Enjoyed this both times I saw it. And, both times, I noticed the "directed by" credit and was compelled to research if this is the same director who went on to direct Superman, Goonies and the Lethal Weapon series. Yep. Same Richard Donner.
6 Reviews
Myrna Unhelped
darbski9 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILERS** No doubt. Right away, we're treated with a Liz Taylor lookalike, Myrna Fahey. with beauty equaling Della's (as Myrna Warren), she gets some good acting time before she is unceremoniously murdered. Ruta Lee is the other beauty; a blonde busybody who is neck deep in what's going on. Jesse White plays a crooked casino operator who WAS married to Irene (Ruta), and I'm just gonna say right now that if a dufus like Jesse is married to a hottie like Ruta, that's enough luck for a lifetime.
Peter Breck plays the loudmouthed, overbearing, dumb business owner married to Myrna. Just perfect for Perry's client. Which he already was, and was too stupid to tell Perry what was happening immediately when he found Myrna dead. He had NO emotion for the loss of this beautiful lady, and was just too cool about it.
Now, that's enough of the confusion for me. It's okay, Ruta was busted along with the killer (she was helping frame Myrna), and it ends successfully for Perry, with Dells playing the slots in Reno. One point is Perry telling Della the reason the investigator hit the slot was because he was a professional gambler - ridiculous. The other thing is that when talking about Myrna's gambling, Perry referred to it as "complusive". It's an addiction, just like alcoholism. Della, of course, was lovely, and Paul got some good screen time.
Question is: why kill Myrna? (besides the need for a story, alright?). I mean this: the killer knew there were NO counterfeit chips, didn't he? No way to trace them at all.. Since there were no counterfeit chips, why pass them in Cerro's (Jesse White's) casino? the best plan would have to be to avoid the place like the plague. Why drag any risk to the front door of your own partner?
Peter Breck plays the loudmouthed, overbearing, dumb business owner married to Myrna. Just perfect for Perry's client. Which he already was, and was too stupid to tell Perry what was happening immediately when he found Myrna dead. He had NO emotion for the loss of this beautiful lady, and was just too cool about it.
Now, that's enough of the confusion for me. It's okay, Ruta was busted along with the killer (she was helping frame Myrna), and it ends successfully for Perry, with Dells playing the slots in Reno. One point is Perry telling Della the reason the investigator hit the slot was because he was a professional gambler - ridiculous. The other thing is that when talking about Myrna's gambling, Perry referred to it as "complusive". It's an addiction, just like alcoholism. Della, of course, was lovely, and Paul got some good screen time.
Question is: why kill Myrna? (besides the need for a story, alright?). I mean this: the killer knew there were NO counterfeit chips, didn't he? No way to trace them at all.. Since there were no counterfeit chips, why pass them in Cerro's (Jesse White's) casino? the best plan would have to be to avoid the place like the plague. Why drag any risk to the front door of your own partner?
Goodbye Mr. Chip
Hitchcoc25 February 2022
This whole episode involves the counterfeiting of casino poker chips which are cashed in. For one thing, the chips look so childish and plain that anyone could have made them. Then we have a compulsive gambler and an array of possible suspects. But overall, the episode seemed endless. Just a throwaway.
Counterfeit Gambling Chips
bkoganbing30 March 2012
The premise behind this Perry Mason episode, the use of fake plastic gambling chips to rob a casino seems so simple I got to wondering just how do clubs protect themselves from a very simple fraud. It's like memorabilia dealers using fake vintage baseball cards to reap a fortune and that has happened.
In any event Raymond Burr gets into this because he is representing Peter Breck in a divorce against Myrna Fahey. Fahey is part of said scheme, but she winds up very dead and her husband a suspect.
William Hopper as Paul Drake gets a little more of the action in this episode. He has to go to Reno and investigate the casino scene there, especially Jesse White who owns one of the newer clubs. Aiding and abetting Hopper is Benny Baker, professional gambler so good that the Nevada Gaming Commission employs Baker now.
I spotted the perpetrator early on and my rule of thumb in Perry Mason TV episodes is if I spot them early, the writers weren't doing their job.
In any event Raymond Burr gets into this because he is representing Peter Breck in a divorce against Myrna Fahey. Fahey is part of said scheme, but she winds up very dead and her husband a suspect.
William Hopper as Paul Drake gets a little more of the action in this episode. He has to go to Reno and investigate the casino scene there, especially Jesse White who owns one of the newer clubs. Aiding and abetting Hopper is Benny Baker, professional gambler so good that the Nevada Gaming Commission employs Baker now.
I spotted the perpetrator early on and my rule of thumb in Perry Mason TV episodes is if I spot them early, the writers weren't doing their job.
This one was a dud.
kfo949412 December 2011
With so many known guest-stars in this episode I was hoping for one of those great mysteries backed up with the fine acting. Boy was I disappointed.
The episode started out so hopeful when we are in a Tahoe casino. Myrna Warren (Myrna Fahey),who had been using counterfeit chips, was discovered by the owner and chased out into the street. She is able to make it to her car and get away before being caught by a casino worker. In fact she hits one of the guys with her car before leaving the area.
