Perry Mason 48-10-27 (1338) episode 1338

Summary

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Perry Mason - Episode 1338 (Original Air Date: 48-10-27)

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Date Reviewed: October 1, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of Perry Mason transports listeners to a tense legal showdown amid the signature drama of the Golden Age of Radio. The episode centers on Mary McKean, who faces indictment for the alleged kidnapping of her own child amidst a bitter custody battle with her spiteful sister-in-law, Liz Wren. Legal maneuverings, personal confrontations, and emotional revelations underscore the relentless tension as the case speeds toward trial.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Developments

1. Grand Jury Proceedings & Waiting Room Tensions

• The episode opens after a grand jury hearing, with Warren Jackson, Mary's nervous, inexperienced defense attorney, emerging to update Mary McKean on her likely indictment for kidnapping her son.
• Mary's emotional state is highlighted—she can't fully process the looming consequences, despite repeated warnings from both Jackson and Perry Mason.
  • Quote:

    "It's like we all know we're going to die, and yet none of us can conceive it's happening to what happened."
    — Mary McKean (01:44)

2. Legal Strategies and Pressure

• The prosecution's case is recounted: Mrs. Wren (Liz), Sergeant Barker, and B.H. Murtaugh have all given testimony.

• Murtaugh has maneuvered to become special prosecutor, intensifying the pressure on Mary’s defense.

  • Quote:

    "It appears Mr. Murtaugh's had himself appointed special prosecutor in your case."
    — Warren Jackson (02:15)

• Jackson admits he is not a trial lawyer and feels out of his depth, but will handle things until Perry Mason steps in.

  • Quote:

    "Mr. Mason is the trial lawyer, but you'll have to put up with me until Mr. Mason feels the time has come to appear."
    — Warren Jackson (02:37)

3. Liz Wren’s Vicious Confrontation with Mary

• Liz, imperious and cold, taunts Mary, expressing confidence in her imminent legal victory and her plans for Mary’s son, David Jr.

• The conversation escalates to Liz openly revealing her cruelty:

  • Quote:

    "I'll make him loathe the sound of your name... I'll make him cringe and beg me to change his name from David McKean Jr. to anything else."
    — Liz Wren (05:40)

• Mary stands her ground, pointing out Liz's hatred is ultimately self-destructive:

  • Quote:

    "They may send me to prison, Liz, but no judge or jury could ever sentence me to the torment you're inflicting on yourself right this moment."
    — Mary McKean (06:33)

4. Indictment Announcement and Rushed Trial Timeline

• Jackson returns with news—Mary has been indicted and the trial is set for Wednesday, a breakneck pace meant to disadvantage the defense.
  • Quote:

    "The trial date has been set for next Wednesday."
    — Warren Jackson (07:41)

• Mary is distraught, but Jackson encourages her by promising to do his utmost.
  • Quote:

    "I'll do the very best I can for you, Mrs. McKean."
    — Warren Jackson (07:45)

5. Behind-the-Scenes Maneuvering

• In parallel, Mason’s associates are scrambling—logistical issues (e.g., trucks, scenery) and the compressed timeline hinder the defense’s ability to prepare.
  • Quote:

    "He said it wasn't possible to get things ready before Wednesday."
    — Assistant (08:19)

• The urgency and procedural tactics ("stall the jury selection") highlight the drama behind the legal curtain.
  • Quote:

    "Maybe he can get a postponement from the trial judge or stall the jury selection."
    — Chief (10:06)

6. Cliffhangers and Questions

• The episode ends with lingering questions about whether Mason and his team will have enough time to mount a defense, and ominous foreshadowing about what Liz might do to David Jr.

