Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Married Moonlighter (1958) User Reviews

Perry defends a man accused of killing for money

[kfo9494 · 7/10 · 19 April 2013]

This episode follows the life of a family man Danny Harrison that is trying to hold down two jobs to support his family. It appears that his daughter has large medical bills since she has to wear a brace on her leg. His wife, Eileen, is about at wits-end and ready to file for divorce.

One evening at Danny's second job at Luke Hickey's café, he runs into an old friend named Frank Curren. Frank has been drinking and is causing a problem at the café. When Luke wants to call the police, Danny intervenes and says that he will take the drunk back to Frank's apartment. Frank has a small bill at the café and Luke goes into the drunk's pockets to get his one dollar and pulls out a wad of cash. He takes his dollar, putting the rest back in his pocket, then Danny drives him home.

The next day Frank is found dead and the evidence points to Danny killing Frank for the money. Even with some suspicious evidence, Danny will need Perry to defend him on the murder charge filed by Hamilton Burger's office.

The episode was full of twist and turns that keep the viewer off their feet. From a woman that wanted to marry Frank to a man that had outstanding IOU's held by Frank, there was many red-herring situations to following in this show. But when the true murderer confesses on the witness stand, it will be one that will tie all loose ends together and make for a nice mystery.

Just Wait Until I get You Upstairs

[DKosty123 · 8/10 · 16 November 2019]

Actually, a couple of pretty busy tv script writers came up with a script full of red herrings. Poor Danny, working 2 jobs and not making enough money, reminds me of the economy after free trade where nobody was making any money and working 3 of them which is much later. Of course here, in these times, the wife was not expected to work.

I always like Lt. Tragg and he gets a lot of work in this one. He even has to go out during Lunch hour from Court and find stuff in the decedents car. Then there is the presence of that Maytage Repair man Jesse White. In this case Danny is moonlighting when he has to take the drunken Frank home. He leaves him in his apartment and then the next morning finds out he was murdered after he left.

This episode has the hidden car compartment, with a gun but the murder is comitted with a bookend. This episode has the classic murderer confession on the stand.

The Case of the Unliked Decedent

[bnwfilmbuff · 7/10 · 17 July 2020]

Ann Sargent approaches Perry about divorcing Art Franz due to financial problems in spite of still being in love with him. Schoolteacher Franz is moonlighting waiting tables at a struggling diner owned by Jesse White. Stacy Harris , drunk and obnoxious, calls old acquaintance Franz a loser while being served a bowl of chili by him then passes out during a fight with Jesse. Franz overlooks Harris' behavior and takes him home. But not before Jesse finds Harris has a wad of cash while looking to get paid for the chili. Harris' neighbor Tom Palmer complains of noise when Franz is helping Harris get into his apartment. Palmer lost a packet to Harris playing poker a few hours earlier. Francis Helm and business partner Doug Evans were sitting in the car for an hour waiting for Harris to come home. Helm wanted Harris to marry her even though she hated him! The next morning Harris is found dead in his apartment and Franz is accused. Perry gets Burger and Tragg distracted as he zeros in on the killer. Good but not great Perry.

Maytag Man

[darbski · 10/10 · 9 June 2017]

**SPOILERS** For starters, it wouldn't have bothered me to see the defendant spend a few months in the L.A. county lockup so his wife's dad could straighten out their finances. I mean, what the hell, his teaching job's probably gone (at least for the year). You're right; as in so many cases of Perry's, I have no respect for the defendant maybe Perry likes him, but I think he's a self important snob (No wife of mine is going to work for a living) who feels it's better to leave his wife alone so he can follow his dream. Never mind the fact that their appliances are being re-po'd, and everything else that goes with family stupidity. Maybe after he gets passed around by a couple of jailhouse gorillas he'll value his wife and home more (if he has a wife and home). Like so many of Perry's clients: a fool. I, well; you know how I feel.

