User Reviews

***SPOILERS*** Perry Mason, Raymond Burr,taking some time off to go on a quite hunting & fishing trip to the out of the way town of Fawnskin still has trouble or murder cases following him. Phil Beechen, Ray Hemphill, the most hated man in town has just been released from jail after serving a 10 month sentence for vehicular homicide. The people of Fawnskin feel that he should have been sent straight to the San Quentin gas chamber. It was a year ago that Beechan after getting into a fight with his ex-girlfriend Aggie Norris the daughter of the town sheriff Eugene Norris, Barton MacLane, that he after having a few, Beechen claimed he only had one, drinks drove Aggie home and instead drove off the road ending up killing her.

With Beechen's wife Kathi, Jackie Scott, wanting to have nothing to do with him and him having no place to stay he goes to the nearest hotel to get a room for the night. Confronted by Aggie's sister Charlett, Ina Victor, Beechen is surprised how friendly she is to him when everyone else in town what's him dead. What Beechen doesn't realize is that she together with her married, not to her, lover Norman Thurston,Burt Burns, are planning to rob their company The Fawnskin Saw Mill Lumber Yard of it's payroll and frame him for it! But something goes terribly wrong with Charlotte ending up dead and a wounded, by whoever shot Charlotte, Beechen now on the run with everyone in town looking to get a piece of him especially Charlotte's father Sheriff Norris!

Taking time off from his hunting & fishing trip Perry Mason takes the case, at his now loyal wife Kathi's urging, of Phil Beechen making Perry next to Beechen the most hated and marked man in the town of Fawnskin. It's here where Perry looks like he'll finally lose with no jury willing to acquit Beechen and hot shot local D.A Everett Ransome, Terry Beeker, looking to make a name for himself in being the one person who can finally beat the great Perry Mason at his own game: In the court room.

***SPOILERS*** Perry seeing what he's up against, the whole town of Fawnskin, goes to the heart of the matter or case which is what happened to the $43,000.00 payroll stolen the night that Charlotte was murdered. And even more important the serial numbers which were kept on file by the bank of the money, or 20 dollar bills, that made up the payroll! Perry's strategy is follow the money and you'll find Charlott's Norris' murderer!

Despite it's complex plot "The Case pf the Violent Village" is one of he most thought out and well written as well as acted of all the Perry Mason episodes. There's no stone left unturned and no loose ends here. Everything is fully explained and makes complete sense unlike in some, especially the later ones, of the Perry Mason episodes that in most cases make little sense at all and close with schlock like and confusing endings. The highlight here was Perry dueling it out with D.A Ransome and showing the young and arrogant whipper snapper just who's boss in the court room.

**SPOILERS** Hand over what, you ask? Well, the "Special Prosecutor's" butt, being handed to him; that's what. The first thing that's wrong is the deputy sheriff attacking Beecher in the hotel lobby and NOBODY (even Perry), doing anything about it; except for the plotting sister of the girl Beecher accidentally killed. Which is just what starts this whole ball of wax rolling. After this case is closed, either that deputy must be heavily reprimanded, or fired; it WAS assault and battery from a law enforcement officer. He even wants to set up an escape so he can gun down Beecher in the attempt. Kathi Beecher was a witness.

Mr. Tepper looks like a skull with a grouch on for the world; a miserly, hard, small business owner that Perry uses to trap the killer because of a discrepancy in serial numbers on the payroll theft. Thurston is caught, and admits to the plot against Beecher on the stand, and then watches his wife try to lie to protect him; letting her take the blame for the killing. There is ZERO sympathy for rats in my book.

Perry shows that you'd need to use TWO hands to open the locked office door, if all other testimony is true. Beecher had just been shot in his left arm. He's proved right there that Beecher couldn't have done it. Simple deduction from there. I usually like to figure who I'm gonna blame for the killing (this IS Perry Mason, after all), and then try to justify why I was wrong later. In this case I was pretty sure that it had to be the vicious deputy. Well, he was still guilty of some pretty dirty stuff; good for a prison term, at least, I think. Maybe just run out of town for professional malfeasance.

What I usually object to is the "Happy Ending" syndrome that I see so regularly in this and other series on television. It goes so far in this case that the Sheriff actually is with Perry and the exonerated couple. How far can forgiveness go? Beecher WAS driving the car when Aggie was killed. Had it not been for that, well, .... Put on top of that that his deputy was just a bomb with a short fuse, and his second daughter killed. The Beechers will NEVER be welcome in "Fawnskin" after all this sadness. This ending should have been done better.

We are treated to a host of great actors in this episode, including Ann Rutherford, Barton MacLane, Richard Hale (Mr. Skull), and Willis Bouchey; one of the best Judges on the series. No Della, except for a small cameo. Picturesque little village; I'll bet the T.V. reception was terrible, though; that's a joke, son.