While the picture was running I kept wondering why, every time the Hamilton Burger character appeared on screen, he was called Mr. Burger (soft G). It may be the only thing that sets "The Case Of The Stuttering Bishop" apart from the rest of the series. Warner Bros. kept changing the Perry Mason character, and here they settled on the lacklustre Donald Woods, perhaps the weakest of the group. In my opinion, they missed the boat with Ricardo Cortez, who played the role only once and was the best Mason.
In this entry they may have the cleverest story of the series, which defies you to guess the murderer, coupled with the most uninteresting cast they could have assembled. They also kept changing Paul Drake, here played by Joseph Crehan, the best of the bunch but older and shorter than the rest of the players. Ann Dvorak, an excellent but unattractive actress, plays Della Street in a wasted role.
In good 'B' mysteries time is of the essence, and this one was no different. A great deal of plot was squashed into 70 minutes, and the viewer is compelled to pay attention - no time for fridge visits with this one. In fact, I had to run it back once or twice during the climax to catch myself up with the fast-unfolding solution. This was a good, solid mystery, and I could almost overlook the crummy cast.
In this entry they may have the cleverest story of the series, which defies you to guess the murderer, coupled with the most uninteresting cast they could have assembled. They also kept changing Paul Drake, here played by Joseph Crehan, the best of the bunch but older and shorter than the rest of the players. Ann Dvorak, an excellent but unattractive actress, plays Della Street in a wasted role.
In good 'B' mysteries time is of the essence, and this one was no different. A great deal of plot was squashed into 70 minutes, and the viewer is compelled to pay attention - no time for fridge visits with this one. In fact, I had to run it back once or twice during the climax to catch myself up with the fast-unfolding solution. This was a good, solid mystery, and I could almost overlook the crummy cast.