Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Envious Editor (1961) User Reviews

How the turntable turns

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 1 November 2013]

Philip Abbott visits the offices of Perry Mason to decide how he can get back control of his publishing business from James Coburn. But it's Sara Shane who is Mrs. Abbott who needs Raymond Burr as a criminal defense attorney after Coburn is murdered.

Once again Coburn as a victim was not the most beloved of characters to leave the land of the living abruptly. Besides Abbott and Shane about four other possible perpetrators are offered up by the series writers.

Among Coburn's nastier habits was that he liked his music real loud during a party and didn't care how that disturbed the neighborhood and the neighbors. People like that annoy me no end. But his love of loud music and how his manual turntable worked on his phonograph provide the key for Burr to get his client freed.

An interesting Perry Mason tale, especially with the telltale turntable.

Perry has in hands full in this interesting mystery

[kfo9494 · 8/10 · 16 July 2013]

When a magazine, that is now headed by a young go-getter Donald Fetcher, changes the publication from a regular informational read to a skin and women rag. This does not sit well with Edmond Aitken who's family started the magazine company many years ago.

Fletcher has a history of photographing women in a young vulnerable state and then later using the pictures as blackmail to get things he wants. When Fletcher ends up dead Edmond Aitken's wife, Alyce, is seen running from the apartment. It appears that Fletcher may have been blackmailing Alyce Aitken to get full control of the magazine. Or at least that is how Lt Tragg and the police see the homicide.

Perry will defend Ms Aiken in court for the charge of murder but his work will be difficult. There is a lot of evidence that points to Alyce's guilt, Perry will have to cross-examine many witnesses in order to get to the bottom of this mystery.

From an excellent performance from Paul Lambert that played a poet in this episode, to H M Wynant portrayal of the assistant DA- this show was interesting throughout. From a disappointing previous episode, this show returned the program to the great series we all know. Good Watch.

Hugh Heffner Gets Murdered on Mason

[DKosty123 · 9/10 · 5 January 2010]

James Coburn guest stars as a magazine editor(?) who wants to change the format of his magazine into a Playboy type of tabloid. As the established magazine is not traditionally this format, there is resistance by the other folks involved in ownership of the publication. This creates a group of people who are mad at Coburn, right from the start of the episode as he is trying to steamroller everybody to get the changes he wants.

Coburn gets the proxy of one co-owners wife to support a proxy fight to get the changes he is after. Then, he gets murdered, by the wife?

Mason's client gets framed by the actual murderer who kills off Coburn about halfway through the episode in the usual Mason format. Coburn hardly gets any chance to enjoy the women doing the provocative poses for the magazine. Mason, & Drake et all. have to work quite hard to find out who framed the co-owners wife.

Acting in Spades

[darbski · 10/10 · 5 September 2017]

**SPOILERS** I'm not gonna go into what a complete Scurve James Coburn plays in this episode. Nope, not me; the fact that everyone hated him for very good reasons, and that killing him was a blessing to mankind in general, will NOT enter anything I'm gonna put down in print, here. I'm also not gonna say anything about how incredibly beautiful Barbara Lawrence is in this (and other) episodes. I will NOT comment on the fact that she could easily be in contention for Barbara Hale's crown as prettiest Brunette in Hollywood, even if she is a blonde; no, not me.

What I AM gonna say is they both - in this episode - displayed real acting abilities that show just what made them such valuable talent in this arena. Coburn is magnificently rotten in his presentation of an absolute creep who has NO redeeming social value; in despising him, we acknowledge the fact that he is one heck of an actor. Miss Lawrence is not just incomparably sexy and stylish (and you just gotta envy Paul buying her drinks to loosen her tongue), but, when the moment came, she actually CRIED on camera. This is very refreshing , because it's usually crocodile tears, at best.

These are truly fine performances from two of the very best. (R.I.P. Barb and James). I've said it before and again: thanks to S.A.G., Central Casting agencies, and all the very hard working actors and actresses who have given us this high quality of acting entertainment. Thanks, of course, to IMDb for this forum, and references that are so valuable to all of us.

