Perry Mason and his young associate, the attorney Ken Malansky, are in Las Vegas to watch a boxing match. But wherever Perry Mason goes he always invariably ends up taking on a murder case. This time that of the PR and political spin doctor Richard Stewart (Robert Culp) and Perry defends David Benson who wanted revenge against Stewart for causing his brother's suicide as a result of his smear tactics that cost him to lose both an election to the senate and his legal practice. Since the weapon used was David's own gun and he had threatened Stewart's life, the police believe that they gave got him bang to rights. Yet, Perry discovers that Stewart's much publicised annual poker game in Vegas was actually a front for the blackmail of four of his top clients, the actor Cliff Bartell (Jere Burns), the former senator turned lobbyist Steven Elliot (Kevin Tighe), the oil magnate and real estate developer LD Ryan (Ken Kercheval) and Jay Corelli (Robert Vaughn), the director of the Corelli Car Corporation. But which one of them did it? Meanwhile, Perry has to babysit David's 13-year-old daughter Melanie (Jenny Lewis) who is terrified and determined to help clear her father, but her antics put her own life at risk and hinder the lawyer's ability to defend him properly...
A wholly enjoyable entry into this long running series with one or two variations on the routine formula. The most notable being the fact that Perry is hired by his client's teenage daughter Melanie. Jenny Lewis is quite good in the role it has to be said and her scenes with Raymond Burr's Perry Mason are touching, occassionally funny and refreshing in equal measure. Perry initially comes across towards the child as an old grouch and intolerant of her. For instance, at first he refuses to accept her case since she broke into his hotel suite and he tells her that "hiring an attorney isn't the same as ordering a pizza" before telling her that his "hectic schedule" won't allow for it. In a moving moment Melanie says "They told me why you're the best, because you keep going and going until you get the truth. What they didn't tell me was that it was only when it could fit into your hectic schedule." She starts to cry and having changed his mind he gives her his handkerchief saying "I want it back" pretending to be uncaring and with no time for sentimentality. Later at the end Malansky says to Perry "Come on, she wasn't that bad" to which he replies "Huh! That's easy for you to say." But, when he is left on his own he says to himself "No, easy for me to say" meaning that he regretted being so harsh on her.
Another standout scene has to be the one involving Barbara Hale's Della Street who plugs Richard Stewart's former personal assistant for information by using the fact that they both have one thing in common: they both worked for their respective employers for a long time and were devoted to them making it easier for Della to get her trust.
There are some notable faces in the supporting cast including Don Galloway (Burr's co-star in his other hit TV show Ironside) and Robert Vaughn from The Man From UNCLE and The Protectors. But, rather disappointingly, they have very little to do. The latter plays one of Perry Mason's suspects, for example, and he doesn't even get put on the witness stand. Galloway, meanwhile, plays a cop but he is nowhere near as good as he was as Sgt Ed Brown in Ironside.
Plot wise, the film is pretty good and you should have some difficulty in unmasking the killer before Mason does in the usual courtroom finale. The twists and turns generally play fair with the audience leading to a logical conclusion.
A wholly enjoyable entry into this long running series with one or two variations on the routine formula. The most notable being the fact that Perry is hired by his client's teenage daughter Melanie. Jenny Lewis is quite good in the role it has to be said and her scenes with Raymond Burr's Perry Mason are touching, occassionally funny and refreshing in equal measure. Perry initially comes across towards the child as an old grouch and intolerant of her. For instance, at first he refuses to accept her case since she broke into his hotel suite and he tells her that "hiring an attorney isn't the same as ordering a pizza" before telling her that his "hectic schedule" won't allow for it. In a moving moment Melanie says "They told me why you're the best, because you keep going and going until you get the truth. What they didn't tell me was that it was only when it could fit into your hectic schedule." She starts to cry and having changed his mind he gives her his handkerchief saying "I want it back" pretending to be uncaring and with no time for sentimentality. Later at the end Malansky says to Perry "Come on, she wasn't that bad" to which he replies "Huh! That's easy for you to say." But, when he is left on his own he says to himself "No, easy for me to say" meaning that he regretted being so harsh on her.
Another standout scene has to be the one involving Barbara Hale's Della Street who plugs Richard Stewart's former personal assistant for information by using the fact that they both have one thing in common: they both worked for their respective employers for a long time and were devoted to them making it easier for Della to get her trust.
There are some notable faces in the supporting cast including Don Galloway (Burr's co-star in his other hit TV show Ironside) and Robert Vaughn from The Man From UNCLE and The Protectors. But, rather disappointingly, they have very little to do. The latter plays one of Perry Mason's suspects, for example, and he doesn't even get put on the witness stand. Galloway, meanwhile, plays a cop but he is nowhere near as good as he was as Sgt Ed Brown in Ironside.
Plot wise, the film is pretty good and you should have some difficulty in unmasking the killer before Mason does in the usual courtroom finale. The twists and turns generally play fair with the audience leading to a logical conclusion.