  • Quote:

    "Or should you say if you get started, Mr. Mason? Well, but more of that tomorrow."
    — Narrator (10:19)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mary’s Existential Realization:
  “It's like we all know we're going to die, and yet none of us can conceive it's happening to what happened.”
  (Mary McKean, 01:44)

• Liz’s Cold Threat:
  “I'll make him loathe the sound of your name...”
  (Liz Wren, 05:40)

• Mary’s Moral Stand:
  “But no judge or jury could ever sentence me to the torment you're inflicting on yourself right this moment.”
  (Mary McKean, 06:33)

• The Rushed Justice:
  “The trial date has been set for next Wednesday.”
  (Warren Jackson, 07:41)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:59 – Grand jury room scene begins, Mary and Jackson discuss the indictment.
• 03:33 – Liz Wren enters; confrontation with Mary ensues.
• 06:45 – Climax of Mary and Liz’s argument.
• 07:22 – Jackson announces Mary’s indictment and the accelerated trial date.
• 08:17 – Mason’s team deals with the rushed logistics.
• 10:19 – Episode cliffhanger narrated.

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Tone & Style

The tone is suspenseful, emotionally charged, and morally complex, characteristic of Perry Mason and the golden era of radio drama. The dialogue is sharp, with characters expressing raw emotion and deep-seated resentment, while the ethical stakes of the custody battle are made abundantly clear.

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For those new to this format or episode, this summary brings you to the heart of the drama: a legal and personal crisis with a mother at risk of losing her child, an embittered guardian intent on revenge, and a defense team fighting against the clock. The tension is palpable; the next installment promises even greater suspense.

Transcript

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[Narrator]

At about 2:15 this afternoon, the heavily ornate carbon door of the grand jury room swung open and a slight, meek looking man stepped out, removed his eyeglasses, polished them, and then, as if noticing her for the first time, walked over to a lovely, sad faced young woman who rose from her chair saying, Mr.

[Mary McKean]

Jackson, I didn't think you were ever going to come out of that grand jury room.

[Warren Jackson]

It's been less than an hour, Mrs. McKean, and you might as well sit down again.

[Mary McKean]

Why?

[Warren Jackson]

Oh, there's been no decision, not yet. The grand jury just retired to vote on your indictment.

[Mary McKean]

Oh, there's not much doubt in your mind, is there, Mr. Jackson, as to your being indicted?

[Warren Jackson]

I'm afraid not.

[Mary McKean]

Funny, isn't it?

[Warren Jackson]

What, Mrs. McKean?

[Mary McKean]

Poor person's mind. The human mind. You can tell me the same thing over and over as Mr. Mason told me over and over. If you're arrested, you'll be indicted for kidnapping your child. If you're arrested, you'll be indicted. And I heard what he said, Mr. Jackson. I believed him. And yet somehow I couldn't realize what he meant. It. Well, it. It's like we all know we're going to die, and yet none of us can conceive it's happening to what happened.

[Warren Jackson]

In the grand jury room.

[Mary McKean]

Yes.

[Warren Jackson]

Mrs. Wren testified. And Sergeant Barker and B.H. murtaugh, of course. They introduced a copy of the court order awarding the custody of David Jr. To Mrs. Wren. It appears Mr. Murtaugh's had himself appointed special prosecutor in your case.

[Mary McKean]

Huh. That's bad, isn't it?

[Warren Jackson]

If I have to conduct your defense.

[Mary McKean]

Mr. Jackson, don't you worry.

[Warren Jackson]

But I do. It's. It's my nature, I guess. I'm not a trial lawyer. My function's to prepare cases, not try them. Mr. Mason is the trial lawyer, but you'll have to put up with me until Mr. Mason feels the time has come to appear. Now, I think I'd better get back in. I want to be on hand when the grand jury does render a decision. Now, if you are indicted when? Well, then, when you are indicted, I shall request that the date of the trial be postponed.

[Mary McKean]

I see.

[Warren Jackson]

You. You won't mind waiting here alone?

[Liz Wren]

Alone?

[Warren Jackson]

Oh, you mean the guard? I'm sorry about that guard, Mrs. McKean, but they refused to parole you into my custody. You'll have to go back to your cell as soon as the grand jury hands down its ruling.

[Mary McKean]

That's all right, Mr. Jackson. You don't write the laws.

[Warren Jackson]

And too bad that I don't, too. There are a few I could improve on, I'm sure. Well, then you'll excuse me.

