Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Violent Vest (1961) User Reviews

Lt Tragg in full form in this interesting mystery

[kfo9494 · 9/10 · 13 July 2012]

What really makes this show work is the needling between Lt Tragg and Perry. Just like back in the very early episodes, we get Lt Tragg and Perry battling to see who can better each other in the world of criminal justice. The verbal exchanges between Lt Tragg and Perry - plus the exchanges of Hamilton Burger in the courtroom-- brings back all the interesting activities that made the series great.

The episode begins as we see Mrs Albright in such a gambling problem that Mr Herman Albright wants out of the marriage. He agrees to pay the gambling debt in exchange for a quickie divorce. But because of the amount he will have to borrow the money from his boss Walter Caffrey.

Mr Albright, works in an advertising agency, has fallen in love with the company model Grace Halley. Grace Halley is 'Miss Debutante' in one of the campaign ads that the company is working. However, the feeling is not mutual. In fact, Ms Halley is married but if that information is revealed she could lose her contract as being Miss Debutante and the money that goes along with the job.

When Mr Albright is shot and killed evidence points to Grace Halley as the murderer. There is even photographic evidence that sheds light on the fact that Ms Halley is lying not only to Lt Tragg but also to Perry. And we all know that lying to Perry is never good.

Even with the falsehood, Perry agrees to defend her in court, where we get some good interaction between Hamilton Burger and Perry. And with the help of Paul Drake, in his TV repair outfit, Perry will work backwards and produce a courtroom confession that could save his client from the gas chamber.

With all the good interactions between characters- this show was interesting and provided a good mystery for the viewer. Only four more episodes remain in season 4. Here is hoping the rest are as good as this show.

Sexual harassment

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 13 July 2012]

It wasn't called sexual harassment back then, but one of the components of this Perry Mason episode was just that. The incredibly beautiful Myrna Fahey has been named Miss Debutante and one of the contest executives Erik Rhodes is panting hot and heavy after her. His wife Dorothy Green has a big gambling problem, something that Rhodes's boss Hayden Rorke is concerned about.

Fahey resists Rhodes mightily, but later when he winds up dead she's looking real good to Ray Collins for the homicide. Since she's already consulted Perry Mason about her contract, he's at the ready to defend her. Of course she's not completely truthful about her situation with him which is never a good idea.

As it turns out it's quite the convoluted motive for the crime that gets Rhodes dead. The episode has enough herrings for a rainbow rather than just red. You won't see this one coming.

The case of the oblivious agent ...

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 9 January 2023]

... and he's oblivious to the fact that he is a bald middle aged guy with the sex appeal of an alarm clock and the object of his affection has paid zero attention to him that has not been in the realm of their profession, which is an ad campaign in which said girl is a model.

Herman Albright is the agent in question. The girl in question, Grace, is a girl who obtained a lucrative modelling contract and is working with Herman. I can't blame Herman for looking elsewhere. His wife has all kinds of expensive tastes AND a bad gambling habit and just thinks Herman will take her behavior forever.

Herman goes out one night to a bar, has a couple of drinks, and is found murdered the next morning. His wife identifies the body, but says that the clothes he is wearing - a very loud outfit - is not what he was wearing when he left the house that night nor is it anything or like anything that he owns. The police settle on Grace as a suspect, and though innocent, she has a few secrets of her own, not the least of which is that she is secretly married to a guy who is tired of her being hit on by people who think that she is single, including the late Herman Albright.

There are larger parts here for all five regulars in this episode, which is a welcome change. And there is some great courtroom sparring between Burger and Perry. Also, you might recognize the actor who played Herman Albright, Eric Rhodes, from the old Astaire and Rogers musicals, where he also played a guy who seemed clueless as to what the ladies really thought of him.

A return to the earlier days of the show

[bh-boclraca · 10/10 · 23 January 2010]

Not only was the episode well-written, but it also involved all five major characters in the case, a welcome change. William Tallman, who had been banished towards the end of the previous season, was in his old form. I prefer seeing Hamilton Burger locking horns with Perry instead of seeing new prosecutors and locations. Lt. Tragg was in his traditional role of nipping at the heels of Mr. Mason and Paul Drake. It's always good to see Della actively helping out, instead of being a glorified message and note taker. It seemed like the original formula centered around the five principals had gradually given way to more screen time for the guest stars, at the expense of Ms. Street, Mr. Burger and Lt. Tragg. Too many shows seemed to be centered mostly around the guests, Perry, and Paul, with Della almost making cameos. This was a refreshing episode.