The girl, Linda Kennedy that knew the butthead dead guy was spot-on as a sexy librarian, besides Della, she was the only rose in the thorns.

The best part in the show was the actual killer. If it wasn't for the fact that he was gonna watch Danny fry (figuratively speaking). Kinda cool way to go, though; a fry cook frying - but I digress. Jesse White plays the broke restaurant owner who robs and kills Curran; another dead guy that got his just desserts. Mr. White's brief explanation was heartfelt and believable; exactly what we expect from the Screen Actor's Guild. He's the guy in commercials who was "The Maytag Man" - the mechanic that was always bored to tears because Maytags never broke down. Indispensable character actor whose list of appearances is in the IMDb; also indispensable (R.I.P. Mr. White). Perry had the last line from straight man Paul after Della set it up; very funny... The shtick was used several times, and I always know that Paul should put his check in his wallet right away; Perry can definitely afford it.

I was gonna let this go - as is. What stopped me, you ask? I'll be happy to explain. I don't think Perry EVER worried about money. If you think back through several episodes you'll remember how many times Perry is concluding a case in business law to take on one of these clients. People THINK he's a criminal attorney, but I humbly submit that he was a shark. The fact that he's a genius doesn't mean that anyone else has to know it. You can nail it to the barn door for all to see, because I stand by the fact that Perry and his team of legal saviors were doing very well financially. End of transmission.

Just a thought

[jsh-23719 · 8/10 · 7 February 2022]

In this episode it has a lady wanting to marry a man she loathed. Then, after he was murdered, she quickly married her business partner, that she obviously didn't love. Why would a woman do that? She must have been pregnant. I can't think of any other reason. Yes, it happened back then but women didn't want everyone to know like they do now. It was shameful to be in that position. And her being a business owner would have made her want to hide it even more. I think her business partner was in love with her and took advantage of her situation to get her to marry him. Everyone else has reviewed the other parts of this episode so I won't. Just thinking about this unexplained storyline.

Poignant AND Delightful

[therealjohnhood · 10/10 · 31 January 2022]

Another delightful episode from one of TV's greatest ensembles -- Tragg, Burger, Street & Drake play perfectly off and with Perry, as always. It was keen to quote Luke Hickey's (Jessie White) confession on the IMDb page too. Up till that point he was just a lughead; then we witness a truly caring and decent -- and now broken -- man. White was spot on!

Almost quaint

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 5 August 2013]

Watching this episode of Perry Mason with Arthur Franz holding down two jobs, teaching and working in an all night diner, showed just how old fashioned and dated this episode was. Today in a large municipality like Los Angeles teachers are doing a whole lot better and the money troubles that are breaking up the marriage of Franz and Anne Sargent seems almost quaint.

Sargent in fact is the one to see Raymond Burr about a divorce as she feels her husband is just not supporting them as well as he could, that there are legitimate opportunities out there. But it's Franz who needs a lawyer when he's arrested for the murder of Stacy Harris who was drunk, disorderly, and known to be carrying a large roll of cash from poker winnings.

Of course there are a large number of red herring suspects because Harris was not a likable guy. But the perpetrator turns out to be someone who seizes an opportunity.

More I will not say, but with that clue you just might figure out who did it before I did.

"When I'm all wound up, I watch tv"

[ebertip · 6/10 · 1 December 2020]

Eileen Harrison comes to Perry about getting a divorce from Danny who is working two jobs but still going under. In his diner job, Danny encounters a drunk former high school buddy Frank Curran, who has just won $2k in a poker game at the Mayberry Hotel. $1k of this is in the form of two $500 bills (Mckinleys, last printed in 1945). Curran ends up dead and Danny is charged. Curiously, the police have no evidence that Danny has or had the money. Perry is on the case, tho unlikely he will make money on this. Perry gets Tragg to do some legwork, and Paul's people hit paydirt following a suspect, where a $500 bill arises. The attraction of Linda Kennedy for Frank Curran is inexplicable. Palmer gives the line about television and they did not even have MeTV in 1958 (and most tv signed off late at night). Although this is season two, this is still the rough edged Perry of season one.

