The Case of the Unsuitable Uncle

This was a pretty good episode about a seemingly penniless seaman, Dickie, who is actually entitled to a rather large fortune. Due to my dark, suspicious mind, I was able to guess, fairly early on, the long hidden family secret, that is ultimately revealed to Perry Mason. I was happy to see the old curmudgeon character actor, Howard Smith, who portrays Frank Warden, Dickie's brother Russell's associate, in the oil business. You'll, no doubt, remember him as George Baxter's very wealthy, gruff client, Mr. Griffin, on Hazel. If he was anything like that character, it's good thing he wasn't Perry's client... he would've terminated his legal services at the slightest provocation and Perry's only hope of being rehired would be Della, because she reminded the old coot of his dear, sainted mother(God rest her soul), and loved her home cooked meals!

When the long lost uncle shows up, he brings pain to his brother and his family. He had opportunities along the way and threw them away, but legally he had a right to money and property. But his tenuous grasp on social being costs him and throws his best friend to the wolves. The whole issue of who owned what and when is a bit confusing.

A surprising good episode from the sixth season. This episode has all the mystery and suspense that has made the "Perry Mason" series a great watch throughout the years.

The show begins with two rather suspicious gentlemen arriving in California from Austrialia. One man is Dickie Durham who appears to be some type of con-artist and the other is a regular sailor named Lord Harry Fothergill.

It is not long until Dickie is thrown in jail and he does not even have enough money to pay his fine. So Dickie sends Lord Harry to his brother's house in the rich section of town. His brother is none other than the oil-man Russell Durham.

We see that there was conflict between Russell and his brother Dickie. Seems like Russell wants Dickie out of his house and outside the country as soon as possible. He give a check to Lord Harry for $18,000 to make sure that Dickie boards a ship to another country.

But before the ship sets out, Dickie is found dead. With Lord Harry is possession of a $18,000 check plus the fact that a new Will had been made with Lord Harry getting a large amount of money- the police arrest Harry for the murder. Harry had known about the Will but since Dickie never had any money- he thought it was a joke.

With Perry defending Harry, we get a classic courtroom scene that provides the viewer with all the seedy information. From oil-wells to land contracts all is not what they seem. With a precision of a surgeon, Perry weaves through the testimony to find the true murderer. At the close of the show Perry has been able to keep a secret hidden that could have rocked a family.

Good Watch.

Yet another fine Mason entry, "The Case of the Unsuitable Uncle", could be rated several ways. You could give it a low rating if you're a stickler for dialects that are 100% perfect or if you grew up as an only child. If you can ignore those things and being a Perry fan always wins over ANYTHING that could detract from your enjoyment of the show, In this case, you'd give it a high rating. Okay, I'll admit it - I'm a Perry Mason Fan. But I'll be the first to tell you that not all of the 281 shows produced for CBS in the 1950's and 60's are gems. However, in my humble opinion, NONE of them are out-and-out BAD. Such as the title above from 1962.

A young woman has an uncle who is mostly absent. He' s in the oil business, like his brother... but maintains a life in the Merchant Marine, sailing around the world helping move manufactured goods from here to there. His brother, father of that young lady, makes a fine living in the oil business. But there's a mostly unknown, HUGE problem with the brothers' business... mainly the tiny little issue of WHICH brother owns WHAT? And, when we get to the Detectives Bureau, WHO killed WHO? Then WHO inherits WHAT?

Whether you liked it or not, this one IS worth watching. It had its share of the copyrighted PERRY MASON plot twists. And the ending may surprise you.

I can't stand actors pretending to be drunk.

Dickie Durham and Harry Fothergill get off a boat from Australia speaking a kind of Irish crossed with West Country. Durham in particular tends to turn on the "blarney".

I skipped to the end.