A school friend of Ken Malansky, former ice hockey champion Bobby Spencer (Jason Beghe) is accused of killing sports tycoon Thatcher Horton (Pernell Roberts) whom he was suing for failing to look after him following an injury whilst playing a tournament. Spencer was overheard threatening Horton with violence after his case against him fell apart. Ken (William R Moses) persuades a reluctant Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to defend him in court after he was put off by Spencer's aggressive temper, but he reassured him that beneath it all was a fundamentally decent man. As you would expect there are no shortage of suspects for the ace attorney to probe who had strong motives for wanting Horton dead. Not least the tennis champion Kathy Grant (Shari Belafonte) who had given up her lucrative career to go into business with the murdered man only he double crossed her by pulling out of the deal. The basketball player, Temple Brown (Julius Carry), was under threat of being traded in by Horton for losing several high profile games. Horton's son, Stuart (Bruce Greenaway), stands to inherit his father's empire, but before he died he had treated his son as no more than a dogsbody. Then there's his widow, Linda (Deidre Hall), who would have got $500,000 a year for three years if her husband had divorced her, but if she had divorced him she would have got nothing and is there more than appears to meet the eye in her relationship with her step son?A workmanlike entry in this long running and affectionately remembered series of revival movies featuring Raymond Burr in his best remembered role (along with Ironside) as the crack defence attorney Perry Mason. The script plays fair as can be expected with the audience and the abundance of clues and red herrings are logically assembled so that the audience can follow it so that when the denouement comes it seems credible and reasonably satisfying. Burr's courtroom scenes are reasonably entertaining and the secrets he extracts from his witnesses - things that they would prefer not to come out in public, of course - are interesting and will keep murder mystery addicts glued to their TV screens. Burr still commands authority and integrity as Mason, but his opponent here, the DA Barbara August (Valerie Mahaffey), is nowhere near as confrontational as Michael Reston (David Ogden Stiers) used to be and the chemistry between him and Mason is sorely missed and would have lifted this episode a lot higher. The light comedy relief in this one is provided through Malansky's love-hate relationship with the rich socialite Amy (Alexandra Paul) who reprises her role from The Case Of The Lethal Lesson and The Musical Murder episodes. Whereas she was quite likeable in the former in which William R Moses was making his debut as Mason's new assistant, she runs the risk of her character becoming rather irritating here. Amy, as fans of this show will know, is forever trying to play at being an amateur sleuth and forever interfering in Ken's cases much to his chagrin. When he objects she seems like little more than a spoilt little rich girl here throwing tantrums. Indeed, at one stage, her attempts to play detective nearly cost her and her friends their lives when she stupidly puts out a flyer offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of the killer making Ken's objections completely justified. However, she later redeems herself by providing Mason with a vital clue that helps him bring the real murderer to justice. In a charming little scene at the end, Mason patches things up between Ken and Amy by assuring them that they both in their small way provided the solution to his case and what had been intended to add to the drama and provide comedy relief, yet risked becoming bad is suddenly redeemed and the movie is saved. Performances from the supporting cast are generally good, but none of them really stand out and set the screen alight.

In Perry Mason: The Case Of The All Star Assassin, America's number one defense attorney gets involved in defending Jason Beghe, a star hockey player who is accused of shooting down Pernell Roberts, a George Steinbrenner like owner of both a hockey and basketball team in Denver. He's also got an interest in tennis in the person of tennis pro, Shari Belafonte.I'm sure there are any number of folks who wouldn't mind seeing Mr. Steinbrenner done in and it's the same with Pernell Roberts. The reason that Beghe is zeroed in on as a suspect is because the murder weapon is found in his car and after Beghe storms out of deposition with his attorney Ken Malansky yelling threats against Roberts's person. Actually the only thing Beghe did was go out on a terrific drunk, the same as Jim Metzler did in the previous Mason film.It was nice if ever so briefly to see Billy Moses actually doing lawyer like work if in fact he did then turn the case over to Raymond Burr and resume his sleuth role. This episode marked the farewell appearance of Alexandra Paul as Billy's girl Friday, Amy. I believe she started in Baywatch the following year.The Case of The All Star Assassin not a bad entry in the Mason series. Burr gets a rather colorless female ADA in Valerie Mahaffey as an opponent here. As for the culprit, all I can say that until the very end, this suspect is probably the one least focused on during the film.

