Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Sun Bather's Diary (1958) User Reviews

Everything and more that makes the series great

[kfo9494 · 9/10 · 4 November 2011]

This is an episode that does not disappoint. It has nearly all the things that make 'Perry Mason' series a good watch for viewers.

We also get somethings in this episode that's not seen many times in the entire collection. In this show Perry has to testify to the Grand Jury plus charges are brought on Perry for perjury and he has to testify in court concerning the case. So as you can see this is an interesting episode for everyone. Oh, and I left out that we also get a nude sun-bather but thank goodness Perry is not involved.

The episode starts off when Arlene Dowling (Susan Morrow) is sunbathing out in a rural area. While she is on her towel, a man comes and steals her trailer. Thus she is left with only a towel to call for help. And for some reason calls Perry.

Here is the main problem- inside the trailer is a diary that contains information about her father, that is in jail, for money theft when he worked for a bank security company. So Arlene is wanting the trailer back ASAP.

Along the way- a person that Perry just visited ends up dead. Arlene is accused of the murder and Hamilton Burger goes as far as saying that Perry is an accomplice to the murder. At one point Perry has to testify for the state in the same courtroom that he is defending the accused.

But fear not my loyal viewers. We know Perry is getting out of this in his usual fashion. By the end of the show all has returned to normal with the world spinning in harmonious harmony.

But before we get to that point there are many adventures and turns in the episode that make it a great watch. This is one of the better episode in the entire collection. Enjoy

NOTE- bad thing is that on TV today, they have cut out the part where Arlene calls Mason's office from a golf course wearing only a towel. Not that there is anything great about the scene but why they cut that scene out was sad.

Noir, noir, noir! As noir as the ace of spades

[ColonelPuntridge · 9/10 · 21 October 2020]

Viewers who (like me) first got to know Perry Mason by watching the later seasons, will be surprised by this episode. Perry is more like Humphrey Bogart's character in THE MALTESE FALCON (Detective Sam Spade) than like Perry. Instead of relying on Paul Drake to do all the legwork, Perry goes out and finds some facts (although Paul does his bit too). And ultimately, Perry needs to exonerate ... himself.

Get Perry

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 20 November 2021]

Tragg and Burger seem as interested in ruining Perry Mason as finding evidence to convict a suspect. Here he is actually brought before a grand jury. Meanwhile the sun bather in the title has aspirations of clearing her father of a crime he did not commit, and, hence, putting herself in danger. I have to admit I agree with the ridiculousness of moving the mobile home out of its place while the girl slumbers.

Mason Gets Testy

[dougdoepke · 8 October 2008]

A sentimental favorite. It's a good episode with several unusual features. Arlene Dowling (Susan Morrow) grabs the guys right at the beginning since she's obviously sunbathing topless and maybe even in the nude. Needless to say, such exposure was not only unusual for the series, but for 50's TV generally. Then too, Mason's testier than usual, threatening to throw Arlene to "the wolves" if she's misleading him, and even demanding his hefty retainer up front-- not his customarily courteous demeanor. Also, he gets accused of murder and put on the witness stand, where he and Burger engage in some choice back-and-forth. Then too, the mystery is more coherent than usual and features excellent spot performances from Peter Leeds as a pool shark and Ralph Moody as a kindly old man (instead of his usual grouch). Though not exceptional, this is the kind of solid entry that helped attract a popular following for the next nine years.

If you love to hate Burger, this is a great episode.

[jsh-23719 · 9/10 · 4 November 2021]

I really like this episode. I get to be mad at Burger all the way through it. I don't understand how he could drag Perry to be questioned by a grand jury with an uninvestigated pack of lies. 1, Perry didn't see a murder. 2, Arlene was not his client at that time. 3, He did not lower and raise the shade as a signal or any other reason since he wasn't even there. And why was the testimony of the police detective so much more true than Perry's? I just get to want to strangle Burger from almost start to finish. Love it! And the ending was so good. I think Burger definitely should "eat it here"! Just a great episode except I don't like that the sweet little man was the victim.

