Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Cautious Coquette (1958) User Reviews

Blackmail, marriage, divorce, murder---it has to be good

[kfo9494 · 8/10 · 3 November 2011]

In this episode we get a beautiful Elaine Barton (Kipp Hamilton) that falls in love with business man named Ross Hollister. The only problem is that Elaine is already married to a really peachy person named Harry Pitkin. He is refusing to give Elaine a divorce so that she can marry Ross. Harry is blackmailing Elaine and states many times that he will get a divorce if only she provided enough money.

Ross also has a business partner named Shelia Cromwell (Virginia Gregg) that is in love with him from afar and does not seem to happy with the idea of Ross and Elaine possibly getting married.

Anyway the cad Harry Pitkin ends up dead in Elaine's apartment and was killed by a gun owned by Elaine. She just happened to meet Perry when he was investigating a hit-and-run case and calls him for help. Thus we go to the courtroom with Perry defending Elaine for the murder of Harry Pitkin, her estranged husband.

There are a couple of sub-plots that are keen to the story like the hit-and-run investigation. And we also have a problem with the books at Ross and Shelia's company. This will prove most helpful in finding the actual killer.

Even though this show was interesting and I considered a good watch, there is so over-acting in the show that could have been turned down a few notches. In one scene a person is on the witness stand and was asked a simple question. The next thing I know is that person is so upset that they cannot continue and court is postpone till the next day. I am sure that was written in the script but the actor seems to be taking it to new heights with the long shaking and crying.

One scene I thought was funny was when Elaine is waiting for Perry to come to her apartment. Perry asks why she feels the need to talk with him. Elaine says, "I'm in trouble". To which Perry says, "What do you call trouble?" Then she opens her bedroom door to reveal the dead body of Harry. Folks, that is trouble.

I considered this a good watch for everything that a Perry fan wants in an episode. Interesting story and a need to watch the entire episode because of the interest in the characters.

One of the best of one of the best...

[bobby62914 · 9/10 · 8 July 2022]

Perry Mason is iconic for a reason, it's one of the best television series ever. This is one of my favorite Perry Mason episodes.

Like most episodes, Perry and Della Street (his secretary) work to all hours of the night and there's plenty of interesting twists.

Also, like most episodes (maybe all of them), there's a closing scene. This one's exceptionally satisfying. Alone worth watching the entire episode.

Nice Twists and Turns

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 20 November 2021]

I won't enlist spoilers here. I will say I rather enjoyed this one. There are numerous plot twists that keep on engaged and wondering. When the writing is good, it is fun to try to anticipate who the murderer was. We only know that it is never the one sitting next to Perry at the trial. The great thing here is we are given numerous possibilities. Always look to the entire cast (exclusive of the regulars, of course), but even that doesn't always work. Once again, Tragg and Burger seem intent on bring Mason down almost as much as the logical suspects.

THhe Best defense...

[darbski · 10/10 · 22 August 2017]

Complete scurve Harry Pitkin is Extorting his should-be ex-wife, and when he shows up at her place, she lets him in. Yup, dumb move #1. She wears an expensive engagement ring which he strong-arms from her dumb move #2. She doesn't tell her fiancé about it, cops about it, lawyer about it, anyone about it...dumb move #3. Gives key to her apt to Ross (fiance'), so he can "drop off important documents"; this is a real tricky arrangement when he is having her investigated dumb move #4.

Ain't that enough for her to qualify for the Perry's idiot of the week club? I think so. Another part of the plot involves a so-called hit and run, a false frame up, a crooked insurance adjuster (aren't they all?) who tricks Perry's client in the case into signing a release, and accepting a settlement. Perry's nonplussed. Also a woman (Sheila) who is unrequitedly in love with Ross. He disappears, turns up dead after Elaine (Perry's client) is charged with Harry's happy murder; so long, scumbag.