[Mary McKean]

Of course.

[Liz Wren]

Clumsy.

[Warren Jackson]

Oh, excuse me, Mrs. Rand.

[Liz Wren]

Oh. Well, Mary.

[Mary McKean]

Hello, Liz.

[Liz Wren]

Quite interesting. Grand jury proceedings. And very careless of the police, leaving you in this anteroom unattended.

[Mary McKean]

I'd hardly say I was unattended.

[Liz Wren]

Hmm? Oh, well, there's a guard outside the door. Well, I'm glad there's some justice left in the world.

[Mary McKean]

If there's any justice left you.

[Liz Wren]

I hope they won't shilly Shurley around too much. I do want to stay and hear their decision, but I shan't stay if they take too long. I have to take my precious nephew for an earring. I do think a child should have his afternoon airing, even in weather like this. As David Jr. S mother, I hope you approve.

[Mary McKean]

You're very sure of yourself, aren't you, Liz?

[Liz Wren]

And why not? I don't wish to seem unkind, Mary, but one may as well be practical. You and Mr. Mason manage to get away with a great, great deal. But as Mother used to say, this time you've bitten off more than you can chew. I imagine it will choke you, and I'll be there to watch. Did you hear me, Mary? Did you hear me?

[Mary McKean]

I'm not deaf.

[Liz Wren]

Then you know what you are. Yes.

[Mary McKean]

I mean that you hate me. Hate me as you hated my husband, your brother. Oh, yes. And as I know you must hate my baby, too. Well, we're alone except for the guard at the door, and he can't hear you. You're free to tell the truth. For once, you can stop being a hypocrite. You hated your brother from the time he was born. And later, later in life, you hated everything that belonged to him. Me, his wife, and now his baby.

[Liz Wren]

I never said I hated my nephew.

[Mary McKean]

You never said. You never said. The only reason you fought so hard for that child, the only reason you framed me and took him away from me, is so you could control his money.

[Liz Wren]

Well.

[Mary McKean]

Well, this. Maybe you'll be able to carry it off. Maybe in spite of everything Mr. Mason can do, you'll be able to send me to prison for 10 years. Maybe you'll be able to keep my boy away from me forever.

[Liz Wren]

I'll make him hate you. I'll teach you.

[Mary McKean]

Perhaps you will.

[Liz Wren]

I'll make him loathe the sound of your name. The sound of your name and the sound of his father's name.

[Mary McKean]

I think you're mad.

[Liz Wren]

I'll make him cringe and beg me to change his name from David McKean Jr. To anything else.

[Mary McKean]

I know you're mad.

[Liz Wren]

That's what's in store for your child, Mary McKean.

[Mary McKean]

You must be mad.

[Liz Wren]

Aren't you worried? Aren't you afraid? Aren't you bothered about what I'm going to do to your child? Aren't you going to beg?

[Mary McKean]

I would if I thought it would do any good. But I know it won't. And so instead, I'm going to say what I've started to say. I wouldn't change places with you for anything in this world. And you know why? Because you're being eaten up, Liz. Eaten alive with your own hatred. I don't know why I never saw it before. Perhaps because you kept it too well concealed. They may send me to prison, Liz, but no judge or jury could ever sentence me to the torment you're inflicting on yourself right this moment. Because that's what it is, torment. I can see it in your eyes, in your body. I wonder how you can live with yourself, money or no money, knowing what you are, knowing what you've done. What I am.

[Liz Wren]

I like what I am and what I've done. And when I'm through, you won't like what you see. Because after you're convicted, after you've gone to prison, I expect to mold my precious nephew as I'd like to see him molded. And your ideas and mine aren't quite the same.

[Mary McKean]

Oh, Mr. Jackson.

[Liz Wren]

Has the verdict been brought in?

[Warren Jackson]

I suggest you consult with Mr. Murtaugh, Mrs. Wren.

[Mary McKean]

Thank you.

[Liz Wren]

I shall. Goodbye, Mary.

