The last of Warner Brother's Perry Mason series had a Stella for every season and three Perry's, and the last one of the Perry's wasn't exactly earth shaking. Today, Donald Woods is remembered as the rather dull Charles Darnay opposite Ronald Colman's exciting Sydney Carton in MGM's spectacular "A Tale of Two Cities" and as the heir to the haunted house in William Castle's campy "Thirteen Ghosts", but not much else.
As Perry Mason, he's acceptable, but compared to Warren William and Ricardo Cortez, unexciting. The Della Street of this film is Ann Dvorak, a much respected Warners contract player who could have had a career to rival Bette Davis, taking on a part that had been played by pretty contract players as a part of their quota output. Dvorak is perfectly fine, but definitely above taking on such a low grade B assignment. She easily walks through this as if aware that it was curtains for her A career and just wanted to fulfill an obligation.
Edward McWade is the stuttering bishop, involved in a family scandal where a child was taken away from its mother, and years later, her being accused of murdering her former father-in-law. Anne Nagel is the mysterious woman in the white rain coat, defended by Mason even though evidence seems stacked against her. Tom Kennedy steals the film as Perry's dimwitted witness whose foot continuously enters his mouth with his funny malapropisms. Fortunately short and painless, but rather messy in its plot structuring and a melodramatic last minute confession.
As Perry Mason, he's acceptable, but compared to Warren William and Ricardo Cortez, unexciting. The Della Street of this film is Ann Dvorak, a much respected Warners contract player who could have had a career to rival Bette Davis, taking on a part that had been played by pretty contract players as a part of their quota output. Dvorak is perfectly fine, but definitely above taking on such a low grade B assignment. She easily walks through this as if aware that it was curtains for her A career and just wanted to fulfill an obligation.
Edward McWade is the stuttering bishop, involved in a family scandal where a child was taken away from its mother, and years later, her being accused of murdering her former father-in-law. Anne Nagel is the mysterious woman in the white rain coat, defended by Mason even though evidence seems stacked against her. Tom Kennedy steals the film as Perry's dimwitted witness whose foot continuously enters his mouth with his funny malapropisms. Fortunately short and painless, but rather messy in its plot structuring and a melodramatic last minute confession.