The Perry Mason TV Show Book
Episode Guide - The Seventh Season

March 5, 1964 [202] "The Case of the Arrogant Arsonist"

Director--Jesse Hibbs
Teleplay--Samuel Newman

When retired fire chief Carey York is accused by TV reporter Tommy Towne of burning his own warehouse, he contacts Perry, who tells Towne to broadcast a retraction or face a whopping $1.5 million slander suit. Towne eventually goes on the air to admit his first charge was incorrect, sort of . . . Carey didn't torch the building to get the insurance, he says; he did it to keep his son from bankruptcy. A sophisticated machine destroyed in the fire would have helped his son's competition. Carey never gets a chance to file a second suit against Towne--the reporter is found dead inside a car at the bottom of a cliff. The car belonged to Carey and that lands the ex-chief in jail for murder.

Carey York--Tom Tulley (defendant)
Tommy Towne--Frank Aletter (victim)
Jeff York--Ross Walker
Judge Benjamin Tanner--John Gallaudet

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Webmaster's Note: Rich Erickson points out that Jeff York is the actor who played Ross Walker. The names are reversed.

The Perry Mason TV Show Book Copyright © 1987 by Brian Kelleher and Diana Merrill. All rights reserved. Presented here by permission of the copyright holder. Commercial use prohibited. Web page Copyright © 1998 D. M. Brockman. Last edited 16 Oct 2006.