Perry Mason (TV Series) The Case of the Petulant Partner (1959) User Reviews

Truncated ending

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 11 December 2022]

In the desert an elderly service station owner spreads the word that somebody named Chuck Clark is back in town. Old timer Harry Bright goes out to find Chuck and demand his half of their partnership money. Harry Bright runs into Chuck's new wife Margaret who looks like she is being entirely too chummy with someone who is supposed to be her brother, Howard Roper. Harry is offered only one hundred thousand dollars from Chuck versus the two million Harry estimates that he is due So Harry enlists the help of Perry Mason to help him get his true half of the money. Perry calls on Chuck to try and work out this disagreement that initially erupted over Harry saying that Chuck's wife is no good.

While Perry is there, Margaret and Harry leave to make their weekly all day trip to visit their ailing "Aunt Jenny". So that's what they called it back in the day. Later, Harry gets a report from a PI saying that Margaret and Harry are definitely NOT brother and sister. Harry is angry, Chuck is angrier. Later that evening Margaret is found shot to death. Harry is arrested for the crime and Perry Mason has yet another dull contracts case elevated to first degree murder.

The murderer doesn't even confess here or have something happen that indicates he might as well confess. The episode simply ends in the epilogue where Perry explains everything and who was guilty. The entire ending felt rushed.

Battle of Old Goats

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 2 January 2022]

This was entertaining as a couple of old fellows who were partners, coming up with millions, find themselves at odds. There is also another senior character and a couple of gold diggers. The character actors make this happen reasonable well.

Why Dunnit

[darbski · 10/10 · 5 July 2017]

**SPOILERS** Gotta give it a ten even if there were a few problems.

1st) Lynne Allen (Louise Dayton) is a fox, and cheap entertainment "cocktail waitress", who is obviously paid off; happily telling Perry that she'll swear to the lie in court. Who wouldn't want a mistress lie that? 2nd) No gun; probably buried in the desert. 3rd) Bullet test negates any value to the bullet (timing). 4th) The typewriter Salty used (and caught in a lie by Perry) establishes the fact that he lied and any testimony from him is "fruit of the poisoned tree". These facts are enough to wipe out any evidence against Perry's client. Also, Perry knew that Margaret and Howard WERE brother and sister; he said nothing to Chuck when he threatened Howard. They still had NO evidence that he had been blackmailing Margaret. So WHY would Perry want Chuck mad at Howard; except to re-unite old friends chuck and Harry? Devious.

The ending is good for these reasons: Even if the nephew, Bill, killed Margaret, he NEVER admitted it, and where was ANYTHING linking him to the crime? Again, NO GUN. So what if he was having an affair with her? He already stated that any estate he was going to get was in trust. what was his motive? They don't really know WHEN she was killed. They have a theory, but NO evidence, and NO proof. If he keeps his mouth shut, he's home and dry. What makes this a good ending is the fact that sometimes people get away with crime. Even on television. Maybe the writers showed just that. Creepy old desert rat Salty Sims got his pay for trying to fix the old partners who made out on his mistake. A little trickery between Drake and Morgan, carbon copies, and ethics, too.

Perry is driving a beautiful 1959 Cadillac Eldorado convertible, and when he is in Salty's gas station, he tells Salty to "fill it up". Just great, but there were still what they called "visible pumps" in use; not many, but some. Problem was that they had to pump the gas into the visible container above the pump body before they could put it into someone's gas tank, He didn't do that. He pumped NO gas. Gun "in the glove compartment"? I wonder how many times THAT ONE was used? The fact is, in many desert areas, it is perfectly legal to carry, i.e., in a holster; a varmint gun. You can carry it in public if it is so allowed. In the glove container gets old, though.

Warming Spoilers

[jn-91348 · 10/10 · 10 October 2021]

Margaret Clark and Bill Shayne where having an affair. Bill Shayne signed into the hotel several times under the name Howard Roper. Bill Shayne murdered Margaret Clark because of the money.

Hooray for You!

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 16 May 2013]

****SPOILERS**** Famed defense attorney Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, who's handled some strange cases in his career has never handled any thing even close to this case. It has to do with Old Man Chuck Clark's, Will Wright, new bride the pretty Margaret Clark, Nan Leslie, who just married Chuck for his money, two million bucks worth, not his looks. Clark knows that about his new bride's feelings about him since he no Cary Grant or even Walter Brennan, Grandpapa Amos of the Real McCoys, in the looks department but the silly old guy, he looks like he's in his 90's, doesn't give a lick. He just want companionship and Margaret is more then willing to provide it for him in the money he has to, after he's dead and buried, offer her. It doesn't take that long, about 10 minutes into the Perry Mason episode, for Margaret to get murdered off screen. And the #1 suspect in Margaret's murder is Clark's business partner for the last 30 years Harry Bright, R.G Armstrong.

