Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Prudent Prosecutor (1960) User Reviews

Burger Recuses

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 11 September 2012]

This episode of Perry Mason has William Talman recruiting clients for Raymond Burr. An old friend of Hamilton Burger who once saved his life is on trial for killing a neighbor Walter Coy who truth be told wasn't making much of a positive contribution to the species. He married Barbra Fuller and gained control of her ranch, he's carrying on with the married Ruta Lee who is married to the much older Philip Bourneuf. They're working a nice con on the old guy to star Lee in an Ice Review that Bourneuf will finance. Also involved in that is Ron Foster a former Olympic ice skater now sidelined permanently with injuries.

The last is the most important because Burr is representing J. Pat O'Malley who is Foster's father and who resents Coy's hold on Foster. There are a couple more suspects, but it's O'Malley that the cops settle on.

William Talman has to sit in the back of the courtroom and root for Perry Mason to win, a most unusual situation to say the least. Life does have some interesting twists even for Perry Mason. The prosecutor is Dennis Patrick, but Burr has no trouble handling him.

Nicely constructed story with an eventual murderer you won't think of at first.

I guess you can say that Hamilton Burger had a hand in winning this case

[kfo9494 · 8/10 · 11 June 2013]

When a friend of Hamilton Burger is accused of murder, Hamilton makes a call to Perry Mason to defend his friend, Jefferson Pike, in court. It involves Jefferson Pike trying to rescue his son from the clutches of a money-hungry man named Denver Leonard. Mr Leonard is a man that uses people in order to achieve a desired outcome and pockets money along the way. He has just made a deal with Asa Culver for $50,000 to get his wife started in the would of figure skating. But the sad part is that Asa's wife, Vita, is actually having an affair with Leonard and this is a way that Leonard can pocket some money at the cost of his lover's husband. Anyway as a special prosecutor pursues the case in criminal court, Perry will sift through the suspects in order to get to the killer. It will be one of those gallery confessions that will be the true murder to justice and make Hamilton Burger feel like he won the case. A well written story that was made much better by a veteran cast that brings the story to life. Even with the many suspects it will come down to someone that seemed the least to gain for the murder. A job that has the viewer off key the entire episode. Good Watch.

Burger Pulls For Perry

[bhoover247 · 9/10 · 6 April 2020]

On this episode we get to witness Burger out of court relaxing at a hunting lodge. To be honest Burger seems more natural out of the suit in a relaxed setting than Perry does. Perry always seems a little stiff and uncomfortable when he is dressed casual in resort area. We get the added bonus of seeing Burger root for Perry from the gallery. It would have really been ironic if this turned out to be one of the very few cases that Perry lost. This was an enjoyable episode.

Great Perry Mason!

[pannking · 10/10 · 17 August 2021]

The great Perry Mason has Hamilton 'Ham' Burger rooting for him and the defendant to win in this episode. What a difference this makes. Burger seems almost human when his friend is the defendant and he's worried about him. It is so sad that due to age almost every actor in each episode has died. Great talent there.

Starting Saturday night at 6PM on channel 2, CBS my family and I would watch Perry Mason and then the program afterwards until my 8PM bedtime. In this way my parents got a couple of hours of alone time.

Yeah, Right.

[darbski · 8/10 · 13 August 2018]

***SPOILERS*** Hal Kirkwood (Dabs Greer) pretty much gave it away when he was on the stand, Perry picked right up on it, and with the "lipstick evidence" pressured him into confessing. It was one of those bits of foolery that only really work when you have one of the best character actors in the business to carry it out. Mr. Greer was just such an actor. Of course, it is really hard to see how Vita Culver (Ruta Lee), one of my favorite actresses could have deluded herself into believing that 1) She could ice skate worth beans, or 2) she could be in love with the deserving deceased creep, Denver Leonard (Walter Coy). It is also silly to contemplate how stupid the entire set-up and scene with the six-gun, the bullet, etc. could have been dreamt up, but there it is. One interesting tidbit is that the judge (S.John Launer) was also the judge on this morning's (at 2:00am) "Untouchables" episode "Ring of Terror". My personal opinion is that any dingbat dumb enough to mount up Longhorn cow horns on the front of a beautiful 1960 Buick deserves anything that comes to him, and NOT in a good way. Ruta was lovely, as usual, Barbara was impeccable , and Perry was unflappable. I've wondered before as to how Tragg gets in murder cases that are clearly way out of any L.A.P.D. jurisdiction. In this case, it is a hunting lodge/gun club, and a ranch. By the 1960s, there was NO real countryside left in L.A. county, much less Los Angeles. The acting was terrific, and you know the rest of it.. I go an 8.