He Will Have Crow and Eat It Here

[biorngm · 8/10 · 23 October 2020]

Season one allows us the see the primary cast members at their very best, as svelte as they will ever be through the decade of episodes; Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale and William Hopper never looked better in the late fifties' episodes. Actress Susan Morrow played the defendant when she was twenty-six years of age, appearing older than what she was; Susan worked during the fifties only, never to return to any size screen. Nice touch having Donna Reed's TV-husband play a part and a doctor no less. It is always a treat to have Gertie present in an episode. Once the characters were introduced, I question who has the motive to commit the crime and sifting through the players I eliminate most everyone while the story plays out. I do not buy the defendant had any reason to kill the victim, he was a good friend of her imprisoned father. Perry did explain how the pieces fit together at the close as usual. Tom Sackett steals Arlene Dowling's trailer while she is sun bathing nearby; purportedly looking for a diary hidden in her trailer-home. The diary was the record of her father Frank's work as bank employee where he was accused and convicted of stealing money. For the past several months Arlene Dowling had been accounting her father's actions while he was employed at the bank in order to prove his innocence. His friend, George Ballard, was found innocent at the time of the robbery; George was the bank inspector at the time, and he and Frank Dowling worked with one another for years. While Dr. Chandler was on the witness stand, Perry exams the diary brought into evidence by Burger. Perry asked the doctor to confirm being the physician for the Mercantile Security Bank. Mason inquired if Chandler had administered a certain diathermic procedure to one Tom Sackett on April 4th and one on April 11th. The doctor said Wednesday was his day off but his nurse may have administered the procedures. Here is a clue, the doctor did not work Wednesdays. Burger calls Perry to the witness stand enquiring if he was aware eighteen thousand dollars was found by the police in the defendant's trailer. Mason responds he was only informed as of now. Burger continues his examination probing if Perry raised and lowered the shade at the Ballard residence which Mason clarifies his grand jury testimony, he did not move the shade as a signal. Perry tells the court he hid the currency he received with serial number 00581. Perry snaps back at Burger stating Detective Myers saw someone at the window at nine but Mason was at the home of the deceased was from around 8:15 and for just minutes afterward, having a drink with Ballard then departing shortly afterward. Perry continues to tell the court the man detective Meyers saw at the window was the murderer. The guilty man was removing money Perry placed in the shade. Through Dr. Chandler's office relation with the bank, Perry said Frank Dowling underwent a complete physical examination, disrobing in the process, leaving his possessions vulnerable for lifting from his clothing, namely security keys and seals. Impressions were made of these items, then turning them over to an expert forger name Thomas Sackett to make copies. Mason tells Burger you will likely find Sackett in Mexico City. Perry accuses Chandler's nurse, Helen Rucker, was with the doctor when he visited the bank. Helen Rucker and Thomas Sackett made up a dummy sack of cancelled checks, turning the same sack over with a key to the truck to the only man able to access the cash. Helen Rucker collaborated with Tom Sackett and Bill Emory to share the spoils and do away with George Ballard in the process. From the witness stand, Perry states the man Officer Myers saw at the window was the man following Mason to the Ballard residence and killed Ballard. Mason declares Bill Emory killed George Chandler. The entertaining portion of the episode was Perry naming the conspirators and the killer while on the witness stand; an aside was having Burger at the restaurant table with an order of crow to be served for accusing Mason of perjury. The information given to Arlene Dowling on the phone from Perry where she was to meet him at Sunset and Maple could have only come from Bill Emory who was in the room when Mason spoke to Arlene. By the way, almost everyone has to smoke cigarettes at some time during filming throughout the series, it must have de rigueur in those years; now that I think of it is was in vogue, disgusting habit aside. Recommend a watch to all fans.

Perry has to defend the client and himself

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 11 March 2013]

I've noticed that in the early episodes of Perry Mason, both Hamilton Burger and Ray Collins had a distinct antipathy for the famous defense lawyer. Later on their attitudes especially William Talman's as he lasted with the series much longer softened and he was just a colleague in the legal profession. But in the early days it was quite in keeping for Burger to try and nail Mason if he could.

Which he does here hauling Raymond Burr before a Grand Jury to nail him on possible perjury. All this because Susan Morrow asks him to try and repossess her trailer which was stolen. In the meantime her father is in prison for armored car robbery where they think he was the inside man. When another bank guard Ralph Moody is killed, Morrow is arrested and Burr has to defend her and himself.

This was a fairly good episode though I would have not taken the case, Morrow was pretty suspicious herself not divulging all to her lawyer.

