor playing Brant in the wheelchair.

Harness racing, blackmail, a murder with lots of possible suspects. The case of the startled stallion is a pretty good Perry Mason episode. La La La. La La La.

Young Patricia Hardy becomes Perry Mason's client when a trotting horse she raised and who is a contender for the Hambletonian Stakes is stolen by skinflint Trevor Bardette who is in a wheelchair. The old miser thinks he has a contract for the horse. Raymond Burr is ready to sue him when Bardette winds up dead in the stall of the horse. Eventually murder is charged against young Ms. Hardy and it's good she's already retained Perry Mason.

Seeing Bardette I think most would think he deserved it on general principles. In fact before he died Bardette was being set up quite nicely in a fraudulent scheme that involved Hardy's brother Elliott Reid, Bardette's bookkeeper Melora Conway and a second rate ham actor played by Paul Richards. It's quite a scheme which I won't reveal anything about because you have to see this one. One of the cleverest invented by the Perry Mason television writers.

This Mason episode is definitely worth a look.

... those are:

1. Imprudently and rashly marrying the wrong person

2. Coddling morally weak family members

3. Paying blackmail thinking the blackmailer will go away

4. Walking in on a murder scene and thinking the thing to do is just leave and not call the police

Here you have all but the first mistake. But in this episode we have a twist on the first one. In this case we have a deceitful person faking a marriage to a wealthy person, the elderly and disabled John Brant, using an actor known for his skill at impersonations and makeup. That wealthy person would never trust anybody to the point of marrying them, but instead falls prey to identity theft 1960 style.

The "bride" in this case is having an affair with the brother (in this case the weak coddled family member) of Jo Ann Blanchard. At one point you actually hear the pair decide to kill Brant that night, and when Brant is actually found dead the next day, you figure that for once you know who the murderers are. But things are not quite so simple as that.

The previously mentioned Jo Ann Blanchard is the sympathetic guest character of the week, and of course she is the person accused of the murder of John Brant, who has been trying to take her soon to be champion horse away from her.

I'd recommend this interesting episode.