Satan is busy scraping frost off the windows in Hell

[pc-privconfounder · 8/10 · 30 May 2012]

In this episode, Hamilton Burger wants Perry Mason to get his client acquitted. There is nothing wrong with your eyes; that is what really happens.

A dear friend of Burger is the prime suspect in a murder. Burger recuses himself, assigns a deputy to prosecute the case, and asks Mason to act as defense attorney. Burger can do nothing further but watch anxiously from the gallery as the trial proceeds. The ensemble acting in this episode is good, but what really stands out is the reality inversion premise: Hamilton Burger rooting for his archenemy, Perry Mason.

Figure Skating on the Old Ranch with Hamilton Burger

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 7 January 2022]

What a strange combination of characters. A guy who was a big time figure skater is now a profligate after a car accident ended his career. His family are friends with Hamilton Burger who is fishing at their camp. The kid ends up at the defendant's table with Perry his attorney. As usual, there is a young woman involved and some blackmail. Watch for a group of character actors that permeated television in those days.

Perry wins this case

[jn-02940 · 10/10 · 20 February 2022]

When a womanizing conman Denver Lenard (Walter coy) is murdered Hamilton burgers Friend is charged with his murder Hamilton burger surgests perry mason defends him.

I killed him! Yes I killed him! I killed the big gasbag!

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 14 June 2013]

****SPOILERS**** This Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, episode has the show's usual suspects in it.1. A beautiful dame who's cheating on her husband. 2.A low life swine that gets everything that's coming to him. 3. A heart stopping confession in open court with the murderer just itching in his pants to tell why he committed the crime. 4.And the Innocent man who was framed for the murder whom Perry is defending. But the biggest surprise of all is that Perry's arch rival in the court D.A Hamilton "Ham"(with an order of fries on the side)Burger ,William Talman, is in fact rooting for Perry to win the case.

As it turned out one off "Ham" Burger's closes friend and duck hunting companion Jefferson Pike, J.Pat O'Malley, has been charged with the murder of the most despicable and squirmy persons in town big time con operator and swindler Denver Leonard, Walter Coy. Lenoard had not only been blackmailing Pike's crippled son Fred, Ron Foster, for a minor forged check incident a few years ago but also having and affair with the wife of one of his clients old man Asa Calver, Philip Bourneuf, the sexy and beautiful blond Vita, Rita Lee. "Ham" Burger who should have prosecuted the murder case excused himself in that not only is Pike a good friend of his but once saved his life when the boat that they were on duck hunting flipped over in a frozen lake! With Pike, who lost two toes in the process, risking his life by him dragging the wet and frozen "Ham" Burger three miles to a local hospital.

****SPOILERS**** With "Ham" Burger in the spectator section Perry gets to work in getting his good friend Jefferson Pike off on the murder charge against him. With all the evidence pointing to Pike as Lenoard's murderer Perry uncovers a number of facts about his murder that point to different directions and suspects. The most important is just where Asa Calkver was at the time of Leonard's murder and even more important why with the windows open in is hotel room he didn't hear all the noise that resulted in Leonard's murder, who was clubbed beaten and shot to death, that was just feet away from where he slept.

***SHOCKING & EXPLOSIVE SPOILER*** High voltage and electrifying ending with Denver Leonard's killer not being able to stand it anymore, with Perry's brow beating Vita Calver on the witness stand, jumping out of his seat in the court spectator section and gladly admitting that he in fact murdered the "Big Gasbag" as he referred to Denver Leonard.