A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle

When chess player James Stephen faces trial for murdering Robin Leach and Perry Mason is out of town (because Raymond Burr is dead), it's up to cowboy lawyer Hal Holbrook to defend him,

As usual in this series of mysteries derived from Erle Stanley Gardner's lawyer-sleuth, there are several attractive suspects who had plenty of motive for killing the blackmailing Leach, including Diahan Carroll and Dixie Carter (Holbrook's wife in real life). We can be sure that investigator William Moses will be beat up several times, Barbara Hale as Della Street will will be very smart, and that some seemingly-random stranger will confess on the witness stand.

Hal Holbrook gives a funny, larger-than-life performance. I've been a fan of his work for many a year, and expect you'll enjoy this show.

When Perry is unable to deliver a speech at a conference he calls Bill McKenzie to offer him a hotel etc in exchange for delivering the work. Also at the hotel is filming for the newest episode of `lifestyles of the rich and famous' hosted by Adrian Lye. One of Lye's guests, and Bill's friend, Daniel Kingman (a famous chess player) is at the hotel and is being blackmailed by Lye. When he goes to Lye's room a fight ensues after which Lye is found poisoned to death. Bill defends Kingman while Ken Malansky goes after the `waiter' seen delivering the poisoned drink to Lye's suite, assuming the drink was poisoned before delivery and not by Kingman.

And so the franchise goes on. Keen to continually outgrown the sizeable shadow of Mason, the film opens with McKenzie being very un-Mason-like, speeding to a courtroom on his motorbike and delivering evidence of corruption to a judge to save a man's life. Several times later, other characters refer to tales of Bill's past including killing a man in Paris and walking into a hostage situation with a live grenade and rescuing the hostages. All this serves to take away from the film a bit, but it does help make the film stand out in it's own right rather than always looking back. The plot is OK and is the usual Mason fare. Both sides of the investigation are enjoyable, although Malansky's sidekick element has only ever worked well once or twice and doesn't here. The courtroom scenes lack Mason's presence and the final scene especially doesn't suit McKenzie's laid back approach.

However Holbrook is good and is the only reason that these films are still watchable after Burr left a big hole to fill. His character is good and the only weakness is the way in which they always have to rope him and Mason into the story in some way. Hale does nothing and is only the link to the original. Moses is OK and has his usual comedy/action side to the story. The support cast are pretty average for this sort of thing with the `oh look it's ….' Face this time being Robert `Freddie' Englund.

Overall those new to the series or those who have disliked the series will be very unlikely to be won over here, however fans of the series who know what to expect and like it will find this to be a reasonable entry in the series – even if it does pale a little when viewed with Burr's best in mind.

For whatever reason Paul Sorvino did not due another TV film after the one immediately after the death of Raymond Burr. This Perry Mason story and the subsequent and final two were done by Hal Holbrook a Mason legal colleague Wild Bill McKenzie.

McKenzie has reached that enviable point in life where he only works when he feels like it and believes in a client's innocene. Such a belief he has in the innocence of James Stephens who is accused of killing Robin Leach famous in the 90s as the host of the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

Of course we kind of hope the real Leach was nothing like this guy, a TV talk show host who gets dirt on celebrities and blackmails them. Stephens is an internationally known chessmaster and is tired of paying Leach off. He has an altercation with Leach, but leaves him alive. Nevertheless police lieutenant James McEachin arrests him.

Assisting as they did Raymond Burr are Barbara Hale and William R. Moses. As usual Moses might be a lawyer, but his job ain't in the law library looking up cases. Moses and William Katt before him get into criminal investigation and had a lot more action that William Hopper ever did in the old series.

In the cast as one of the suspects is Dixie Carter also Mrs. Hal Holbrook in real life.

Too bad Holbrook's Wild Bill McKenzie came in on a Perry Mason pass. He might have developed into a regular series character if he was introduced with his own series.

This is a really well done film! The plot storyline was well done and fine acting by Holbrook, Hale, and Moses as well as the guest cast!MacKenzie and Malansky try to solve the murder of a movie star, and Malansky finds himself in serious danger a few times. Good thing "Wild Bill" MacKenzie arrives to bail him out twice! Whew!