The Case of the Vanishing Victim

This is the story of a man who is supposed to be on a plane, but the plane crashes without him on it. So who was that guy who died? He has had a terrible relationship with his wife and she ends up being tried for murder. I think the strength of the episode is the series of misdirections Perry causes. A pretty good episode.

This plot is well done, better than most of the 1965-66 season show's, this one keeps you guessing, you don't want to leave the room for long because you might miss something important. Actress Jeanie Cooper drives a beautiful 65 Riviera and gets out in heels and a mini coat. This really is one of the best ones from this time frame, writing and director was not great during this period, the best shows are from the years 1958-1963

Yes, marriages on the rocks will always remain a solid beginning for any mystery. Also the fact that Ernest Frankel wrote the story, you know its going to have a few slick twists. Frankel wrote twenty-five other whodunits for the show.

Jeanne Cooper (soon to begin a long career in soap operas) plays Marian Fielding, married to a famous chemist (George D. Wallace), and both dislike each other. Stacey (Wallace) also pilots his own plane and gets himself killed. Just a convenient accident? The main focus is a flask of whiskey Stacey took with him -- which may have been poisoned. Fairly clever way to kill the guy, who was also leading a double life, all pointing the finger of guilt to Marian.

I agree with the last reviewer, if you're a COLUMBO fan, this mystery has some parallels to the famous Johnny Cash episode, suspected of poisoning a thermos of coffee, which lead to the death of his nasty wife in a plane crash. You be the judge.

Either way, it's a dynamic story, guessing the outcome is fun, even during the 9th season, when most series at the end of their run did not offer up fresh material. One of the best whodunits of the season, again thanks to Frankel and atmospheric direction by Harmon Jones. Jones was known for directing DEATH VALLEY DAYS.

Lisa Gaye, who appeared seven times on the series, plays Laraine. By the way, George Wallace went on to become a sci fi cult star, Commando Cody.

Watch this one closely (all about the faces), and note the chic 60s fashions and sleek cars, a neat time capsule all by itself. Why we love Perry Mason. Definitely, the series was a showcase for 50s and 60s car buffs.

SEASON 9 EPISODE 17 remastered CBS dvd box set. Volumes one and two. Thanks to METV for running these oldies twice daily.

The scene between Perry and Burger outside his office was worth a 10 in itself.

When Lt. Drumm was at the airport when the FAA was searching through the rubble they had collected, he said that he was looking for the flask that the pilot had been chugging out of before he took off. Then Det. Brice came over with the large plaid fabric container in which the flask had been. How did it get into the container when the pilot had been drinking from it just before he fell out of the sky?

The poster kapelusznik18 said that the exchange between Perry and Burger in the courtroom was "shyster-like double-talk". It was perfect rule of law and if you want to understand it, use CC on your TV. And if you've watched PM episodes for a while you should be familiar with the way lawyers speak at times in court.

Also I have a correction to a Goof posted where Lorraine Keely came out of the shower to see Mr. Mason sitting in her living room instead of her landlady and her hair was piled on top of her head. It was not wet as a poster had assumed. It was dry, so in order to have it absolutely dry as she left in her car all she had to do was undo the clips, comb it out, and voila she's done.

Welcome to the plane crash episode for season nine. Not much new here. Again, the writers, with no fresh ideas, have taken several other similar plots and weaved them together to try and mask their unoriginality. And what is it with small plane pilots in the Perry Mason universe..? They all seem to be drunken fools who either can't fly without a flask of some kind, or pills or whatever -- I suppose if any of them were teetotalers, there wouldn't be a script. Another aspect is the overly tired divorce/'other woman' scenario (yawn). Looking for a good mystery/whodunnit with lots of intrigue and action..? Look elsewhere...