Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Left-Handed Liar (1961) User Reviews

Classic 'Perry Mason ' mystery

[kfo9494 · 8/10 · 4 August 2012]

In a classic who-done-it episode, this one turns out to be one of the better shows from the 5th season. Even with the usual plot the show goes beyond the pale as we get many character that the viewer will find to be a suspect in a murder in a local fitness center.

The show begins as we see Ward Nichols, a employee of Health House Spa, asking for money to pay off some type of payment to his ex-wife. Then as strange as the unforeseen payment, we get checks from the Health House being cashed by a fictitious company named ABC Sports Company.

The owner of Health House Spa, Bernard Daniels, wants to question Ward about the checks but during the encounter ends up dead. Ward Nichols hires Perry Mason to defend him in court when all the evidence that Lt Anderson finds points to him.

But as easy as this plot seems -we are introduced to many people that would have like to have seen Bernard Daniels dead or injured. From the fired custodian, to the bookkeeper, the ex-wife or the financial adviser- we get a storm of suspects that could easily been the true murderer.

And after Perry gets his day in court the true murderer will be revealed and the entire case explained. A good mystery for any Perry Mason fan.

With a good script and fine acting this episode is a classic show from the entire Mason series.

Got the right result

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 6 December 2013]

Maggie Pierce is caught between two men and she turns to Perry Mason for legal advice. She's the heir and niece of Les Tremayne who runs a chain of gyms and is both puritanical and tyrannical. Her boyfriend is former athlete Ed Nelson who works at the gym and she suspects that some missing money maybe traced to him. Nelson's ex-wife Leslie Parrish works there as well and she's a piece of work as we learn later on as the show progresses. Pierce is afraid of her blackmailing Nelson.

But it's Tremayne who winds up murdered, smacked in the head with a weight. As we learn about Tremayne he's a less lovable character as time goes on. Any number of people would want to see him leave the land of the living.

In the end Raymond Burr has one witness cornered on the stand, but another steps up and confesses. I think this is one of the few times he wasn't on target, but got the right result anyway.

One of the better Perry Mason episodes.

A Day at the Spa

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 20 January 2022]

The guy who owns a fancy health club is a total jerk, a tea totaling, judgmental despot. His niece is engaged to a guy who is being blackmailed by a beautiful but nasty young woman. Of course, the jerk gets a dumbbell in the noggin and they're off to the races. The only problem with this one is the late developments which don't allow us a decent guess.

Doris Ziffel Works Out At Health House

[DKosty123 · 10/10 · 3 July 2010]

Jonathan Latimer who wrote 26 episodes of this series creates an excellent script here which will really keep you guessing. While the formula is pretty much standard here, the results are above the ordinary.

We have a spa known as Health House run by a tyrant father who has good reason to be mad. Money is being stolen from the business. We have a woman(vamp) whose main occupation is black mailing men by marrying them or telling them she is pregnant with their babies. We have the father's daughter who is one of the few people who isn't a suspect. We see a couple of quick shots with Barbara Pepper (Doris Ziffel on Green Acres)in work out duds instead of being on the farm with Fred & the only other person you don't really suspect of being the murderer.

Mason's client is the daughter's boyfriend who is being black mailed by the vamp because he thinks he married her & is trying to get a divorce. Meanwhile the tyrant is playing hand ball one night at the club, has a row with a couple of people & the next morning is found dead- bludgeoned by a dumb bell. This starts quite a sequence of digging by Paul Drake, & Mason's team to sift through several seedy characters to find the killer.

The embezzler is signing checks for money being paid to the fictional ABC Sports Equipment Company & the stolen money appears to be the motive behind the murder. Or is it? This one will keep the viewer guessing until the courtroom reveals all.

Then to top it off, Paul Drake mounts a wild exercise machine at Health House. We got a little something for everyone here.

Vonnie

[darbski · 10/10 · 11 October 2017]

**SPOILERS** Leslie Parrish could probably have played "Jeannie" as well as Barbara Eden; but, what the hey... In this Perry Mason, she's a conniving, scheming, underhanded extortionist and bigamist. Some girl; She'd fit right in on any one of a number of today's so-called "Reality" shows, or an even larger number of dramas that the public seem to admire so much. In real life, Leslie Parrish is quite a lady, with pretty serious creds. This, of course is Perry Mason, and he shines a cold, hard light of truth on her rotten intentions (as Veronica "Vonnie" Temple).

This is also a question of a killer that I like. Who,unfortunately, was also willing to let the wrong guy take a fall for Murder. And, it IS Murder 1. Homicide with lethal intent. Her Huz is gonna pay for his indiscretions too. He was also bangin' Vonnie; let's not forget that she was quite the slut. Lovely Veronica (Vonnie) will be going away for Bigamy, extortion, and anything else Burger can hang on her; she's got it all coming to her as well.

Her sex partner/fellow extortionist? Goodbye medical license, and any good reputation from here on out. Tough being a crook, ain't it? It would probably be a real long stretch to connect her up to the actual murder, but if I was Burger, I wouldn't let any jury forget that without her role in the whole situation, the murder would likely NOT have happened. She'll have a lot of fun figuring out ways to screw people over in Chino State. It's unfortunate that people this good looking can get away with so much, isn't it? She may just manipulate her way out of the worst of it; hope not, though. In prison, if she tries her manipulative sex games, she could wind up with a chopped up face - some of those girls are REAL tough.

You know, I almost forgot to mention the fact that the dead guy was exactly the kind of creepy scurve that NOBODY is gonna miss, ever. Perry's client and his girl? They'll probably do okay, if they let Perry manage their business for them. Neither one is a real bright bulb, it was only Perry and Paul's hard work that cleared his name, and the way for a chance at success. Della? Stunningly beautiful, as usual.

Yes I hated his guts and I'm glad he's dead but I didn't kill him!

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 1 January 2016]

****SPOILERS**** One of the most confusing Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, episodes of the shows nine year run on CBS TV. It somehow has to do with an embezzler who's discovered by the person whom he embezzled health club guru Bernard Daniels, Les Tremayne,of $7.000.00 and in return blackmails him to embezzle $75,000.00 for himself or else he'll turn him over to the police! It gets even better or worse with one of the person working for Daniel who's in fact engaged to his niece Casey, Maggie Pierce, ex jock and health club employee Ward Nichols, Ed Nelson, ends up being indited for his boss Bernard Daniels murder who was found with his skull cracked open outside his office. It's soon discovered that Wade is still secretly married, not divorced ,to fellow health club employee Veronica Temple, Leslie Parrish, who's in turn blackmailing him for knocking her his wife up!

There's also, not get this, the locker room attendant Buzz Farrell, Dubbs Greer, who's broken whiskey bottle was found at the scene of the crime who had it in for Daniels in cheating him out of his share of ownership of the health club and became a helpless drunk ever since! Not to mention the health club's physician Dr. Harrison Berry, Richard Derr, who's having an affair with Veronica and is possibly the father of her unborn child and together with her is blackmailing her legally married husband Wade to keep the "truth" from becoming public!

****SPOILERS***** As things turn out it's Wade Nichols who Perry defends in the murder of Bernard Daniels who with all the others suspected of doing Daniel's in seems to be the most innocent of the bunch! This is one time that Perry gets an assist when he's about to exposed Daniels killer during cross examination that the real killer, without Perry cross examining him or her, breaks down and confesses to the shock and surprise of everyone in the courtroom including Perry!