[Warren Jackson]

Mr. Jackson, it's it's what we expected, Mrs. McKean.

[Mary McKean]

An indictment. Yes, but at least we'll have time. You secured enough time. Oh, Mr. Jackson, if you'd heard the plans that that woman has for my child, you. Mr. Mason, has to have time to get.

[Warren Jackson]

Yes, that's the unfortunate part. Mrs. McKean, Mr. Murtaugh and the district attorney are in a great hurry to get on. They brought a great deal of pressure to bear.

[Mary McKean]

The.

[Warren Jackson]

The trial date has been set for next Wednesday.

[Mary McKean]

Next Wednesday? Yes. No.

[Warren Jackson]

There. Now, you mustn't be upset. I'll do the very best I can for you, Mrs. McKean. The very best I can.

[Narrator]

Don't be upset, says Mr. Jackson. Don't be upset. How would you feel if you were in Mary's shoes? How would you feel if a woman like Liz Wren had control of your child and apparently there was nothing you could do about it? I think that over right now. It's some hours later.

[Chief]

Are you sure you understood Paul correctly? Baggage?

[Assistant]

Absolutely, chief. He said it wasn't possible to get things ready before Wednesday.

[Chief]

It's not very fast work. What's holding things up?

[Assistant]

Well, according to Paul, the trucks and the scenery wouldn't be free until Wednesday. And there's nothing anyone can do about it.

[Chief]

He knows how vital time is. We'd better get back to our hideout. No good in being picked up before we get a chance to put our plan into action.

[Assistant]

Well, if you feel that way about it, the traffic light is red.

[Liz Wren]

Yes.

[Chief]

Thanks for telling me Wednesday.

[Liz Wren]

Paper, mister?

[Chief]

Yeah, I guess so. You got a record?

[Liz Wren]

Yeah, sure.

[Chief]

Here you are, then.

[Liz Wren]

A second. I gotta find some change.

[Chief]

All right, skip it.

[Liz Wren]

Oh, thanks.

[Mary McKean]

Say, don't I know you?

[Chief]

I doubt it. Unless you've lived in Arizona.

[Mary McKean]

No, I never been out of New.

[Liz Wren]

York in my life. I guess you look like somebody else, huh?

[Chief]

I guess a light's changing.

[Liz Wren]

Yeah, I better get out of the street. Get your a. Paper. Paper. AI, get your paper.

[Assistant]

Well, let that be a lesson. Don't attract attention by handing out big tips and hand me the paper. Mary's been indicted.

[Liz Wren]

We expected that, but even so.

[Assistant]

Oh, this picture of her leaving the court with Jackson.

[Liz Wren]

Chief, she looks awful.

[Chief]

Couldn't have been a shock. If I know Jackson, he primed her to expect the worst. Trial date set?

[Liz Wren]

I'll have to look.

[Chief]

Probably at the end of the story.

[Mary McKean]

Wait a minute.

[Assistant]

It says turn to page six.

[Chief]

I'll turn to page six. I hope Jackson got us enough time.

[Assistant]

Oh, well, chief, it says Wednesday.

[Chief]

This Wednesday?

[Assistant]

Yes, that's what it says. Wednesday of this week, day after tomorrow. And Murtaugh's been appointed special prosecutor.

[Mary McKean]

Chief.

[Assistant]

They can't do that.

[Chief]

Read it to me.

[Assistant]

Despite the pleas of Warren Jackson, who asked for a postponement on grounds of insufficient time to prepare his case, Judge Albert upheld the request of Special Prosecutor Murtaugh that the trial be opened on Wednesday of this week.

[Chief]

So that's the way they're going to pull it.

[Assistant]

Gives us two days. Just two days.

[Chief]

Jackson will have to start the case, that's all. Maybe he can get a postponement from the trial judge or stall the jury selection.

[Assistant]

Do you think so?

[Chief]

I know he'll do his best. Meanwhile, we can't get to work until Wednesday. But when we get started. When we get started.

[Narrator]

Or should you say if you get started, Mr. Mason? Well, but more of that tomorrow.

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