Perry Mason: The Case of the Glass Coffin

Nancy Lee Grahn tells magician Peter Scolari that unless he gives her the featured turn in his act, she'll tell his wife she's pregnant with his child. It's an elaborate trick, with her inside a glass coffin. When the coffin rises into the air and the lidis opened, she tumbles to her death; Scolari's "lucky wand" has jammed the escape mechanism and Scolari is on trial for First Degree Murder.

Fortunately, Scolari has his own escape mechanism in place with his friend Perry Mason (aka Raymond Burr) as his attorney. Perry and his associates, Barbara Hale and William Moses, make other suspects appear and, we are confident, the least likely one will confess on the stand.

It's always good to see Mr. Burr in his signature role, and there's a nicely tangled mystery to be unraveled. Unlike others in this series of TV movies, there aren't many well-known actors outside the trio: Mr. Scolari, Bob Gunton as the doomed Assistant District Attorney, Julie Sommars and Kate Vernon; although doubtless there are fans of many of the performers involved.