Coburn the Cad

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 13 January 2022]

When a once popular magazine starts declining in popularity, James Coburn comes in and intends to turn it into a racy Playboy like mag. Of course, the standard bearers are nonplussed, but he has figures to back him up. He is a playboy type and has nothing but disdain for what is good journalism. Of course, he is going to be killed. But who did it? There are several suspects including women. This one is well done and fun.

James Coburn Plays A Great Bad Guy

[bhoover247 · 10/10 · 17 January 2020]

James Coburn has all kind of enemies. He even plays the record player too loud. There are many suspects. My guess was an Art Garfunkle looking poet who walked around quoting poetry and staring into the air. It was a great episode.

A reflection of its times

[tforbes-2 · 10/10 · 15 February 2020]

"The Case of the Envious Editor" is very much a reflection of a more conservative time in America. Dwight D. Eisenhower still had 13 days left as President, and the morals still show here in this episode. Here, we have an editor who's clearly patterned after Hugh Hefner, though without the latter's finesse.

And he gets offed.

There's a lot of good acting here, starting with James Coburn, who went on to a distinguished career in the movies and on TV. Mr. Coburn plays his role in a most skilled manner. But for me personally, it's Raymond Burr's friend Philip Abbott who is also a standout in this episode. Given the conservative credentials his character has in this episode, it makes one wonder if that might have helped influence J. Edgar Hoover to give his blessing for Mr. Abbott to star (along with Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) in "The FBI" some 4½ years later.

Whatever the case, this is truly a memorable episode that is fun to watch, both for the mystery part and for its glimpse at life and values just as America was approaching the beginning of the JFK administration.

Yes I killed Donald Fletcher! And it was the best thing I've ever done in my life!

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 17 July 2013]

****SPOILERS**** Planning to engineer a hostile taken over of the Aitken Publishing empire new sleaze ball CEO Donald Fletcher, James Coburn, reaches a new low even for him in trying to get the owner Edmond Aitkin's, Philip Abbott, gorgeous but not too on the ball wife Alyce, that's Alice with a Y, Sara Shane, to sign away to him her proxy in shares in the company to make his underhanded plan possible. With sales dropping 50% Fletcher now plans to turn the wholesome and family oriented flagship magazine of the company into a combination girlie supermarket tabloid. With Alyce soon realizing what a mistake she made she goes to beg Fletcher to give her back her shares in the company with him later being found shot to death in his bachelor pad and her being the prime suspect in Fletcher's murder.

Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, who was involved in a case preventing Donald Fletcher from legally taking over Aitkins Publications is now to defend Alyce in her trial for murdering Fletcher. What a strange and unexpected, for Perry Mason, turn of events! With the late Donald Fletcher being hated to the point where murder is the only option by almost everyone in the cast Perry has a lot of people , except his client Alyce Aitkins whom he believes is innocent, to suspect in murdering him. And even worse with at least a half dozen of those suspected being at one point or another within an hour at the scene, besides Alyce, of Fletcher's murder this isn't going to be an easy task for Perry!

***SPOILERS*** As Perry soon found out with the help of a phonograph player that Flecher's killer was the very last person, of all the people he destroyed and insulted, who would have had in in for him. It's just in Donald Fletcher being such a complete low life and despicable human being that the only person that liked him, in being so much like himself, he ended up screwing as well. And with that the pay or blow-back that he got was all that more satisfying and fitting.

James Coburn. Say no more.

[aramis-112-804880 · 15 June 2023]

A new editor tries taking hitherto family-type periodicals into a sexy new direction. Naturally, he's knocked off. Perry has to do his usual routine of taking the case of the innocent and try to find the guilty.

"Perry Mason" was a showcase of rising stars who never rose. Sometimes one sees a young actor (circa the early 1960s) and wonder why you've never heard of them . . . But not that often.

This time, fatured corpse James Coburn, before he hit the big time, has "star material" written all over him. He does an excellent job as the sleazeball and when he's on he seems to raise the level of acting from the others.

It should be a lesson, looking at the difference of taking on someone good as a show's centerpiece and taking on someone "good enough." The worst problem in this show is that Coburn's stay was too brief.