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The plot has been summarized by other reviewers, so I won't go into much detail on that.

As are most of the early Perry Mason TV episodes, this one was based on a book by the same name. Unusually, the TV episode is much better than the book, which is too complicated and has people doing extremely unlikely things.

In the interest of time if nothing else, a number of the features of the book had to be removed or changed. Here, only one check for $2500 is delivered to Mason's office (not two) to start the story. Here, the stepdaughter is younger and more innocent than she is in the book. Here, the client (Mrs. Allred) is more willing to talk to Mason and is more straight forward.

But the essential features are the same: Allred's right-hand-man, Fleetwood, feigns amnesia after a blow to the head because he knows too much about a crooked deal. Allred wants to tightly control him, maybe kill him, at least keep him from his partner (who does not appear at all in the TV episode). Allred, his wife, and Fleetwood go to a motel; they are not all there at the same time. Later there is a murder, and Fleetwood ends up not too far away at a cabin on a small ranch.

That brings us to probably the most interesting part of the plot: the map showing the tracks left in the soft ground at the ranch by various people, a car, and a dog. The district attorney says the tracks clearly show that Mrs. Allred is guilty. But Perry has another idea.

It is very well acted, with Della looking especially young and lively. Highly recommended.

... since Yvonne Craig plays the stepdaughter of Bertrand Allred (Neil Hamilton) in this episode, and the two played father and daughter in the Batman TV series with Craig being Bat Girl and Hamilton playing Commissioner Gordon. Weird stuff.

In this episode, Patricia Faxon (Craig) has to swerve wide to get around her stepfather's car in the driveway. Robert Fleetwood is found unconscious, and it is believed that Faxon hit him with her car when she parked in the driveway.

Later, Perry receives a 2500 dollar retainer fee from Patricia Allred, the mother of the girl who thinks she hit Robert Fleetwood with her car, with no explanation. Next, Bertrand Allred comes to Perry and asks that he find his wife and Fleetwood, as they have run away together. What goes on here? Did an unconscious man, possibly with life threatening injuries, have the energy and initiative to run off with Mrs. Allred, and why would she go with him? Complications and murder ensue.

This episode has some exceptional verbal sparring going on between Lieutenant Tragg and Perry. You can tell that Tragg is at the end of his career and so Mason presents a bit of a final challenge for him. He will neither be demoted or promoted based on his dealings with him. But Hamilton Burger has ambitions for higher office, so Perry does get on his nerves.

Sometimes, in an effort to hide the real murderer, a mystery writer throws so much at the audience that they can't figure out what happened. This is one of those. Even when it is explained in court, Burger can put the pieces together for sure. This was a lesser episode but still great fun. I enjoyed Perry's reason for fogging up Hamilton's direction.

Neil Hamilton appeared in this episode. I really enjoyed Hamilton in his multiple roles in a number of episodes and liked him best as a restaurant owner. He had the demeanor you would want from a hands on restaurant owner. Just a gut feeling but from the way he and Raymond Burr interacted in Hamilton's multiple appearances I think they were off the set friends.

Then there was an appearance by Frances Helm who was also in a number of episodes. She was my favorite actress in the entire Perry Mason series. Each to their own and I think she was the most alluring of all the actresses that appeared in the Perry Mason series. In this episode she did nothing to dispel that. In fact, just the opposite. .

Finally their was an appearance by James Bell the "Mr, I hope you like cribbage" guy from another episode. There are some lines you tend to remember and the "Mr. I hope you like cribbage" is one of them. Sorry, if the quote isn't exact. But that is how I remember it.

