"Perry Mason" The Case of the Final Fadeout (1966)

Director:

Jesse Hibbs

Writers:

Ernie Frankel (writer)
Orville H. Hampton (writer)

TV Series:

"Perry Mason" (1957)

Original Air Date:

22 May 1966 (Season 9, Episode 30)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Perry Mason | Courtroom | Secretary | Lawyer | Murder Confession

Cast

Raymond Burr	...	Perry Mason
Barbara Hale	...	Della Street
William Hopper	...	Paul Drake
William Talman	...	Hamilton Burger
Richard Anderson	...	Lt. Steve Drumm
James Stacy	...	Barry Conrad
Estelle Winwood	...	Winifred Glover
Jackie Coogan	...	Pete Desmond
Denver Pyle	...	Jackson Sidemark
Dick Clark	...	Leif Early
Gerald Mohr	...	Andy Rubin
Marlyn Mason	...	Erna Landry
Kenneth MacDonald	...	Judge #1
William Tannen	...	Frank Studio Guard
Margaret Shinn	...	Starlet #1

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Paisano Productions

Trivia:

The final episode is the only episode to feature Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of the original series.

Quotes:

Perry Mason: Now it seems to me the place to start is at the beginning.

It's a Wrap

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The Mason series ends after nine years with a solid Hollywood murder, shot mostly on their own lot on La Brea, and using many of their own crew members.

James Stacy (who later starred as "Lancer") plays the last of a despicable line of victims who really should be murdered. He's Barry Conrad, star of a hit TV show that has just been picked up for "30 episodes in color" (something the Mason show did not). But Barry refuses to sign his contract, leaving producer Jack Sidemark (Denver Pyle) on the hook for all the other contracts that were signed, including that of the lovely Erna Landry (former Elvis girlfriend and future "Longstreet" co-star Maryln Mason). When Conrad is shot dead shooting a scene for the show, Sidemark is charged with the crime.

Perry gets him off when the prop man (Jackie Cooogan) perjures himself on the stand, but then Sidemark himself is found murdered in the edit room. Drumm and Berger apparently go insane, lose all sense of logic, and charge aging actress Winefred Glover (Estelle Winwood,82 at the time) of bludgeoning the hefty Denver Pyle to death, as unlikely as that would seem to be.

While Paul and Della don't get much to do, the guest stars all make the last Mason a good one. Gerald Mohr is back as Conrad's agent, Andy Rubin and Dick Clark is convincing as the show's writer (he even gets a nice drunk scene!) with the joke name Leif Early (get it?). Creator Erle Stanley Gardner acts as the judge in the final courtroom scene and he's good without calling attention to himself. As Conrad Stacy is pretty good at being despicable (and quite the ham. In really dying, the actor makes sure to turn his face to the camera!) and Landry makes you wonder what else you've seen her in. She's different than the usual statuesque blonde bombshells that frequent Mason mysteries, but she's still hot.

William Talman gets to chew some scenery as Berger explodes when Coogan pulls his perjury on the stand, but it actually is one of the highlights of the episode and is in character. Less convincing is the way Perry tries to do use a movie projector to "zoom in" on a part of a film. While a camera might have that ability, I don't think a projector, particularly in 1965 had that capability. He would have had to use blow ups of stills.

The series ends with Paul, Della and Perry alone in the courtroom, discussing the next case, with Perry saying, "Now it seems the place to start is at the beginning." fade out Cue applause.