User Reviews

I really do not know where to begin on this episode. There is so much going on that it was hard to concentrate on just one aspect of the show. Unless you watch this episode I do not think anyone can accurately give a review due to all the twist and turns that was written into the script. But I am going to try to give a short review of this full-tray dish of Perry mystery.

The episode starts out innocent enough when Della buys a diary belonging to Helen Cadmus. Helen had been declared missing and then dead after falling off a boat belonging to her employer Benjamin Addick (Harvey Stephens).

Perry was not to happy with Della since the diary seemed to be taking much of her time (Perry was actually upset at Della). That was until he got two offers for the diary, one from Nathan Fallon (Victor Buono) and Mortimer Hershey (Gavin MacLeod). Both of these men worked for Mr Addick (a kinda hermit that studied apes) and set the price of the diary to $5,000. All this sparked the interest of Perry since he thought the death of Helen may be contained in the diary.

Also going on was a former maid named Josphine Kempton (Lurene Tuttle). She had a slander case on Mr Addick, when he accused her of stealing items from his house. Now she cannot get any employment due the accusations of her theft.

After some of the stolen items were found, thanks to Perry and the diary, Mr Addick wanted to settle the lawsuit with Josephine. He calls her to the house but when she gets there Mr Addick is dead and there is a large gorilla running through the house. --(In something that seemed to unbelievable Perry is called to the house and is pinned down by the gorilla. That may be interesting in a book but on a TV drama series, it did not play well.)

After the police find that Mr Addick was not only mauled by the gorilla but he was also stabbed with scissors, they arrest Josephine for the murder.

But due to some clever dealing with the local DA's office, Perry finds the true murderer which will leave the Addick household talking for years to come.

This is only a small amount of what is going on in this episode. There is just too much to mention without giving away most of the ending. It may not be the best episode of the series, but it is one that is different from the others and has multitude of nuggets for the viewer.

This is one episode that is difficult to vote. It was a different kind of story than we are use to while watching 'Perry Mason', but then was not a believable written script. Some parts were interesting to the storyline while others seemed useless and should have been saved for another episode. Just too much stuff for a 52 minutes show.

One good note- In this episode we see more of Perry's anger than we have seen since the first season. At one point he pounds his desk.

There was a lot of different stuff going on in this episode. First the usual reserved and intelligent Della, comes of as somewhat silly and goofy. The usual cool and calculating Perry comes off as a yelling short tempered tyrant. Perry also manages to have one of the most stupid annoying clients he has ever had. I almost wish the gorilla had taken care of her. Overall it was still pretty entertaining.

Or, very large Gorilla.

Most of the positive and negative things about this episode were brought out by the other commentators. I have to add my praise for Janos Prohaska: who expertly and believably performed the gorilla, he also performed the Horta in the Star Trek episode "Devil in the dark", the Mogatu in "A private little war", a beaked bird-creature in "The Cage/Menagerie", and the rock-monster Yarnek in "the savage curtain" where Kirk meets Lincoln. Janos was the indispensable performer during 60s television whenever something unusual was required, but usually he did gorillas, and he did gorillas well. Janos would have loved working with Peter Jackson in the motion capture suit, and the most modern salute to Janos' type of acting has been done by Andy Serkis, who played Gollum and King Kong... although Andy did not put on a gorilla suit, his motions and inflections drove the animations for those characters. Sometimes a special effects person was born in the wrong era: Ray Harryhausen, Willis O'Brien, imagine what they could have done with modern techniques. The fact that they did these incredible things in the 30s and 40s, was inspiration to all modern filmmakers. And so Janos was brilliant in every show where he donned a strange costume. You can even see him in the final episode of the outer limits, as an overgrown microbe-pustule, which looks very similar to the Horta. So it is very true that Janos totally stole this PM episode.

When Della and Perry are driving past Benjamin Addicks' house, there is one very alarming moment when Della screams and the camera focuses upon a lit window, and it zooms in. It is not the appearance of the gorilla that is frightening, it is the way the camera zooms in towards the window. The zoom shot cuts to a the window where the gorilla is running amok. This was cleverly done and the first time I saw this episode, it really did make me jump. It was one of those, not Alien chest burster moments, but earlier in Alien when John Hurt is looking directly into the alien egg and the finger-monster (facehugger) jumps out and attaches itself to his face, it is the same kind of startling thing as this gorilla-in-the-window reveal.

This is probably one of the funniest Perry Mason episodes ever made, and very unusual. Victor Buono plays another one of his myriad characters. This time he is able to stand up vocally against Perry, and you have to admit that Perry's irritation was brought about by Victor's needling, as Perry was not known to raise his voice. Although he did on occasion. Although it was not normal for Perry to get agitated or raise his voice, after dealing with a character like the one played by Victor Buono, Perry's response was justified. Perry always would rise to whatever occasion he had to deal with, Perry even wrestled a gun out of an antagonist's hand during the first season while Tragg took pot shots (The case of the moth eaten mink- and it frightens me that I have the names of these episodes memorized).

I don't know if it was deliberate that there were so many references to previous Raymond Burr gorilla-films, and I also don't know what it means that Raymond was in so many movies that had something to do with gorillas... nevertheless, this episode was a fine and amusing Perry Mason diversion

Really, Perry Mason episodes have the worst bandages of any show on television. The cast and crew must have gotten some really great laughs over the bandages they used in the shows. I can't believe that any make-up people worth their salt could possibly construct such silly things.

