On his way to a well deserved, fishing vacation, famous trial lawyer Perry Mason, finds himself enlisted to defend a man accused of stealing a company town's payroll. Not only does the defendant have a criminal record, but part of the stolen money is found at his home.
Unlike what is falsely stated in the introduction of this program. This is the only short story written by Earl Stanley Gardner featuring Perry Mason with courtroom 'fireworks'! First printed in Collier's Magazine in 1953, four years before the long running CBS television series began in 1957. It was later expanded, with the addition of a murder, to become the 11th episode of the show's third season, in January of 1960, as The Case of the Violent Village.
Our presentation was originally broadcast when Gremlin Time was a weekly, 30 min. show. And back then we read an abridged version. For this program, Fortunato reads the edited out opening passages, and Red Ryder presents the main part of the story. We've also filled out the show with a couple of selections to evoke the 1950s presented as a musical break.
We open this program with an audio homage to the great TV series Perry Mason, featuring the voices of series regulars Raymond Burr as Perry Mason, Barbara Hale as Della Street, William Hopper as Paul Drake, and William Talman as D.A. Hamilton Burger. Also, a special appearance by guest star Edgar Buchanan.
- KBOO