Perry Mason

Episode 1

The Case of the Laughing Lady

Sun, Sep 12, 196560 mins

While watching a gala event on TV, jail inmate Carla Chaney, who has a lengthy criminal history, sees the woman who she is certain committed the crime she's being held for. She also hears the distinct and high pitched laugh she heard the night of the murder. Carla is being held pending her trial for murdering Gerald Havens, an earlier boyfriend, but maintains she is innocent. The woman she saw at Havens' house is Leona Devore, the very rich owner of the Devore galleries. Leona claims to have been out of the country and then in Hawaii when Havens was killed. When shown photographs of people at the event however, Carla initially picks out gallery employee Cho Sin, not Leona, as the woman she saw. It all creates doubt in Perry's mind and friction with his client who feels no one is taking her side. Correctly identifying the owner of that unique laugh and Perry's knowledge and research on Asian artifacts are central to Perry solving the case and finding the real killer and the reason for the murder.