Perry gets Sheila to break down on the stand, Paul follows her, overhears her send telegraph. He goes to the address telegram is sent to, sees others on the floor, probably calls the heat to check things out. Case against his client is in serious doubt. They have Deputy Sheriff verify Ross' murder confirm that it happened before Harry's, Tragg and Sheila trap Argyle. Kind of complicated, but he was embezzling their company, and had killed Ross and Harry because of it and Harry's blackmail. One bad dirtbag deserves another.

The best part of the show is when the slimy insurance adjuster shows up in Perry's office as they are about to toast the success of their case. He'd like his companies' check back; Perry explains that if he read the agreement that had tricked his client with, he'd see that there was no admittance of guilt, and the payment amounted to a gift. Perry kicks him out, and they toast him with champagne. I felt personally gratified by the ending.

"That Is Trouble"

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 27 August 2019]

Perry Mason picks up a client while investigating a hit and run that's left his other client in the hospital. It was caused as investigation by Harry Jackson who is the husband of Kipp Hamilton. He's a real bottom feeder, he wants some unofficial alimony from Hamilton before letting her go to marry James Seay whom she loves.

Later of course when Jackson is found dead in Hamilton's place good thing she already made the acquaintance of the best lawyer around.

Jackson worked for the affluent Donald Randolph as a chauffeur and had considerable leeway in using the car. Tracking his movements is the way Raymond Burrs solves the crime and also the hit and run he was originally investigating.

Chet Stratton plays another bottom feeder an insurance adjuster. The climax concerns him and it is hilarious.

The Case of the Cautious Coquette

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 14 December 2021]

Perry Mason is representing a hit and run victim. He gets a note from someone who claims to know who the driver is.

It leads Perry to a bizarre trail. One involves a chauffeur Harry refusing to give his wife Elaine a divorce, he later winds up dead.

Some time later businessman Ross Hollister is also discovered dead. He was planning to marry Elaine.

It turns out that Harry's boss took the rap for the hit and run as it would give him an alibi for one of the murder's.

A convoluted novel that was not entirely successfully distilled for television.

There was some hysterical overacting but I did like how the real murderer was unveiled. Tragg did look pleased.

Sorry for barging in this way we couldn't let your boy announce us.

[sol1218 · 5/10 · 15 March 2013]

***SPOILERS*** There are a number of times in this Perry Mason episode that even Perry, Raymond Burr, seemed confused with its script and looked like he just wanted to get up and leave the court proceedings to someone else. The confusing plot had to do with the usual murder in fact there were two murders that took place a week apart but we also had an embezzlement, of $187,000.00, some blackmail and a three way love triangle with a run of the mill hit and run thrown in to spice things up a bit. As things turned out it was the hit and run case that Perry was handling the insurance claim for his client Robert Finchley,Bratt Halsey, that tied all these confusing facts together.

Perry had no idea what he was getting into when he got a note claiming that the person who sent it knew who ran down Finchly and wanted to talk it over with him. As Perry soon found out this all was some kind of elaborate set up for who ever sent the letter trying to take the rap for the hit and run while covering up a murder committed the very same day, May 3 1957, some 70 miles away! What tripped the killer up is him sanding letters to and receiving telegrams from Sheila Cromwell, Virginia Gregg, who was secretly in love with the murdered man her boss Ross Hollister, James Seay. It was Hollister who was engaged to Elaine Barton, Kipp Himilton, who was still married to Harry Pitkin, Harry Jackson, who was threatening to blow the entire wedding ceremony by revealing that explosive information. That's unless Elaine paid him off and thus gave her a divorce making her upcoming marriage to Hollister legal in both the eyes of the law and the church going public. As things turned out Harry himself was found murdered in Elaine's home by who later turned out to be the same person who murdered Ross Hollister a week earlier!

***SPOILERS*** The bizarre conclusion of this Perry Mason episode was one for the books with the heart broken Sheila who's secret love Ross Hollister was found to be murdered while she all along thought she was secretly corresponding with him has her trapping the killer in his own home. That by her having him confess, before he was to blow her brains out, his crime. And the way she trapped him was just by reading her lines in a prepared script that Perry and local homicide detective Lt. Tragg, Ray Collins, gave to her.