Alice Landers was the murder suspect in last night’s episode of Perry Mason. AKA as "Miss Landers," Beaver’s teacher. I never knew she had a first name. I also did not know she (actress Sue Randall, that is) was a heavy smoker and died of lung cancer at age 49. Bummer. Now, to see the seamy side of Miss Landers. Coincidentally one of the key characters also is named Alice. This Alice is married to businessman Carl Gorman, but she has fallen under the charms of his sleazeball nephew. All women do, apparently.
Harried husband Carl: Alice, for heaven’s sake, don’t ask me to explain my plans for a new factory at a time like this.
Wife Alice (after he leaves the house): New factory?
She and Sleazeball Nephew discuss her husband's/his uncle's financial situation.
Aunt Alice: They’re debts of his father’s he hoped he could repay sometime.
Sleazeball Nephew: Now he’s going into a business his father was dishonest in.
Carl Gorman goes to PM to try and extricate nephew from his life and affairs.
Carl: My nephew has been a liar and a troublemaker since he was five years old.
Troublemaker? Liar?
Carl's business partner to nephew: How much money do you need?
Sleazeball, offhandedly: Oh, eighty thousand dollars.
Partner: Eighty thousand WHAT?
Then Sleazeball hits up partner for $10 for “the janitor.”
BTW: $80,000 in 1960 would have a comparable buying power of $608,000 in 2011.
PM came to see Betty (Carl's secretary/Miss Landers) after she was held overnight by the authorities for questioning.
Betty: That’s the same sort of ridiculous question the police kept asking me all night.
Sleazeball had developed a con to get that $80K from his uncle and he had a partner, who has flown the coop.
PD: Yep, packed a bag and kissed the cleaning woman goodbye. Real happy for some reason.
(Paul got to do some fun detective work, including sitting around for days drinking highballs in the lobby of what apparently is the sole hotel in Cuernavaca.)
Speaking of all that money which Carl had handed off in the con ...
Prosecutor to Tragg: Did you find traces of any money anywheres else?
Yes, he said anywheres.
Post-mortem in PM’s office with Perry, Paul, Della, Carl Gorman and his secretary, Betty (Miss Landers).
Uncle Carl: But poor Betty here, having to bear all the burden.
DS: Nonsense, Mr. Gorman, that’s what secretaries are for.