***SPOILERS*** Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, seems to lack his usual dramatic flair in this episode. Maybe because it's involved with the US military-Air Force-and Perry feared that if he got a bit too testy with the brass he'll end up getting drafted and sent to "Nam", South Vietnam, patrolling some Viet Cong infested rice paddy as punishment or retaliation. This case has to do with the brutal beating to death of Capt. Mike Cardwell, Simon Oakland, who was involved in an investigation of possible sabotage of the newly developed Scepter Missile for the USAF.
The irony of all this is that Captain Cardwell was murdered at almost the exact time that the Scepter missile was launched and finally, after some half dozen tries, went into orbit. It didn't take a long for it to be found out that project officer Major Jerry Reynolds, Robert "The Rock" Rockwell, was seen leaving the scene of the murder in his jeep. What's also telling is that there's been bad blood between the two, Capt. Cardwell & Maj. Reynolds, since they were in Korea. And just hours before his being murdered Captain Cardwell and Major Reynolds get into a fight outside the base's officers club where Captain Cardwell was knocked on his butt. It's by putting the two together at the air force base and being involved on different sides of the issue in the Air Force Scepter project sparks were sure to fly! And the person who got the worst of it was the now deceased Captain Cardwell.
***SPOILERS**** Being a good friend of Maj. Reynolds Perry Mason takes up his defense but in a military or, what most people consider, kangaroo court where he can't use his usual and colorful courtroom acrobatics without ending up being thrown into the brig himself.Perry methodically brings out the nuts & bolts in the case which has to do with a bolt that was tampered with to make the Scepter crash the last time before it's successful launching. But the most surprising thing in the case is***MAJOR SPOILER***Captain Cardwell's murder has nothing at all to do with that! It had to do with what he was about to uncover not in any sabotage but misappropriation of money on the project! Which would put an end to it and it's main advocate, who can face jail & financial ruin, far worse then any finding of sabotage could have!
The irony of all this is that Captain Cardwell was murdered at almost the exact time that the Scepter missile was launched and finally, after some half dozen tries, went into orbit. It didn't take a long for it to be found out that project officer Major Jerry Reynolds, Robert "The Rock" Rockwell, was seen leaving the scene of the murder in his jeep. What's also telling is that there's been bad blood between the two, Capt. Cardwell & Maj. Reynolds, since they were in Korea. And just hours before his being murdered Captain Cardwell and Major Reynolds get into a fight outside the base's officers club where Captain Cardwell was knocked on his butt. It's by putting the two together at the air force base and being involved on different sides of the issue in the Air Force Scepter project sparks were sure to fly! And the person who got the worst of it was the now deceased Captain Cardwell.
***SPOILERS**** Being a good friend of Maj. Reynolds Perry Mason takes up his defense but in a military or, what most people consider, kangaroo court where he can't use his usual and colorful courtroom acrobatics without ending up being thrown into the brig himself.Perry methodically brings out the nuts & bolts in the case which has to do with a bolt that was tampered with to make the Scepter crash the last time before it's successful launching. But the most surprising thing in the case is***MAJOR SPOILER***Captain Cardwell's murder has nothing at all to do with that! It had to do with what he was about to uncover not in any sabotage but misappropriation of money on the project! Which would put an end to it and it's main advocate, who can face jail & financial ruin, far worse then any finding of sabotage could have!