I feel like so many episodes take too long for Perry, Della, and Paul to show up. This episode gives us Della and Paul right from the get go. I really thought that Jonathan Goldsmith was Anthony Perkins at first. He sure looks a lot like him.
9 Reviews
Mary Ann Mobley...HOT!!!! Michael Constantine's voice...NOT!!!!
Dick2422 July 2011
Warning: Spoilers
The title Blonde in TCOTBB is played by the lovely Mary Ann Mobley and very few PM guest stars have looked better than Ms. Mobley does here. She plays Dianne Adler, a young lady whose mother or aunt or something Della knows from the Smoky Mountains or some-such. Whatever the connection, Della realizes that Dianne may be in some sort of trouble soon after she arrives in LA.
The plot concerns itself with a fake modeling contract, a pair of shady insurance investigators, an overeager private eye and a man who may have faked his own death to escape an unhappy marriage.
The private eye is played by Michael Constantine. He is very excited about the opportunity to help out Perry and Paul, hoping that his assistance might lead to a job with the Paul Drake Detective Agency which turned him down for employment in the past.
The only drawback to this episode for me is Constantine's performance. It's often way over the top and his voice and speech patterns were very annoying to me.
But back to Mary Ann Mobley...WOW! I'll gladly trade a couple of awkward scenes of her crying for the sight of her sunbathing in a bikini early in the episode. A real beauty who I wish had been in many more Mason episodes.
The plot concerns itself with a fake modeling contract, a pair of shady insurance investigators, an overeager private eye and a man who may have faked his own death to escape an unhappy marriage.
The private eye is played by Michael Constantine. He is very excited about the opportunity to help out Perry and Paul, hoping that his assistance might lead to a job with the Paul Drake Detective Agency which turned him down for employment in the past.
The only drawback to this episode for me is Constantine's performance. It's often way over the top and his voice and speech patterns were very annoying to me.
But back to Mary Ann Mobley...WOW! I'll gladly trade a couple of awkward scenes of her crying for the sight of her sunbathing in a bikini early in the episode. A real beauty who I wish had been in many more Mason episodes.
Good Winn
darbski14 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** Diane Adler is played by Miss America 1959, Mary Ann Mobley. Before Delta Burke, she was television's true "Southern Belle". That out of the way, in this episode, and nowhere else I can find, she plays a blonde, and a dingy, ditzy one at that; still, very charming. Even when she's lying to Perry, and Perry catches and calls her on it, she's a sweetheart. Inescapable charm. Another reviewer remarked about her being in a bikini. Just slightly before the Beach Boy's hit "California Girls", EVERY ONE of my friends, and myself knew exactly what a bikini was (see Brigitte Bardot), and that wasn't it. A cute two-piece, yes. Bikini, NO.
Perry and Paul very early on discover what an unscrupulous fink was doing to her. It was Della's request (an old friend from the Smokey Mountains) that he becomes involved; charmed, no doubt by this lovely young lady. He confronts the dirtbag - Harrison Boring, after Paul's investigation, and the guy falls all over himself trying to get out from under the bunko he's tried to run past this sweet kid. Perry doesn't trust him. Paul, with a greaseball private peeper named Dillard follow things along, and uncover a real ripoff about to commence. After all the crap hits the fan, Diane is holding the bag.
Through a rabbit warren of interlocked motives, Perry twists, and then traps the killer under interrogation on the stand. He confesses to the accidental death of the deceased. Unfortunately, it's also hooked to his own cover-up and framing of Diane. One question is WHY was he having trouble talking to Paul On the phone? All he had to do was quietly close the window, and he would have no problem speaking normally. I was a little disappointed that Perry didn't call out Burger's objection out; as Incompetent, Irrelevant, and Immaterial, when it obviously was.
Bruce Gordon (Frank Nitti from the Untouchables) plays Diane's deadbeat dad who really tries to make things right. there is an almost "happy ending" that shows Diane's down home grit and spunk, and we hope for the best. Fast moving story, good dialogue, clean conclusion, Barbara and Mary Ann... it's a 10.
Perry and Paul very early on discover what an unscrupulous fink was doing to her. It was Della's request (an old friend from the Smokey Mountains) that he becomes involved; charmed, no doubt by this lovely young lady. He confronts the dirtbag - Harrison Boring, after Paul's investigation, and the guy falls all over himself trying to get out from under the bunko he's tried to run past this sweet kid. Perry doesn't trust him. Paul, with a greaseball private peeper named Dillard follow things along, and uncover a real ripoff about to commence. After all the crap hits the fan, Diane is holding the bag.
Through a rabbit warren of interlocked motives, Perry twists, and then traps the killer under interrogation on the stand. He confesses to the accidental death of the deceased. Unfortunately, it's also hooked to his own cover-up and framing of Diane. One question is WHY was he having trouble talking to Paul On the phone? All he had to do was quietly close the window, and he would have no problem speaking normally. I was a little disappointed that Perry didn't call out Burger's objection out; as Incompetent, Irrelevant, and Immaterial, when it obviously was.
Bruce Gordon (Frank Nitti from the Untouchables) plays Diane's deadbeat dad who really tries to make things right. there is an almost "happy ending" that shows Diane's down home grit and spunk, and we hope for the best. Fast moving story, good dialogue, clean conclusion, Barbara and Mary Ann... it's a 10.