Doris Ziffel Meet Dr Bellows

[DKosty123 · 10/10 · 31 January 2010]

This episode is very well written in addition to having a very good cast. Barbara Pepper has a brief but important role while Haydne Rourke (Dr Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie) has a more important role in finding the murderer as a key witness.

The main plot involves a man whose wife has a major gambling problem. He wants to divorce her in order to express his love to a younger woman he has been working with for a while. She has no interest in him, but the complications of the triangle come into play when he is murdered & the younger woman is arrested & charged with murder.

There is a lot of involvement with everyone in this one in solving the case & it contains several classic courtroom encounters of Mason & Burger. A fine episode indeed.

Low Down Blues?

[darbski · 10/10 · 20 September 2017]

**SPOILERS** A lot of dirt to spread around on this little pack of liars, isn't there? The first liar is Grace, Perry's client, who is defrauding the model agency she works for by actively making them believe that she's single. She goes to Perry originally because she wants out of her contract. Her boss, Herman Albright, has the terminal hots for her, and it's obvious that she can forget her career if he finds out about her Huz. She is a typical Perry client. Stupid, selfish, conniving, in deep trouble, and accused of murder.

Her husband, who goes along with it falling on the "Our careers were just getting started" baloney. That's as stupid as the "I did it for my FAMILY" excuse. He also is makin out quite nicely, and doesn't want to tell the truth.

Albright himself, concealing his lust for Grace from his wife, hoping to get a divorce. His wife, coercing him into paying gambling debts, then upping the ante when she sees that he can get what she originally asked for.

His boss, Walter Caffrey, who callously set up Herman to take his place when he was to meet with someone in the Trinidad bar, to supposedly pay his own extortion or be threatened with death... By his partner Ennicks who's in jail for tax fraud, who conspired with Joy LeBaron (his main squeeze), to I.D. him for some personal terrorizing.

Like I said, nice nest of liars. Well, Nest meet Perry. He figures out who's who, and what's up, and puts the kibosh to all their little schemes.

A couple of questions. what happened to the murder gun? Why didn't they call the sweetheart photographer to the stand? Next problem: who all is gonna take a serious fall on this homicide? First, of course, Joy LeBaron. She's a babe, alright, but she brought the gun to the crime, used it, and THAT'S Murder One. Her boyfriend, Ennicks for conspiring with her to terrorize Caffrey. This makes him an accessory to murder because of it. I'll bet he's gonna be shocked to find out that a little time for fraud has ballooned into a lot of time for murder.

Caffrey, this is one that's a little sticky. It's murder, alright, but can they prove that he knew he was about to be killed? Probably murder two. He's neck deep in the cesspool that Ennicks took a fall for originally, he hired a bodyguard, had Albright wear his clothes. How he thought he'd be able to get away with it defies imagination.

Grace is out of contention in the who's going to prison contest. Her career as a debutant is over, though. Now, this part was played by Myrna Fahey, who is absolutely beautiful, but does not look young enough to be anybody's debutant. You'd think a modeling agency (guys who know about beauty, girls, and women) would be able to spot this right off. Her huz can still carry on as a photog, though. Maybe she'll write a book for all her little "Debutant" fans, you know? "Poor l Little Me" type drivel.

If the reader of this review wants a little more grist for the mill, read about Sonya Wilde. Wikipedia's got a little of her story online. She was a serious babe, too. Barbara Hale wasn't the only babe in this story.

The Big Gamble

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 17 January 2022]

An old guy who works for an ad agency has the hots for one of his models. Because she's nice to him, he decides he wants to marry her, if he can get rid of his gambling obsessed, conniving wife. He needs to come up with 5K to pay off her debts but she wants more. However, she isn't the murder victim in this one; he is. Of course, the cute brunette model, who is only looking out for herself, gets charged with the murder. There are some interesting courtroom events with Burger sparring with Mason. Also, Tragg is at his best when looking for the young woman to charge her.