I liked this more then I should have. Mainly the reason was it was a little more of a humorous turn. I agree with the other comments it was a little harder to follow and some unexpected twist and turns along the journey but that was what made it so fun at least for me. But the best surprise was seeing two of my favorite character actors in one episode Victor Burno and Gavin McCloud.

The other reviewers gave a good summery of the story plot and I wouldn't be able to add much more to what they already said.

One thing came out of this episode a new quest this summer while walking around Garage Sales and Flea Markets I want to find "Case of the Grinning Gorilla" the original Book.

Starting with an old Bela Lugosi movie, those burly gorilla suits came into vogue. These rare creatures were seen as murderous brutes when out of control. A man who has worked with simians is an eccentric scientist and a recluse. Soon, a diary purchased by Della is sought after by some unscrupulous guys. Also, a big mouthed former maid, gets into the action. This is like the plot of a 1930's comedy. It's one of the Mason episodes where we never see the inside of a courtroom.

A fondly remembered episode... After watching this series for decades, I really don't think there ever was a bad episode --and that includes this one with a real, live gorilla! Some reviewers were not too "fond" of this installment, but it's actually a change of pace and, I think it was a way to attract some younger viewers. It's always ratings!

The one and only Victor Buono stars in this one, and that alone, was a ratings grab. He plays a lawyer (called Nathan) who wants --at any cost! -- a diary that Della actually bought at an auction?? What's in those pages, hmmm? This is very intriguing, and the loose gorilla enters the picture as a "phony" suspect when Nathan turns up dead. But y'all know a real deal person wanted him out of the way. Who is it?

Let's do the math too. Nathan offered Della 5000 dollars for the book. In today's market, that would be close to 50,000 dollars. Enough said.

There's some familair faces, as always, such Gavin MacLeod as Mortimer. Long before his comedy days, MacLeod played many sinister types. Lurene Tuttle, a familair face on so many classic tv shows, plays the maid, Josephine.

To underline what I am saying, series regular Jackson Gillis wrote this mystery and certainly would not let the audience down. I will say this, Gillis was also an adventure writer, credited with such shows as TARZAN and SUPERMAN. Let's also remember that the original story came from acclaimed Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. Gardner was picky about the series stories, so it had his approval.

Jesse Hibbs directed, and as usual, captured all those suspicious glances we all know and love. Hibbs later went onto direct the FBI. Let's put it this way, by the end of this whodunit, the gorilla is long out of picture.

Sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy something different. FROM SEASON 8 remastered CBS dvd box set.

OK. This is light fare, but passes a snowy Iowa afternoon well...

Sit back, enjoy, rest your weary head. Perry yells. Della screams. It's a real hairy show with a fake ape & lotsa silliness...

In an effort to be original within the Perry Mason parameters the writers came up with a rather scenario for a plot. I fear it was all a bit much for my poor old head to take in.

Barbara Hale who buys some memorabilia at an auction belonging to super model Charlene Holt brings Victor Buono in his most unctuous manner to Raymond Burr's office. Holt was reported drowned after falling off the yacht of an eccentric millionaire and Buono works for him. After being rebuffed by Burr, Buono leaves in a huff and soon afterward another of the man's retainers Gavin McLeod contacts him and Perry and Della are at the man's house.

Before long the millionaire is killed, first thought to be by a gorilla he kept on the estate and later by former cleaning lady Lurene Tuttle. She becomes Mason's client.

I won't say more, but the solution to all of this is a truly bizarre one and for once there is more than one murderer involved. It doesn't quite come together in this episode.

In its eighth season the Perry Mason show was feeling its age, and episodes began to vary wildly in quality. This one is a real stinker, marred by an incomprehensible plot, a cut-rate gorilla suit, and a terrible acting job by Gavin McLeod, who was great on Mary Tyler Moore but out of his element here. With Della acting like a giddy schoolgirl and Perry growling at everybody he sees, the whole tone just seems wrong. Then again, I'd be short-tempered too if I were cast opposite a gorilla. (And this wasn't the first time for Burr.)

Definitely one of the low points of the series, but I can't blame the writers for getting a little punchy after such a long run.

I like Perry Mason. Not because it is great television but because it's an example of popular television from the late 50s-mid 60s. It's innocuous nostalgia with many popular guest stars from the past and the future and it is almost always entertaining. This episode however is one of, if not the worst ever. Did Raymond Burr think he was doing a sequel to his disastrous Bride of the Gorilla movie? Trying to pass off someone in a cheap gorilla costume as a believable real gorilla? What is this? A Three Stooges episode. The 50s was not a good time for gorillas. They were always portrayed as killer monsters. I can only guess where the fear came from for the general public & it is insulting. This episode is thoroughly ridiculous and not in an amusing way.

I always watch PM for the laughs - awful dialog, ridiculous scripts and plots, some of the worst directing in TV history. But, when I saw the "bandages" wrapped around that fella's head ....well, my mouthful of morning coffee went flying! Most of PMs laughs weren't intentional, but that one HAD to be! (The fake "gorilla" was good for an almost-second-spit-take! Good grief....)