The Case of the Wooden Nickels

A very rare coin is at the center of this tale. It is listed at 50,000 dollars and is desired by a famous collector. Enter a man who can make near perfect copies of collectible coins. The story fizzles at the end, however.

Won 't recount the plot discussed elsewhere except that Paul Drake was entrusted with a rare coin someone murdered to possess. So, in a nightspot, he mistakenly gives the coin to a cigarette girl before retrieving it. Then Perry has the coin examined by an expert who the viewer but not Perry knows would move heaven-and-earth to secure.

This episode of Perry Mason finds Raymond Burr defending Phyllis Love on a charge of murdering Jack Betts. Betts was both courting her and blackmailing her uncle Will Kulava over making counterfeit coins.

All kinds of people, coin collectors are involved here with Kulava and there's a real rogue's gallery of suspects in the cast.

Even if this wasn't a Perry Mason story it is a given that only innocent clients get his services, I'd be hard pressed to believe mousy Phyllis Love could murder anybody. William Talman looks like a real bully in prosecuting her.

The perpetrator who is a real smooth article tried to pull something on the witness stand. Foolish man. You have to see what he tries.

I'm going to start out by giving the writers a rare credit here for coming up with an interesting story with lots of intrigue, red herrings and suspense.

Yet with all that said, it still missed the mark somehow, and I can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps it was the subject matter, although I was somewhat of a numismatist as a youth.

At any rate, it is worth the watch. No complaints with the acting or directing, but somehow it just came up tails for me...

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Coin collectors will enjoy this whodunit, likely what Jonathan Latimer had in mind, who wrote several film classics. At stake is an 1861 Confederate half dollar, valued at $50,000 -- approximately $522,000 dollars today. Worth committing murder for? Wait and see.

Paul Drake gets into this one, acting as a courier for Minerva Doubleday (Phyllis Love), afraid to deliver the coin to a buyer herself.

Comes the question as to whether the coin is legit when she turns up near the body of a man who was blackmailing her uncle (Will Kuluva), suspected of cranking out fake mazuma. Yes, one big happy family to meet and greet Perry.

I agree, there's as many twists as there are suspects to keep you on your toes. Latimer did his research on coins, making this a very educational episode, a notch above the rest of the formula whodunits.

Also, Burger is extremely irritated here. Seemed the more cases he lost to Perry, the more angry he became. William Talman should have received at least one Emmy nom for intensity.

Kuluva, who majored in roles as professionals, is well cast, good guy or bad apple? Same for veteran actor Murray Matheson, who played his share of sly old gents. Look for Walter Burke, famous as leprechauns, playing a panhandler.

Producer and director Arthur Marks elevates the courtroom finale. Always the faces.

SEASON 8 EPISODE 12 remastered CBS dvd box set. Volumes 1 and 2.