Direction

[forryjesse · 16 November 2019]

Another bad episode due to the director. Poor casting and terrible direction.

Some Things Are a Bit Difficult to Swallow

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 18 December 2021]

First of all, no one is mentioning what the teaching salaries were in those days. This guy's family was really in rough shape. And a little girl who may have polio or something like that. This issue is never dealt with after the arrest. Then there's the utter stupidity of taking that guy back to his apartment. Why? The police should have put him in the tank overnight. He was young. He could think of his family and get a job in industry. Go back to teaching when his family was stable. I've never seen a 500 dollar bill! Was there such a thing. Then what about that gun? By the way, I'm sure that Paul Drake was going to get paid. Perry's tearing up his check was just a joke.

The Case of the Married Moonlighter

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 13 October 2022]

Eileen Harrison comes to Perry Mason about getting a divorce.

She has had enough of money troubles with her husband Danny a schoolteacher holding down two jobs to support his family.

One of them as a teacher and another one in a diner. That does not stop the repo men possessing goods.

Danny meets an old high school friend Frank Curran at the diner He is drunk, insults Danny and has a large wad of cash on him that he won in a poker game. Frank passes out.

Danny takes Frank home. When Danny is later found dead, Danny is arrested even though he does not have the money.

Obviously Perry Mason is unlikely to be paid for this job. I think the story was straining for alternative suspects.

Given that the owner of the diner was struggling financially, he could be the only likely suspect. No wonder he quickly broke down in court.

This is all I need with all my other problems!

[sol1218 · 5/10 · 9 August 2013]

****SPOILERS*** The very ethical and straight laced Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, bends the law a little to get the killer of drunken gambler Frank Curren, Stacy Harris, to confess to his crime by telling him that his fingerprints were found in his victim's car which in fact they weren't. Perry also stiffs his good friend and in house private investigator Paul Drake, William Hooper, by not paying him for his services in that Perry, can you believe it, was dead broke at the time. I would assume after he got the cash he owned Drake Perry paid him or else he would have been brought up for theft of services and lost his license to practice law. As for the person who Perry is defending school teacher diner counterman and part time waiter Danny Harrison, Arthur Franz, he's in no financial position to pay Perry who takes the case on Pro Bono or in plain English for free.

It was Curren who dropped into Lunke's Diner, where the money strapped Danny is moonlights, in order to get himself a sizzling hot bowl of chili after a hot poker game where he ended up winning some $2,000.00. As things turned the drunk and barley on his feet Curren make a spectacle of himself in not liking the service, which from what I could see was excellent, that after making a mess of the place tried to belt the owner Luke Hickey, Jesse White, missing him by about six inches and falling dead drunk flat on his behind. Wih Danny assisting the passed out Curren back to his apartment to dry out he's found the next morning murdered with the $2,000.00 he had on him missing. Indited for Curren's murder Danny is not only facing bankruptcy and his home being for-closed and infant daughter not getting a desperately needed new leg brace for her polio but facing a trip to the San Quentin gas chamber if he's convicted of murder. This guy really has problems.

****SPOILERS**** Perry realizing that Curren's murder was because of the money he had on him checks out all the members of the poker game that he was involved in just before he was whacked. That in Perry thinking that it was because Curren cleaned them out in the game of poker that one or more of them took advantage of his being too drunk to know what's happening to steal the cash off him. And for good measures to keep him from talking put him to sleep for good. As it turned out Perry was half right in that Curren was murdered for the money he had on him. But his killer wasn't a member of the poker game that he was involved in. But in the end CUrren's murderer ended up paying a lot more, life behind bars and possible execution by the state, then any of those who lost to him in what turned out to be a deadly the game of cards.