What at first seems to have been behind Margaret's murder is a strange letter that Harry got documenting the fact that she was actually married to an Howard Roper, Myron Healey, who been going around town claiming that she's actually his sister. This has Harry go bananas in confirming what he always suspected that not only did the gold digging Margaret marry his business partner for his money, which she in fact never hid, but was already married in the first place! It took a while for Perry together with the help of of his good friend private detective Paul Drake, William Hopper, to get to the bottom of who in fact did murder Margaret Clark and it was indeed for the money but not her's but her husband Chuck Clark. Or the two million dollars she was going to inherit from him after he finally checked, or died, out. Which in having one foot in the grave already didn't seem so far away!

***SPOILERS*** One of the few Perry Mason episodes where the murderer didn't brake down and admit his guilt as Perry cross-examined him on the stand. Here he just was stunned silent, like with a ray-gun, and by not saying a world admitted his guilt. The ending was so confusing that later just before the shows ending credits were to start rolling Perry explained it, who murdered Margaret and why, to us as well as Paul Drake and his private secretary Della Street, Barbara Hale, who were present with him.

The Case of the Petulant Partner

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 27 May 2024]

Business partners Chuck Clark and Harry Bright were good friends as well as successful in business together.

When the older Clark marries young bride Margaret. The two men drift apart. Harry regards her as a gold digger and he goes to Perry Mason for advice.

Perry tells Harry to dissolve the partnership. He goes to see Clark and talks to Margaret. She jokes that she only married Clark for his money. However her brother seems to be hanging around like a leech.

When Margaret is found dead, Harry is arrested as the main suspect. He had come into some vital information that Margaret and her brother were not siblings.

There are no shortage of suspects. There is a sympathetic look at Margaret the victim, maybe she really did want to settle down with the older Clark.

The ending was surprisingly rushed. I had a good idea of the likely suspect but the motive and everything else had to be explained in the epilogue.

Had it not been for the epilogue we would have never known

[kfo9494 · 5/10 · 15 May 2013]

Here is one of those mysteries that was going so well you are on the edge of your seat to actually find out the true murderer and the situation leading up to the crime. But then like a 1912 ship disaster, we are forced into the cold water of reality when the show's ending is less than desirable and we never really get a confession until Perry wraps the show up in the epilogue. Such a nice story that was rudely ruined by the quick ending.

The story centers around a partnership of Harry Bright and Chuck Clark. The older Chuck has just married a very young woman named Margaret who actually confesses to marrying him for his money. Harry is none to happy thinking Margaret is after the money in the company and accuses Margaret of trying to steal from a old man.

Anyway when Harry gets information that Margaret is married to another, he runs to tell Chuck. What transpires next is unknown since nearly everyone in the cast is lying but we do know that Margaret was shot and killed by a bullet that was fired from Harry's gun. And Perry will defend Harry outside the confines of LA for the murder of Margaret Clark.

The writers gave the viewers many suspects to choose from in this episode. From a upset gas attendant to the supposedly brother of the victim, everybody seemed like the killer. But it will not be till the very end when we get a semi confession that the situation is clearer.

Such a great mystery that seemed thrown away by a fast and confusing ending. It had nothing to do with the acting in this show since the actors were all veterans and preformed their characters with great skill. It all came down to the writing for the one hour format. So much good material- then not enough time for the ending.

The episode did have some good moments as we get to see Perry in an all white suit while performing his duty in the rural court house. And anytime we have Jamie Forster as the Judge, we know we are in for justice country style.

Trophy wife done in

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 11 September 2014]

Not one of the better Perry Mason stories as even when we learn who the murderer is, his motives are not really explained too well in the inevitable epilogue. The client here is R.G. Armstrong lifelong partner and friend of Will Wright who has taken unto himself what we would now call a trophy wife.

You know even after watching the episode I never did quite learn just what their business was, but whatever it is it's made them a lot of money. But trophy wife Nan Leslie has split them apart and when she's shot to death the blame falls on him.

There are numerous friends and relatives in the picture including Leslie's brother Myron Healey. William Hopper tracks down an altered report about Leslie from another detective which has a great bearing on the solution. That and a second bullet fired into the ground is an important, but false clue.

Not up to the Perry Mason standard, but all right.

Fun story but unfair ending

[Jelevision · 5/10 · 31 July 2022]

It's always fun when Perry gets out in the country to beat someone besides the pathetic Hamilton Burger.

The problem with this episode, though, is that the ending - and the revelation of the real killer - comes out of nowhere. What's with the woman the hotel? Confusing and unfair to viewers who watched the episode trying to decipher the killer and the motive.