User Reviews

Robert Armstrong, who played promoter Carl Denham in the original "King Kong" plays a fight promoter named Jimmy West, who manages young fighter Davey Carroll (Gary Lockwood). He agrees to become partners in Carroll with slickster Todd Richards (Mark Roberts, who would years later appear with Raymond Burr on "Ironside"). But the partnership goes sour and when Richards turns up dead, West is accused of murder.

Star Trek fans will note they have two Star Trek guest stars in the cast: Gary Lockwood, who played Gary Mitchell, Kirk's buddy in the pilot, and sinister Anthony Carusco who played Bella Oxmyx in "A Piece of the Action". Of the two, Carusco comes off much better as a shady red herring, while Lockwood is unconvincing as a fighter, a dumb guy and a romeo. Also in the cast are the comely Dolores Michaels as secretary Jo Sands and Dianne Foster as the pretty and readily available wife of Roberts. Foster met another Jimmy West two years later in "The Night of the Lord of the Limbo" on "Wild, Wild West" before retiring from TV.

But the most enjoyable performance other than the regulars comes from Robert Armstrong. He's always very colorful and emotional, and he does a great job of selling the character.

**SPOILERS** One thing about a good bluff is keeping your opponent just enough off balance to shake their confidence; just a little misdirection, if you will. Don't let them know what you're really doing. It works really well in boxing. Balance, misdirection, instinct for timing, and naturally, never letting your adversary know your next move. Unfortunately, in this case, the fighter couldn't bluff his way out of a wet paper bag, so to speak. Maybe he suffered from "No Ability Syndrome". You know. That's when a boxer has all the tools, but is an idiot. Too easily faked out.

Davey is the perfect example. Can't keep his mind in the match. With a sexetary like Jo Sands (Delores Michaels), as misdirection, he's a newly housebroken puppy. In her case, easy to see why. Devastating blonde (bombshell comes to mind), she knew exactly how to help Davey sign his career away. She was faked out, too by her dirtbag boss. She just couldn't believe that someone had bested her at her own game. Worse for her, when she was against the master, Perry Mason, she was so shaken that her confidence left her.

Hated to see such a sexpot get K-O'ed, but that's life in the fast lane, ain't it? She'll get a stint for 2nd degree Murder, but with a good lawyer, she'll still be a fox when she gets out. She probably won't get a lot of time for clockin' her crooked lover, will she?

Perry's client, however, is stuck trying to teach his boxer(?) how to keep his chin down and his guard up. HE, don't know when to throw in the towel.

****SPOILERS*** Utterly confusing Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, episode about the goings on behind the scenes in the world of boxing that has to do with cream puff and girl watching up and coming middleweight champ, don't make me laugh, Davey "Windmill" Carroll, Gary Lockwood, by his somewhat goofy trainer, in thinking that Davey got what it takes to be a champ, Jimmy West, Robert Armstrong. Jimmy who's dreams of fame and glory on Davey's part not only go up in smoke but he himself is soon to face a murder rap that seemed to come out of nowhere. That in the murder of boxing promoter Todd Richards,Mark Roberts, whom he's accused of murdering. Perry Mason who took on the case for Jimmy West is confused in the connection of an arson fire in a New York City hotel, where one of the fighters that Richards promoted died, that lead to Richards' murder some seven years later in L.A County?

It takes a while for Perry to fit all the pieces in this very confusing puzzle together which by the time he finally solves it the killer, withing for his or her cue from the director, breaks down in court and admits his guilt. Even though the evidence against him is so flimsy that a grand jury, that can indite a ham sandwich, wouldn't have enough evidence to indite him with!

In the meantime the what seemed like punch drunk & brain scrambled boxer Davey Carroll in trying to get his friend and trainer Jimmy West off the hook in fact with his bird brain testimony in Jimmy's favor sent him a few steps closer to the California gas chamber. It was Perry Mason skill of getting to the bottom of the matter that saved Jimmy's a** not Davey Carroll who in fact almost got him convicted for a crime that he didn't commit. With his boxing career back on track Davey blows it by keeping his eye on a pretty girl in the stands not the punch from his opponent that finally put and end to it for good.