Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson

The original Perry Mason series in the 1950s-1960s routinely featured major motion picture stars from the 1930s and 1940s. Not only were these marvelous actors but they matched Raymond Burr who was also a very experienced and talented motion picture actor. This episode featured Brian Keith who was no stranger to the big screen. Unfortunately the cast is otherwise populated by the mediocrity that is known as daytime television.

This is the first movie with William R. Moses ("Falcon Crest") starring as Ken Malansky (nobody can remember this name !) supporting lawyer Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) and Della Street (Barbara Hale) during murder cases.

He enters the series by being accused of murder. But we know, Perry will defend him and proof his innocence ! This is interesting and nice enough for an evening in front of your TV at home.

Of course we will miss William Katt as Perry's assistant, but you will like William R. Moses, too.

First, I confess that I'm not as fond of the Mason revival TV movies as the original series. I especially enjoy the early episodes from the late Fifties, which for me had more edge than the TV movies from the 80s and 90s. Perhaps it's the chronologic proximity and the black & white look that recalls the film noir ethos that I find compelling. Whatever the case, I'm making my way through the Mason TV movies and this one may be the best yet. I've seen about a dozen of them, somewhat out of order, so the introduction and evolution of the Malansky character is a little obscure for me. But this entry had a swiftly-moving, if improbable, story, all done with considerable brio. And the romantic subplot was presented with a nicely comic touch and well integrated into the main story. Best of all was Alexandra Paul as Malansky's girlfriend, who more or less steals the movie. Burr is solid as always but isn't given that much to do. It's really Moses and Paul's movie. In sum, I give this one a fairly solid seven stars.

This entry in the Perry Mason series marked the first time that William R. Moses makes an appearance. He's young law school student Ken Malansky and they meet as Perry is giving a lecture to the participants of a moot court of soon to be graduates.

One of my favorite ironic moments in the Perry Mason series occurs in this film, Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson. Raymond Burr gives a very good speech to the group about juries, people bringing all kinds of baggage from their every days lives to a jury. They're no better or worse than any other average group of folks you can get out of a phone book. But that as a jury they become a noble body and one should never demean them in any way.

It was a great moment of eloquence for Raymond Burr, one of the best in his career as an actor. It ought to be mandatory in law schools in fact. Yet we are talking about Perry Mason who never let a case get that far to a jury, at least not in any of the movies or the couple of hundred episodes from the original series that I recall.

Anyway among the participants of the moot court is John Allen Nelson, the spoiled son of Brian Keith who is an old friend of Burr's. He's a really rotten kid who's dad has used money and influence to get him out of trouble before. During moot court Moses threatens him and later goes out looking to him some bodily harm. But someone beat him to it when he finds the body and he's discovered with the corpse of the late Mr. Nelson. Of course Moses turns to Perry Mason for help.

For fans of the old television series, the character of Ken Malansky actually does have a precedent. For a couple of seasons Perry Mason had an actor named Karl Held play young lawyer David Gideon whom he also defended in a murder trial. Held popped up in a dozen or so episodes after that.

Anyway you know this kid had a host of people who didn't like him in his study group and others. But Perry ferrets out the killer in his usual manner.

William R. Moses joined the TV film series after that as William Katt as Paul Drake, Jr. departed for a series Top of the Hill that didn't last. Neither Moses or Katt have ever lacked for work however though they both are now forty somethings.

It's a good episode and fans of Billy Moses consider it a landmark.

The writers of this film want you to suspend reality and believe that a 3rd-year law student and his ex-girlfriend think they can go all rogue to prove his innocence. They not only played detective without the help of police backup, but neglected to pass along information to his attorney, the person charged with trying to keep him from spending decades in the slammer.

If this guy ever went into the practice of law, I would love to read his Yelp reviews.

Another clumsy attempt to add drama to a poorly written script was the back room full of bad guys. That dialog was laughable.