The Case of the Sun Bather's Diary

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 6 December 2021]

It is a racy opening. Arlene Dowling is presumed to be sun bathing in the nude and her trailer is stolen.

With just a bath towel, she manages to phone Perry Mason. Arlene wants her trailer back she even pays for it.

Arlene is trying to clear her father's name. He was a guard who is implicated in a bank robbery as an inside man.

Arlene and her dad's fellow employee Ballard is trying to clear his name.

When Ballard dies. Hamilton Burger goes after Perry Mason as someone similar to him was seen leaving the house.

Arlene's boyfriend is a doctor who did the medicals for the bank employees. He acts rather suspiciously.

There are a lot of flaws to the story but it was silly and enjoyable. I never did fathom as to the motive why Ballard was killed.

I guessed that the doctor might have been a red herring. The real culprit was a little out of the blue.

The Man in the Window

[sol1218 · 5/10 · 30 June 2013]

***SPOILERS*** Very unconvincing Perry Mason,Raymond Burr, episode directed by Ted Post who was later to direct such diverse films like "The Harrard Experiment" and "Magnam Force" that has Perry himself stand trial for first perjury and later possible murder that stems from the case that he's handling. That has to do with the murder, what would a Perry Mason episode be without one, of George L. Ballard, Ralph Moody, who together with Frank Dowling who's off camera, due to him serving time in San Quentin Prison, during the entire Perry Mason episode in the robbery of the Mercantile Security Bank of $400,000.00. You don't quite know who's on trial for Ballard's murder since it's not made quite clear who in fact is on trial of murdering him Perry or the off camera and behind bars Frank Dowling's daughter Arlene, Susan Morrow, who it was discovered had some of the stolen cash in her possession.

Perry himself doesn't seem too worried about the outcome of the trail even though he has all the evidence of Ballard's murder pinned against him. Yet Perry comes up with this half cocked theory that someone that was treated by Dr. Ralph Chandler played by Carl Betz who later that year would change his name and identity to Dr. Stone on the "Donna Reed Show" who treated the employees that worked for the Mercantile Bank. You can just imagine the shock and surprise Dr. Chandler felt when he was fingered by Perry as somehow being involved in Ballard's murder! He was just in the courtroom as a innocent bystander and yet ended up being tabbed as a possible murder suspect!

****SPOILERS**** Perry has Ballard's murderer exposed in the most unconvincing way with him not even bothering to admit that he's the murderer. It seemed that he very probably wasn't if you checked the facts but someone, not of course Perry Mason, had to take the fall and he was about the only one left in the cast, everyone else was somewhere else at the time, who was at the scene of Ballard's murder. He of course was also proved, and also very unconvincingly, by Perry to be the person who robbed the Mercantyle Bank of the $400.000.00. Even though at the time of his exposer by Perry Mason he didn't have a red cent to his name and was forced to hustle his way through life for nickels dimes & quarters to pay his bills as well as put food on he table!

Della's Office, revisited

[darbski · 4 May 2017]

**SPOILERS** await the unwary. That said, it's a pretty good episode given a shaky beginning and original premise. We must first look at the impossible beginning. The dork who picks up the house trailer just happens to find it where he can hook up to it and pull it out of there? Where were the utility hookups? You know - power, water, waste? This was not a "Caravan"; it was what is called a Mobile Home. Complete with furnishings; which incidentally, didn't get busted up while being towed around? The sunbather is "laying out", blissfully unaware that her trailer is being stolen? She doesn't have ANY clothes on? Just a towel? No transportation? How did she get around? How did she move her trailer house?

The bad guy was pretty good, too but the excellence in dirtbagdom HAS to go to the guy who played Sackett. This is another rare look at Della's office. It is not as cheezy as Perry's but needed to be much more professionally set up, as I have mentioned in a previous review. It sounds pedantic, but my own mother was a legal secretary and a photographer's model, and her office area was much more businesslike than Della's. All the way through, I thought there was something creepy about Carl Betz's nurse. Let's be honest, here; it's refreshing to see at least ONE nurse that's creepy, isn't it? I mean, they're usually so unbearably noble..right? Up till the very end, I thought the bad guy was alright; we all make mistakes, though. Beautiful Della's straight man set up at the end was great, and Perry's end remark was hilarious. A very good episode, indeed.