Perry's client is Lucille Faxon Allred, accused of murdering her husband (played by Neil Hamilton later of Batman). Her daughter Patricia Faxon (later Batgirl) is the step-daughter of Mr. Allred. Despite a rather polished air, Mr. Allred is a scumbag, and two characters (other than the wife) have motives to kill Mr. Allred. This episode is somwhat unusual iin exonerating Perry's client while lacking a courtroom confession of the culprit. Hamilton thought he had the case solved with an elaborate diagram relying on "tracking" evidence but Perry brings up the time/sequence element. One not credible part of Hamilton's case relied on escape from a clised trunk. 1950s cars did not have inside trunk releases. Also, the tracking evidence did not evaluate shoe size. Why Fleetwood's ID was on Allred's body is not explained by Hamilton. Perry moves to dismiss but is denied. Perry is allowed to recall witnesses with the judge noting no legal gymnastics at the expense of the equities. There is some humor. Tragg asks if Perry is acting as emcee (MC). Relying on Fleetwood's "amnesia," Della pretends to be his wife. Of the tracking, Perry notes Paul solved the case tho Paul has no idea. In the "epilog," Perry confuses Hamilton about who the culprit is ( recall no confession here) and Perry notes he does want to set a precedent of helping Hamilton. In a different episode, Perry would explicitly say that's your job.

Raymond Burr gets a retainer from Ann Lee asking that he represent her or her daughter if needed, no explanations. But explanations come from Yvonne Craig her daughter. Seems as though Craig might have hit someone, maybe killed them. Stepfather Neil Hamilton checks and sure enough there's some man lying in their driveway.

Famous last words, Hamilton says he'll take care of it. Hamilton and Lee drive away with the body and it's Lee charged with the murder. But of Hamilton whose body is found with their car in a canyon ravine.

As usual Hamilton had a lot of enemies. This one is in the how as the murderer is the one with a big grudge against Hamilton. You'll know right away. Let us say that William Talman uses this person for their expertise and Raymond Burr turns it right around.

There's a little coda at the end where Burr throws a real zinger into Talman. And Barbara Hale has a nice scene where she pretends to be the wife of an amnesia victim.

This episode had everything to make it one of the best. Great guest stars, good acting, nice plot and a crime that has one interesting in outcome of the characters of the show. Then like a spectator at a 1937 airship landing- when it moves to the courtroom- it comes crashing down right in front of our eyes.

The show begins when a man is found near death in front of a wealthy family's house. It could have been the young step-daughter Patricia Faxon (played by Yvonne Craig soon to be Batgirl) or it could have been the not-so-nice step-father Bertrand Allred (Neil Hamilton soon to be Commission Gordon also from Batman).

The man makes a nice recovery but we get another crime also involving the family. At this point the viewer is caught up in the mystery and on the edge of the seat waiting to see more.

Then we have the courtroom scenes. By the time the show ends, we are thinking about anything other than who committed the crime.

The problem was a map that included footprints. Not just a few footprints but prints by the entire cast. It is so confusing we do not give a darn who was walking or who was running along the map scene. To make the map more confusing we have dog prints, boards and plants all within the map that may, or may not, have something to do with the crime. Even Hamilton Burger is confused at the end of the show.

This episode was a good book- but does not come across in film.

Excellent... my header speaks for itself, lol. Always nice cs to see folks do something else, other than what they're famous for.

These early episodes are full of people.. busy busy people with their hands in various cookie jars whose worlds collide in the most haphazard and ridiculous and unrealistic of ways. If only I had a nickel for every time I found an unconscious man in my driveway, well, I'd be rich beyond compare! Yeah, sure!

Aside from the improbable plot is the opening scene where a major goof occurs. A large car (weren't they all large in 1958?) is parked on the street where a driveway to a house begins. Another large car enters the scene which is driven around the parked car in such a way that the driver swerves rather violently in order to enter the driveway. The objective, as described in subsequent scenes, was to avoid hitting the parked car. However, as the second car is driven past the parked car, the parked car bounces, as if someone hidden behind it has shoved on it. Anyone who remembers those big, heavy cars knows that shoving one causes it to bounce. Suspensions were engineered to be rather soft in those days, guaranteeing a comfortable ride on any road. Anyway, it's evident that the second car sideswiped the parked car. How this escaped the notice of the production crew is anyone's guess. Perhaps they did notice and thought no one else would. Later, it's clear the left side of the front bumper of the parked car is bent upward a bit as a result.

Perry solves the case as only someone who wrote such a contrived story could.

I laughed, I cried......well, I laughed a lot, anyway. PM is always poorly scripted and directed, with horribly stilted and ridiculous dialogue and plots, but this one is SO convoluted and silly that the laugh-factor is ramped up considerably. I equate the show to a bad road accident: it's hard to turn away from staring at it.