Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Deadly Debt (1965) User Reviews

Worth Commenting On

[williammaceri · 9/10 · 24 August 2021]

Finally after watching Perry Mason reruns on MeTV for the last eight years and barely missing an episode, I finally saw one I'd never seen before. It's always in my top 3 favorite shows, new or old. Admittedly I like the ones from the 50s best. In fact it wasn't until the episodes released in the 64 and 65 seasons did they begin getting corny and hard to watch, but I do, and tonight's was excellent.

The cast is perfect for every roll the actors play, but it's Raymond Burr that makes the show what it is. I wish I could be just like him, I keep trying, maybe one day I will be. LOL!

Simplicity

[darbski · 8/10 · 8 June 2017]

**SPOILERS** If you've got a plot this weird, a smart thing to do is give Della more to do. One thing about happy endings is that sometimes they don't quite fit; like a bowling ball in a flower pot. The gangster's son is a cop? That cop (before he knows he's the son) is a creepy bully who has the grace of a fart in church. Pushing his brother around, sneaking into his apartment, trying to turn his mother against his younger brother instead of trying to prove him innocent, resigning his police career, tuning up Radom, carrying a gun and then losing it after he lost his balance, being seen by two witnesses; including Perry - Some client, huh? Very interesting point is that the guy who plays the dad (croaks from a bum ticker) is the actor who played Riker in the great, but flawed western, Shane. Yup, pardner, he was the cattlesleeze of the plains.

Perry accuses Kitty Delaney (what a great name) of Radom's murder, but all she had to do was deny it. They never had a gun for evidence, did they? what did they have? Why didn't she make a deal with Louie Parker and Charlie Judd? Okay, maybe by that time, it was too late; but, just burn the certificate, dump the heater, and keep your trap shut - so what if a crummy cop takes a fall for a rub out? Well, not on this show!! Radom's sister Stella wears some of the stupidest looking hats... oh well... Carl (cop's good kid brother) drives a nice Riviera. Cop steals his apt. key from holder left in ignition. They must not have had a car theft problem in L.A. at that time, you know? Part of Mrs Johnson was completely unnecessary with Perry as a witness. She was pretty, but that's all. And, then, in one of the stupidest "Happy Ever After" endings, Perry's gonna help creepy cop get back on the force.

Oh yeah? Well, there's a little matter of a criminal empire that creepy has at least partial control of, isn't there? What about his half sister Stella? what about any legitimate inheritance? And, no matter what else, he was still involved in Radom's death. Nobody in their right mind would want him on their police force, he's just too much of a screwup. Andy was his supervisor on the "Special detail" that he resigned from - they were investigating underworld connections along with the F.B.I., so the murder rate in L.A. must've dropped off the deep end, too.

Sorry, this episode is dingy at best. Della looks beautiful, of course.

Thicker Than Water

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 25 February 2022]

Two brothers are at each other's throats. One is hard driven police officer and the other a younger guy, a musician, who is working at a club owned by a mobster. In addition to a continuing set of confrontations and blame, the death of the father further divides them. The cop becomes the defendant in this story and Perry must wade through a quagmire of not so nice suspects. It is a decent episode but like one person said, overwritten.

Talbert Family Values

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 29 March 2012]

Emile Meyer arrives in Los Angeles on a train and when he stops to call one of his sons he suddenly collapses and dies of a heart attack. As it turns out it was a natural death, but it set in motion the whole plot of this case with the homicide of gangster Gregory Morton. Meyer had two sons LAPD sergeant Robert Quarry and jazz pianist Chris Robinson who works in one of Morton's clubs. Perry Mason gets into this because he'd help bail the piano player out a previous brush with the law. But it's the cop he winds up defending in court.

Of course Quarry didn't do it, but the writers did kind of pull a perpetrator way out of left field with a real long shot of a motive. I agree that this episode was not one of the best of the Perry Mason series.

you heard of over-acting, this is over-writing

[kfo9494 · 5/10 · 9 December 2011]

Until you watch this episode you will not understand exactly what I am talking about --but this episode had too many surprise moments. It appear as if the writers were desperate in trying to sell their story. And this has been the case for the last few shows. Perhaps the ratings were slipping and they thought by adding extra sub-plots it would keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. All that was really accomplished was a story complex and unreal.

The episode begins with Ed Talbert (Emile Meyer) making a surprise trip to see his youngest son Carl Talbert (Chris Robinson). While he calls and asked to be picked up from the train station, the older Ed Talbert, dies from a heart condition.

Both sons, Carl, and older brother and police sergeant Danny Talbert (Robert Quarry) are baffled as to why their sick father would come to LA without telling anyone. He also cleaned out the bank account and safety deposit box.

But as the story continues we are meet with many strange facts about the Talbert clan. - Carl works for a mobster type character named Louis Parker (Joe De Santis)- Danny, the police dude, is working a case involving Louis Parker- another mobster guy named Steve Radom (Gregory Morton) has a promissory note from the dead older Mr Talbert- and there is some skeletons in the closet of the Talberts' that are indeed germane to the story. So much going on that it is difficult to keep things separated and continuing with the ideas of the story.

And if you want more strange goings on- Danny gets into a scuffle with Steve Radom- Danny drops his service revolver on the floor - later shots ring out- and Perry sees Danny running from the scene- and later, after getting caught, says he was chasing someone. It is just a little too much. they could have wrote four episodes with these strange events taking place all over the TV screen.

Perry ends up defending Danny in court. And at the end of the show, we have another lame confession as they hurry the show to the 52 minute mark.

I will say that the actors, in this episode, did a good job. They were believable which always helps the view of a show. Joe De Santis, as the mobster, was a perfect cast. And the great Shelia Bromley was excellent as Ms Talbert.

All the actors did their part in making this show good- it was the writing that failed. Middle of the pack for me.

All in the family

[sol1218 · 5/10 · 30 December 2012]

***SPOILERS**** Overcomplicated as well as typical Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, late in the series episode when the series' writers were plumb out of any new ideas or stories. This has Perry who was at the scene of the crime, as it in fact happened, defend LAPD Sgt. Danny Talbert, Robert Quarry,in the murder of big time gangster Steve Radom, Gregory Morton. it was Radom who owned the night cub that Danny's estranged brother Carl,Chris Robinson,worked in as a jazz pianist.

It turns out that Danny's father Ed Talbert, Emile Meyer, who suddenly dropped dead of a massive heart attack at the L.A Union Station was being blackmailed by Radom to keep his mouth shut about something and was forgiven for a $10,000.00 debt that he owed him to do that. At the trial Danny is totally uncooperative with his defense attorney Perry Mason about the circumstances behind the secret relation between his father and Radom. With Perry trying to find out why he's allowing himself to be sent to the San Quentin gas chamber in doing that!

***SPOILERS***As for the person who actually murdered Radom it was just business as usual on his part in keeping Radom from driving him out of business by framing Danny's brother Carl, who's involved with him, as a drug pusher. It was Carl that was being used by him to keep Radom off his back. Feeling that he's got nothing to lose the person in question took advantage of a scuffle between Radom & Danny outside his bungalow to murder him and frame Danny for it. But the biggest surprise in the entire episode is just what exactly Radom had on the late Ed Talbert and his two sons especially Danny that ended up causing all this both death, on Radom's part, and confusion which even the great Perry Mason couldn't quite figure out! That's until the shocking truth about which Perry Mason unearth, in the L.A Hall of Records, was finally made public!