The Worst Episodes of Perry Mason

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Worst Episode
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   6.7/10(323 votes)

   #1 - The Case of the Sad Sicilian

   S8:E223/11/1965

   Paulo Porro is a charming young man from Sicily with a clever scam for ingratiating himself with Italian-American families. But when he tries his charms on Enrico Bacio, Paulo runs into a problem. It seems as though there was bad blood between the Porro and Bacio clans back in Sicily. Bacio even believes that Paolo has come to kill him. When Bacio is later found with a file lodged in his neck, Paolo is blamed for the murder.

   Director:Jesse Hibbs

   Writer:Milton Krims

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   Director:Jesse Hibbs

   Writer:Milton Krims
2. 

   6.9/10(331 votes)

   #2 - The Case of the Scandalous Sculptor

   S8:E310/8/1964

   Mona Harvey is the principal stockholder in a publishing company run by her uncle, Everett, and the wife of an eccentric sculptor named Hannibal Harvey who is being blackmailed. Unable to get at any money due to Mona's absence, Hannibal has ditzy model Bonnie Dunbar write a blackmail note to Mona's uncle. Everett gets the money out of petty cash and sends it to Bonnie. In the meantime, Mona returns, finds Bonnie's blackmail note, and decides to pay the model a visit. So does Hannibal. Without seeing each other, husband and wife both discover Bonnie's dead body. Mona gets arrested for the murder but she fears that Hannibal might be the real killer.

   Director:Jack Arnold

   Writer:Philip Saltzman

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   Director:Jack Arnold

   Writer:Philip Saltzman
3. 

   7.0/10(280 votes)

   #3 - The Case of the Frustrated Folk Singer

   S8:E151/7/1965

   Uninterested in her recently inherited fortune, an aspring singer is easy prey for a sinister agent.

   Director:Arthur Marks

   Writer:John Elliotte

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   Director:Arthur Marks

   Writer:John Elliotte
4. 

   7.1/10(368 votes)

   #4 - The Case of the Two-Faced Turnabout

   S6:E182/14/1963

   Columnist Elihu Laban is hit with a murder rap when his efforts to obtain secret papers backfire.

   Director:Arthur Marks

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Arthur Marks

   Writer:Unknown
5. 

   7.1/10(308 votes)

   #5 - The Case of the Fugitive Fraulein

   S9:E1211/28/1965

   In this change of pace episode Perry and Della travel behind the Iron Curtain and get involved in a murder case which ends up being tried in an East German court.

   Director:Arthur Marks

   Writer:Jonathan Latimer

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   Director:Arthur Marks

   Writer:Jonathan Latimer
6. 

   7.2/10(293 votes)

   #6 - The Case of the Avenging Angel

   S9:E223/13/1966

   Perry must defend a goofy, untalented British kid whom someone thinks has the talent to be a pop singer but in reality couldn't get in the door of American Idol. Then someone bumps off a shady promoter and the would be pop idol gets blamed.

   Director:Jerry Hopper

   Writer:Lawrence L. Goldman

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   Director:Jerry Hopper

   Writer:Lawrence L. Goldman
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7. 

   7.3/10(319 votes)

   #7 - The Case of the Betrayed Bride

   S8:E510/22/1964

   A recently widowed women becomes tangled in a web of suspicion when she hastily remarries.

   Director:Arthur Marks

   Writer:John Elliotte

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   Director:Arthur Marks

   Writer:John Elliotte
8. 

   7.4/10(304 votes)

   #8 - The Case of the Devious Delinquent

   S7:E1012/5/1963

   Three teens cruise Hollywood Boulevard in a cool convertible lookin' for kicks! A liquor store goes down and the blackmail and plot twists begin. Lies and more lies and it's going from bad to worse for young Timmy Balfour who soon discovers that there's every bit as much delinquency from the adults when he's charged with murder.

   Director:Irving J. Moore

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Irving J. Moore

   Writer:Unknown
9. 

   7.4/10(338 votes)

   #9 - The Case of the Fifty-Millionth Frenchman

   S7:E192/20/1964

   A Frenchman is giving money to an old lady love from his hometown, unaware that she's sharing the cash with her husband. When hubby turns up murdered guess who gets charged with the crime?

   Director:Arthur Marks

   Writer:Robert C. Dennis

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   Director:Arthur Marks

   Writer:Robert C. Dennis
10. 

    7.4/10(297 votes)

    #10 - The Case of the Careless Kidnapper

    S7:E274/30/1964

    A kidnapping hoax leads to murder when the ransom note gets into the wrong hands.

    Director:Jesse Hibbs

    Writer:Robb White

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    Director:Jesse Hibbs

    Writer:Robb White
11. 

    7.4/10(272 votes)

    #11 - The Case of the Runaway Racer

    S9:E1011/14/1965

    Test driver Pete Griston cracks up one of ace car builder Pappy Ryan's vehicles. Pappy accuses Havey Rettig of tampering with the car and files charges against Rettig and Griston. Then Rettig is killed and Griston is found standing groggily over the body.

    Director:Jesse Hibbs

    Writer:Sy Salkowitz

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    Director:Jesse Hibbs

    Writer:Sy Salkowitz
12. 

    7.5/10(449 votes)

    #12 - The Case of the Desperate Daughter

    S1:E273/22/1958

    Stefan Riker has come from Germany seeking the woman posing as Lisa Bannister—who is visibly shaken by his presence. Attempting to help her stepmother, Doris Bannister pretends to be romantically interested in Stefan Riker.