Her husband Peter Warren (Peter Breck of Big Valley fame) owns a novelty store that just happens to sell chips for home use. They are going through a divorce when an investigator comes and ask him about his wife. While they are talking Peter gets a call from his wife saying that she is in trouble and they are going to kill her. He blows the investigator off to go see his wife.
To make this long story short (and trust me it seemed long)- Afterwards, Ms Warren is found dead and instead of calling the police, Peter Warren decides to take a trip to Tahoe to confront the casino owners. And as we all know from watching Perry- that is a bad move.
The police believe that Peter killed his wife to shut her up about the chips. So in comes Perry to defend him in order to find the real killer.
The story was not that bad but it was just too long. I could really not get into the story because it seemed that in every situation Peter would make the obvious bad move. And it seemed that everyone was covering up something for someone else. So to me the show got boring fast.
Even Raymond Burr seemed bored about this episode. Instead of his usual flare, he seems not to be acting but just reading words. the best word to describe him would be 'robotic'.
We are fast approaching the end of season eight and hope there are better times a'coming. This episode was a dud.
The episode started out so hopeful when we are in a Tahoe casino. Myrna Warren (Myrna Fahey),who had been using counterfeit chips, was discovered by the owner and chased out into the street. She is able to make it to her car and get away before being caught by a casino worker. In fact she hits one of the guys with her car before leaving the area.
Her husband Peter Warren (Peter Breck of Big Valley fame) owns a novelty store that just happens to sell chips for home use. They are going through a divorce when an investigator comes and ask him about his wife. While they are talking Peter gets a call from his wife saying that she is in trouble and they are going to kill her. He blows the investigator off to go see his wife.
To make this long story short (and trust me it seemed long)- Afterwards, Ms Warren is found dead and instead of calling the police, Peter Warren decides to take a trip to Tahoe to confront the casino owners. And as we all know from watching Perry- that is a bad move.
The police believe that Peter killed his wife to shut her up about the chips. So in comes Perry to defend him in order to find the real killer.
The story was not that bad but it was just too long. I could really not get into the story because it seemed that in every situation Peter would make the obvious bad move. And it seemed that everyone was covering up something for someone else. So to me the show got boring fast.
Even Raymond Burr seemed bored about this episode. Instead of his usual flare, he seems not to be acting but just reading words. the best word to describe him would be 'robotic'.
We are fast approaching the end of season eight and hope there are better times a'coming. This episode was a dud.
Did he tell you that before or after he killed her!
sol12186 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** Incredibly dull and confusing Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, episode that involves murder,what would a Perry Mason episode be without one, and cheating at a Reno casino. It's in here that Perry uncharacteristically comes out and admits that he knows the killer's identity almost half way through the episode! But, like playing out the clock, forces us to suffer through the second half before he finally reveals who the killer is.
Whoever the killer is he's the one who murdered Myrna Warren, Myrna Fahey, who was involved in cheating at the crap and roulette tables at Tony Cerror's, played by the Matag Man Jersse white, Reno casino with fake gambling chips. It was Myrna's estranged husband Peter, Peter Breck, who was not only indited for her murder but the person who's suspected of providing her with the fake chips that he sells in his game and novelty store in L.A. Peter doesn't exactly help his case,that Perry Mason is handling, by not revealing his wife's's murder for hours after he found her dead in her apartment! He seems so unconcerned and not at all distraught of finding Myrna murdered that you begin to suspect that he in fact murdered her!
***SPOILERS*** Perry of course gets to the bottom of this very mind boggling murder case which he claimed he figured out hours in advance by totally exonerating his client Peter Warren who acted, despite the serious charge of 1st degree murder he was facing, throughout the entire episode as if he didn't have a care in the world! And why should he he had Perry Mason as his lawyer! Perry in uncovering the truth has Myrna's killer brake down, before he's even called to testify, and confess to murdering her. But the illogical and ridicules killer's confession to murdering Myrna Warren had you wondering if it the 1st degree murder charge could be able to stick! Or have it later on be thrown out of court on the grounds of temporary insanity on the killers part!
Whoever the killer is he's the one who murdered Myrna Warren, Myrna Fahey, who was involved in cheating at the crap and roulette tables at Tony Cerror's, played by the Matag Man Jersse white, Reno casino with fake gambling chips. It was Myrna's estranged husband Peter, Peter Breck, who was not only indited for her murder but the person who's suspected of providing her with the fake chips that he sells in his game and novelty store in L.A. Peter doesn't exactly help his case,that Perry Mason is handling, by not revealing his wife's's murder for hours after he found her dead in her apartment! He seems so unconcerned and not at all distraught of finding Myrna murdered that you begin to suspect that he in fact murdered her!
***SPOILERS*** Perry of course gets to the bottom of this very mind boggling murder case which he claimed he figured out hours in advance by totally exonerating his client Peter Warren who acted, despite the serious charge of 1st degree murder he was facing, throughout the entire episode as if he didn't have a care in the world! And why should he he had Perry Mason as his lawyer! Perry in uncovering the truth has Myrna's killer brake down, before he's even called to testify, and confess to murdering her. But the illogical and ridicules killer's confession to murdering Myrna Warren had you wondering if it the 1st degree murder charge could be able to stick! Or have it later on be thrown out of court on the grounds of temporary insanity on the killers part!
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