Perry Mason: The Case of the Reckless Romeo (1992)

Just perfect...

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Yes, this really is the greatest episode of Perry Mason ever made! That's because shortly after it begins, Geraldo Rivera gets killed. I liked that and I bet you'll like it too. Heck, DVR it like I did, so you can watch it over and over again. Very enjoyable and satisfying, although I do wish the producers had spent more time developing this. For example, viewers might like it better if they'd killed off Geraldo Rivera with the assistance of Wile E. Coyote. They could have blown him to bits with dynamite, hit him on the head with a sledge hammer, dropped a 15-ton boulder on him, or finally run him flat with a steamroller. I'd pay a dollar to see that. I forget what happens at the end, but I'm certain Perry Mason proved his client was innocent, he found out who really killed Geraldo Rivera, and they gave him a parade.

****SPOILERS**** After making a major announcement on his highly rated TV talk show "Revelations" about the release of his new book "Ted Mayne Reviled" about the scores of women he had affairs with over the years Ted Mayne, Geraldo Rivera, should have known better to get himself an army of bodyguards to prevent himself from getting murdered. Instead Mayne like the sleaze ball that he is just lapped up all the publicity that the contents that his book gave him and ended up, not surprisingly, with knife stuck in his chest by possibly one the many women whom he had an affair with! There were so many people who had a good reason to do Mayne in that it would have taken everyone, man woman dog & cat, in entire city of Denver's white pages telephone book to be interviewed by the police in being a suspect in Mayne's murder! As things turned out the person arrested for murdering Ted Mayne turned out to be action-adventure TV actress Roxanne Shields, Amy Steel. Roxanne was so upset about Mayne revealing his affair with her in his book that in a fit of anger she threatened, while being interviewed on the TV news, to stick a knife in his heart if she ever runs into to him. With the person seen entering Mayne's penthouse the night of his murder described as wearing a red dress which Roxanne admittedly wore that evening and smelling from the strong perfume "Roxanne" that Roxanne advertises she thus turned out to be the prime suspect of the dozens of women who were suspected in Mayne's murder!With Roxanne now in danger of ending up behind bars for life she gets top Denver defense attorney Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, to take her case. Perry checking out all the facts in the case soon uncovers a number of clues that would eliminate Roxanne in being Mayne's murderer. The biggest and most important one being the perfume "Roxanne" that she supposedly wore at the scene of the crime. It turns out that Roxanne is so allergic to perfume that she can't even be in the same room with a woman wearing it without breaking out all over!Perry goes through a whole montage of the late super stud Ted Mayne's "sexual conquests" from the widow of a late United States Senator Nora Turner, Anjanette Comer, who's husband was killed in an airplane crash to his own show's producer Brenda Kingsley, Priscilla Barnes, who had the entire world known about her affair with Mayne on live TV as she was producing his show! Perry hits pay-dirt when he spots a photo,taken with a hidden camera, in Mayne's book of him making out with Mary Singer,Leslie Wing, that really showed what a low life swine, if any more proof was needed, he really was. Not only did Mayne blow Mary's cover in the witness protection program that she and her husband were in but showed that he was even cheating on his fiancée Laura Rand, Mary-Margaret Holmes, whom he promised that his wild life of bedding down women was now history! ***SPOILERS*** It took a lot of work on Perry's part but eventually he broke the murder case wide open in him breaking down the women, who killed Mayne, on the witness stand. Of all the scores of women Mayne not only two timed but also exposed his affairs with them,in his tell all book, this was one woman who just about had enough of him and took matters into her own hands! And with that put "sex machine" Ted Mayne's life of non-stop bed hopping and womanizing to a final and bloody end!

This particular Perry Mason television film, The Case of the Reckless Romeo, is distinguished for having Geraldo Rivera play a version of himself and well on the screen. It was almost a shame to have him killed off, he was the best thing about this film.Like Geraldo in real life, Geraldo is the host of a tabloid television talk show and he's written some tell all memoirs about the women of whom he's had carnal knowledge of. But whereas in real life some of them issued denials altogether and some just didn't comment, these women are furious. But unfortunately one of them made the mistake of having the cameras rolling when she threatened to do Geraldo in. She's the star of an action television series, so when Geraldo is done in, she's the one who needs the services of Perry Mason.The other thing The Case of the Reckless Romeo is noted for is the presence of Tracy Nelson who comes from a distinguished show business family, the daughter of Ricky and the granddaughter of Ozzie and Harriet, with her husband William R. Moses. Tracy plays a kind of budding Geraldo like journalist herself and she's carving an agenda all her own in this episode.There's a cute subplot about Raymond Burr being constantly reminded that it's Barbara Hale's birthday coming up. As if someone as sharp as Perry Mason would ever forget Della Street's birthday.

Ted Mayne is a daytime TV host whose show is well known for exposés and gossip mongering. He takes a step too far when he announces the publication of his kiss and tell autobiography, which features photographs and detail about his lovers - many of whom are famous women in a variety of roles. When he is murdered, all evidence appears to point to Roxanne Shields, who turns to Perry Mason for defence. While he investigates the other suspects Ken Malansky tries to find one of Mayne's lovers who is missing, with the help of TV reporter Charley Adams.I have seen the vast majority of the Perry Mason films and have found them to be based around one formula that is repeated in each film with slight twists occasionally. Here the film investigates any number of scorned lovers and it is enjoyable the way that Mason does his stuff. As usual Ken is lumbered with a female sidekick that is irritating, but his thread has a nice little twist to it even if it is just another red herring of sorts to keep the film moving along. The twist at the end is revealed with a surprising lack of fireworks or spectacle but it is still reasonably enjoyable.Burr does his usual good work as Mason and the film permits him some nice scenes with Hale's Della Street, a subplot that the series occasionally dips into but not often enough. Moses has his usual action orientated investigation and does OK but his lack of chemistry with the dippy and quite weak Nelson is a problem. Of the support cast only Geraldo Rivera stands out, twisting his own talk show host personae.Overall this is pretty much what any of the film series does, it is not the best but it is about average for the series. The one major complaint I would have was that this must have been the weakest prosecution ever and in reality Perry Mason would have easily p*ssed this case without having to find the real killer to clear his client. All the evidence is very debatable and weak and `reasonable doubt' could easily have been found here.