***SPOILERS*** Noted for pulling all kinds of underhanded tactics on his players and those he represents as their agents Thatcher Horton, Pernell Roberts, pulled his last double-cross when he ended up at room temperature with three bullets in his chest. This happened when he was preparing to join his wife Linda, Deldne Hall, in the hot tub at his mansion. Having missed a flight to New York Tatcher felt that he needed a little rest and recreation before he would be ready to fly the next morning but ended up getting more rest then he ever expected.Having one of his star hockey players arrested and booked for Tacther's murder the confused and somewhat dull-minded, from taking too many hits on the ice, as well as washed up Bobby Spencer, Jason Beghe, is not at all in tuned to what's facing him in a court of law,first degree murder. Bobby acts like a brainless jerk when Perry Mason, Raymond Burr, is about to take on his case. Bobby in a contract dispute with Thatcher the day before threatened to murder him in front of a number of witnesses including his friend and lawyer Ken Malansky, William R.Moses. Asked by his private investigator and now aspiring, but not too successful, attorney Ken Manlansky to do him a favor by representing the very uncooperative Bobby Spencer Perry being talked down to and insulted by his clients actions just about walks out on him leaving Bobby to possibly spend the rest of is life in a state penitentiary.Bobby's actions pale in comparison to those of the kooky and what seems like very unstable hit-man Richards, S.A Griffin, who just does about everything to get himself caught. It's unbelievable to me that it took almost the entire movie for the cops and investigator Malansky, to finally catch up with him. In fact we also find out later in the film, like the last five minutes, that the guy who hired Richards to do a job on Tatcher***Spoilers***was actually after his son the over-pampered and snot-nose Stewart Horton, Bruce Greenwood. Stewart was having an affair with his step-mother Linda and had the killer mistakingly murder poppa when he thought, being that Tatcher was supposed to be out of town at the time, that it was him Bruce whom he was really aiming at!One of the best of the TV Perry Mason Mystery TV movies with Perry having his work cut out for him in finding Tatcher's killer and not knowing who he is until the killer is gunned down. It's then that the truth comes out to who hired him being a guy who just couldn't take it anymore from young Bruce who was blackmailing him.It was nice to see the pretty and bubbly Alexandra Paul back again as Ken Manlansky's fiancé and partner in crime or justice Amy Hastings as she constantly has to get her boyfriend out of trouble more then get the person who put him into it. Ken again almost blows it as he instead of waiting for the cops, who had the sports arena sealed shut, to catch the hired killer he ridiculously risks his life trying to be a hero and almost getting shot for it.P.S The person who hired Richards also wasn't exactly the brightest bulb on the marquee with his leaving the murder weapon right where the cops, and Perry Mason, could find it! It was as if he wanted to keep it as a reminder of his great work not knowing that it would put him in the big house for life where he'll have lots of free time to prefect his talents during exorcise time.

Ken Malansky is doing a friend (ex-hockey star Bobby Spencer) a favour by representing him in very bitter negotiations with Thatcher Horton - owner of a sports arena and the teams that use it. When things go badly, Bobby storms out making threats - that come back to haunt him when Horton is murdered by a hitman. Ken goes to Perry Mason for help defending Horton while he starts looking for the hitman who was hired to do the job; tasks not made easier by Bobby's temper and the fact that Ken's fiancé, Amy, wants to be involved in the investigations again.Perry Mason TVM's are all pretty much the same and if you like one you'll like the vast majority of them. This one is no exception as it does all the usual stuff without any of it really impressing too much, but just doing enough to get by. The plot here offers up the potential for a bit of glamour - a chase at a big game perhaps? Or a whole range of athletes being under suspicion? However it doesn't really use the venue well - at most we see one player `shooting hoops' in an empty stadium. This is still OK but I couldn't help wondering what a slightly bigger budget would have allowed. As it is, the mystery goes the usual places - Mason goes around stirring up clues and red herrings while Malansky does his action stuff in pursuit of the killer.Mason's red herrings are quite good here and there are some good twists and turns - twists that actually fit inside each other this time as opposed to just being distractions until the real twist comes. Malansky's stuff is OK but is detracted by the presence of Amy Hastings (still kicking around from her own court case); this was her final appearance and it is for the best as it would have got harder and harder to use her effectively. Although I would have liked to see a bigger team of sportsmen, the film's small group of suspects allows them to be more interesting. They each are used well and it could be any of them. Of course - don't assume from this that the film is great - it isn't anything special, but if you like the series then this is good enough.Burr is good and comfortable in his role, although Hale is practically invisible here. Moses continues to settle into his role and his stuff with Paul would better with a better script - they do have chemistry and she is a good actress when given the chance. The support cast is pretty good - Belafonte is unmistakably her father's daughter and is quite good, as is the basketball player despite not being that good an actor generally. The better roles are given to Greenwood and Hall as their bits are interesting, and of course Roberts as Horton himself. McEachin is good in his usual role, but Mahaffey is no match for Mason as the DA.Overall this is a good film in the series but is not different or special enough to win over anyone who dislikes the other films. The story is good despite not being used to it's full potential and the cast is pretty good.