Dr. Bellows Running Scared

[bhoover247 · 9/10 · 16 April 2020]

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. First we have Dr. Bellows running scared and using Mr. Albright as a shooting target for somebody out to get him.

The highlight of this episode for me the hilarious testimony of Doris Ziffel. She was too funny. I expected Perry to use Arnold the pig to contradict her testimony.

In a bit of a changeup, the guy that got killed, Mr. Albright wasn't evil or a bad guy, just incredibly stupid.

Wife with gambling problem-1961 version

[ebertip · 7/10 · 28 October 2020]

Herman Albright (played by a 55 year old actor) has a wife (actress age 41) named Ida who has a gambling problem and an immediate debt of $5k. Herman reasonably wants out but delusionally thinks he can run away with Grace Halley (played by Myrna Fahey, age 28), who is the "face" of an ad campaign run by Herman. Grace tries to tell Herman "no way," and goes to see Perry about her contract. Note for 1961, part of the "morals" clause includes joining a subversive group. Meanwhile, Herman gets the $5k from his boss in return for doing a favor. Herman gets "picked up" at a bar by one Joy Lebaron (actress age 23) and the bartender Walter Clemmons immediately suspects something is amiss and "cards" Joy who provides her true drivers license. Herman later is shot to death at close range with a small caliber pistol. Grace is arrested and Perry defends. As the title suggests, the vest worn by Herman at his death is the pivot and Perry fills in the blanks. There is a later Mason involving a wife with a gambling problem (Gambling Lady), in which Myrna Fahey plays the wife ("Myrna") who is the decedent. There is an interesting inversion between the two. In "Vest," one element (Herman) is not what what one person thinks ("counterfeit"). In "Gambling Lady," what most peo

I've got some bad habits. But shooting strangers isn't one of them

[sol1218 · 5/10 · 18 August 2013]

****SPOILERS**** Over the top in the number of red white & blue as well as purple & green herrings in it as well as below the radar in how little sense it makes Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, episode in it having to do with the soon to be crowned 1961 Miss Débutant Grace Halley, Myrna Fahey. It's Grace who ends up getting indited in her biggest supporter and big wig in the Miss Débutant contest love sick old man Herman Albright's, Eric Rhodes, murder. Herman has been on the outs with his old lady Ida, Borothy Green, in how she's gambling away his money in the casinos all around town. Herman is planning to dump Ida Herman in order to have her replaced with the much younger and very lovely Grace. But the trouble is that she's not at all interested in him. Never letting up for a moment Herman gets Grace to meet him at the Trinidad Bar to make plans to elope to Mexico and get hitched there. Even though Grace is secretly married to photographer Buddy Frye, Joe Cronin, which if found out would have her disqualified from the Miss Débutante contest.

Instead of meeting Grace at the Trinidad Bar old & conservative Herman, all decked out in a 1960's swinger outfit, is approached by this young chick young enough to be his granddaughter Vicky Dolan, Rosmary Eliot. Vicky who after striking up a conversation with Herman who buys her a drink disappears with the silly old fool, who should have known better, into the night. The next day Herman is found shot to death as Vicky evaporated into thin air! As for Grace who showed at the Trinidad Bar and was secretly photographed there she's now in hot water in being arrested in Herman's murder. It soon comes out that Herman's boss in the Miss Débutant contest the squeaky clean Walter Lebaron, Hyder Rorke, had given Herman a bank check for a cool $5,0000.00 for what seemed like to pay for his honeymoon in Mexico with Grace Halley! The honeymoon was over before it started with the groom Herman Albrght murdered and the bride Grace Halley charged with the crime. But with Perry Mason coming to Grace's defense you just knew that the sparks will soon be flying hot & heavy but as for the story it will continue to keep on going downhill.

***SPOILERS*** As Perry soon brings out Herman's murder was a simple case of mistaken identity on his murderers part. It was in fact innocent bystander Walter Lebaron who was supposed to be targeted. It also turned out that the innocent Lebaron wasn't that innocent at all. He not only knew that he was targeted for a hit job but used Herman as a human shield in order to protect himself. That's by letting Herman wear his swinging cloths, including his jazzy spotted vest, for his date with Grace Halley which in fact sadly turned out to be a date with death for him!