Some Pointers
bkoganbing14 March 2012
The Case Of The Blonde Bonanza is memorable for having former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley as a guest star. Mobley is a friend of Della Street and Barbara Hale marvels at the way she seems to put away food without gaining weight. And men keep seeming to follow her, as if that wasn't to be expected from a Miss America.
There actually is one following her who is a rather seedy looking private detective played by Michael Constantine. His explanation that the whole thing is a bit of industrial spying in regard to the fashion industry is plausible enough and Mobley herself explains she's trying to gain weight so that she can model clothes for what Jane Russell used to call 'full figured gals'.
Of course Perry Mason suspects more and the story eventually involves a missing heiress racket and the death one of the racketeers gets Mobley arrested. But she has the best possible defense attorney.
Before Jessica Simpson, Mary Ann Mobley was giving a great performance as a dumb Dora blond. In fact Simpson might have seen this episode and gotten a few pointers.
There actually is one following her who is a rather seedy looking private detective played by Michael Constantine. His explanation that the whole thing is a bit of industrial spying in regard to the fashion industry is plausible enough and Mobley herself explains she's trying to gain weight so that she can model clothes for what Jane Russell used to call 'full figured gals'.
Of course Perry Mason suspects more and the story eventually involves a missing heiress racket and the death one of the racketeers gets Mobley arrested. But she has the best possible defense attorney.
Before Jessica Simpson, Mary Ann Mobley was giving a great performance as a dumb Dora blond. In fact Simpson might have seen this episode and gotten a few pointers.
There is a lot going on in this show- but turns out nice
kfo949410 December 2012
The eye candy of Ms Mary Ann Mobley is the best thing in this show as we get a tale of murder and false death to make for the mystery of the week. There is things we have to believe for 'show-sake' but at the end we are again treated to another nice episode.
The episode begins when Della is to meet with a young friend named Dianne Adler (Mary Ann Mobley) for dinner. Dianne is single living in LA after both of her parents died in separate accidents. When they meet for dinner Della finds Dianne, for some odd reason, is trying to gain weight. Seems that she has a contract with a man named Harrison Boring to be a model for a new line of clothing but needs to gain twenty pounds. When Perry reads the contract he believes that something is not right. He begins to follow up looking for the usual con-artist in the trail. What Perry finds is that Dianne's father, who was suppose to have drowned in a Lake Michigan accident, is still alive living under the name of Gregory Winlock, it will prove the reason for the contract.
Later a private investigator named Dillard (Michael Constantine) is watching the apartment of Harrison Boring when he calls Perry and reports that Harrison Boring had been murdered and Dianne Adler was the last person in the room. Dianne is arrested and charged with murder and Perry will defend her in court.
During the trial most of the evidence is pointed toward Dillard's notes as he was watching the apartment. And with a lot of circumstantial evidence Perry will magically work through the testimony and find the true murderer before time expires in the program.
There is a lot going on in this episode. Perhaps too much, which makes the viewer accept anything and all things said by Perry as fact and by everyone else as suspicious. The story was good - it just seemed to be crowded with things that had little, if anything, to do with the plot. Anyway a nice show.
The episode begins when Della is to meet with a young friend named Dianne Adler (Mary Ann Mobley) for dinner. Dianne is single living in LA after both of her parents died in separate accidents. When they meet for dinner Della finds Dianne, for some odd reason, is trying to gain weight. Seems that she has a contract with a man named Harrison Boring to be a model for a new line of clothing but needs to gain twenty pounds. When Perry reads the contract he believes that something is not right. He begins to follow up looking for the usual con-artist in the trail. What Perry finds is that Dianne's father, who was suppose to have drowned in a Lake Michigan accident, is still alive living under the name of Gregory Winlock, it will prove the reason for the contract.
Later a private investigator named Dillard (Michael Constantine) is watching the apartment of Harrison Boring when he calls Perry and reports that Harrison Boring had been murdered and Dianne Adler was the last person in the room. Dianne is arrested and charged with murder and Perry will defend her in court.
During the trial most of the evidence is pointed toward Dillard's notes as he was watching the apartment. And with a lot of circumstantial evidence Perry will magically work through the testimony and find the true murderer before time expires in the program.
There is a lot going on in this episode. Perhaps too much, which makes the viewer accept anything and all things said by Perry as fact and by everyone else as suspicious. The story was good - it just seemed to be crowded with things that had little, if anything, to do with the plot. Anyway a nice show.
Surfin' Mason USA
gkimmarygleim11 July 2019
I'm adding some filming locations. Diane Adler (Guest Star MaryAnn Mobley) leaves a beach, walks up some stairs, then weighs herself outside a small beach snack shop. This was the Sorrento Grill on the beach at Santa Monica. Later, Perry meets Paul Drake on Ocean Avenue, across the street from The Breakers Motel, also in Santa Monica.
Rather Vapid
Hitchcoc21 February 2022
Bad direction again.
forryjesse4 September 2019
The direction was terrible and guest cast was not far behind.
The last couple of seasons this show really went downhill.
Viewers will need to suffer through this episode since the storyline was so bad.
Casting must have been desperate to hire the guest actors in this episode.
Typical PM, and worse
pmike-113128 April 2022
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