    Director:Arthur Hiller

    Writer:Donald S. Sanford

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    Director:Arthur Hiller

    Writer:Donald S. Sanford
13. 

    7.5/10(326 votes)

    #13 - The Case of the Injured Innocent

    S5:E1011/18/1961

    A really weird courtroom confession scene highlights this episode about the murder of a race car driver.

    Director:Bernard L. Kowalski

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Bernard L. Kowalski

    Writer:Unknown
14. 

    7.5/10(311 votes)

    #14 - The Case of the Greek Goddess

    S6:E254/18/1963

    Mason is hired by a sculptor charged with murdering the overbearing mother of his model.

    Director:Jesse Hibbs

    Writer:Robert Presnell Sr.

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    Director:Jesse Hibbs

    Writer:Robert Presnell Sr.
15. 

    7.5/10(315 votes)

    #15 - The Case of the Floating Stones

    S7:E811/21/1963

    Julie Eng needs Perry's help when some precious stones her grandfather left her turn up missing.

    Director:Don Weis

    Writer:Robert C. Dennis

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    Director:Don Weis

    Writer:Robert C. Dennis
16. 

    7.5/10(301 votes)

    #16 - The Case of a Place Called Midnight

    S8:E811/12/1964

    In an offbeat case, Mason becomes involved in international intrigue wheh he travels to Switzerland to meet a friend's future daughter-in-law.

    Director:Arthur Marks

    Writer:Jackson Gillis

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    Director:Arthur Marks

    Writer:Jackson Gillis
17. 

    7.5/10(317 votes)

    #17 - The Case of the Thermal Thief

    S8:E161/14/1965

    Attorney Ken Kramer comes to the aid of an alleged thief accused of stealing a $50,000 necklace.

    Director:Jack Arnold

    Writer:Robert C. Dennis

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    Director:Jack Arnold

    Writer:Robert C. Dennis
18. 

    7.5/10(477 votes)

    #18 - The Case of the Twice-Told Twist

    S9:E212/27/1966

    Perry plays Mr. Brownlow to young Lenny Beale who's involved with a gang of teenage car strippers. Lenny wants to quit the gang but when his boss, Bill Sikes, turns up murdered the police theorize that Lenny killed him in revenge for Sikes shooting his girlfriend.

    Director:Arthur Marks

    Writers:Orville H. Hampton, Ernest Frankel

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    Director:Arthur Marks

    Writers:Orville H. Hampton, Ernest Frankel
19. 

    7.5/10(249 votes)

    #19 - The Case of the Tsarina's Tiara

    S9:E233/20/1966

    Imagine Gerard Van Ness's surprise when a long-lost tiara worth a fortune turns up in his hands. Imagine Perry and Della's surpise when the body of a jewel thief turns up in a trunk delivered to their building. Needless to say, Van Ness gets blamed for the death and it's up to Perry and company to save the day.

    Director:Harmon Jones

    Writers:Orville H. Hampton, Ernest Frankel

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    Director:Harmon Jones

    Writers:Orville H. Hampton, Ernest Frankel
20. 

    7.6/10(387 votes)

    #20 - The Case of the Clumsy Clown

    S4:E711/5/1960

    A circus clown is charged with the murder of its part owner when a gun is slipped to him during a gun act.

    Director:Andrew V. McLaglen

    Writer:Sam Neuman

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    Director:Andrew V. McLaglen

    Writer:Sam Neuman
21. 

    7.6/10(345 votes)

    #21 - The Case of the Cowardly Lion

    S4:E224/8/1961

    Hilde Fursten and Tony Osgood work at the San Diego Zoo. When a new baby monkey is found missing, Hilde Fursten is blamed by Dr. Walther Braun, a visiting dentist. Boris Zelbowski also works at the zoo and is dating Frieda Crawson, Dr. Braun's nurse. That evening, Dr. Braun arrives at the zoo to perform oral surgery on a lion and is found dead in the lion's cage. Tony Osgood is accused of the murder when a witness sees someone wearing Tony's blue sportcoat near the lion's cage at the time.

    Director:Arthur Marks

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Arthur Marks

    Writer:Unknown
22. 

    7.6/10(275 votes)

    #22 - The Case of the Melancholy Marksman

    S5:E243/24/1962

    Ted Chase discovers that his bitchy second wife, Irene, might have killed his first wife and contemplates revenge but someone else gets to Irene first. In his defense of Ted, Perry discovers that Irene's past was even more sordid and corrupt than previously believed.

    Director:Jerry Hopper

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Jerry Hopper

    Writer:Unknown
23. 

    7.6/10(314 votes)

    #23 - The Case of the Angry Astronaut

    S5:E254/7/1962

    Astronaut Matthew Heller is suspected of killing his old service rival, General Addison Brand, after Brand is put in charge of the astronaut program.

    Director:Francis D. Lyon

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Francis D. Lyon

    Writer:Unknown
24. 

    7.6/10(328 votes)

    #24 - The Case of the Playboy Pugilist

    S6:E310/11/1962

    Boxing trainer Jimmy West thinks he's finally found a championship contender in Davey Carroll. Unfortunately, Davey has a hard time keeping it in his pants and his tangled love life leads to Jimmy being charged with murder.

    Director:Francis D. Lyon

    Writer:Helen Nielsen

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    Director:Francis D. Lyon

    Writer:Helen Nielsen
25. 

    7.6/10(298 votes)

    #25 - The Case of the Lawful Lazarus

    S6:E213/14/1963

    Mason's client: a man declared legally dead.

    Director:Jesse Hibbs

    Writer:Unknown

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    Director:Jesse Hibbs

    Writer:Unknown