The tournament’s third matchup is a duel between a tycoon on the make and a woman who’s tycoon husband is a total shnook: Daniel Conway(The Case of the Deadly Decoy) and Lucille Allred (The Case of the Lazy Lover).
Daniel Conway cares for his shareholders. Lucille Allred’s husband Bertie has nothing but his own gain on his mind, making Lucille very, very blue.
Pregame Analysis: Conway is the early favorite, but don’t expect Lucille to simply roll over.
Was the defendant memorable?
Conway is memorable. From his stock battle with Warner Griffith and his identifiable shoes to the fact that he’s introduced to Perry at a party sporting a tux.
I couldn’t have told you Lucille’s name until I looked it up, and I, frankly, wasn’t entirely sure she was the defendant (what about Yvonne Craig) when I was putting together the bracket. You know how I can sometimes be.
Advantage: Daniel Conway
Was the defendant the most compelling non-permanent character in the case?
If I think of The Case of the Deadly Decoy, there are lots of characters that spring to mind. There’s mealy mouthed Calvert, the murderer. There’s philandering sleazebag Warner Griffith (“There are wheels within wheels!”). There’s the “quirk of nature” elevator operator who blows the case wide open with her ability to identify people by their shoes. And don’t forget Amelia Armitage, the pronouncedly unattached woman with a Texas drawl. So, no, Conway probably isn’t the most compelling character in this bunch, but he holds his own.
As for The Case of the Lazy Lover, Lucille isn’t the winner here either. We’ve got Neil Hamilton’s unctuous Bertie Allred, Yvonne Craig’s “very droll” stepdaughter, southern-sounding secretary Bob Fleetwood, murderer PE Overbrook, and snide Fleetwood gal pal Berniece Archer. I wouldn’t put Lucille in the top three.
Advantage: Daniel Conway
Does Perry respect the defendant?
Perry takes on Conway’s case at the behest of a mutual friend. That’s respect by proxy. And it’s got to mean something that Della cares enough about him that as the episode ends, she’s planning a “merger” between Conway and Amelia Armitage.
As for Lucille, Perry grills her hard in their prison sequence (which, honestly, features some great acting from Ann Lee), and the denouement (in court!) is more about the murderer than the fate of the recently exonerated defendant.
Advantage: Daniel Conway
Finally, do we have a prior history with the actor or actress?
H.M. Wynant, aka Daniel Conway, is in ten different Perry episodes, and unlike some other frequent performers, he’s not a one-note-Charlie. He’s a defendant (here), a murderer (The Case of the Singing Skirt), and even a deputy prosecutor in William Talman’s lost period.
The Case of the Lazy Lover was Ann Lee’s only Perry appearance.
Advantage: Daniel Conway
Final Verdict: The judge finds Daniel Conway the victor in this head-to-head matchup.
Congratulations, Daniel! Your prize is a successful merger with Amelia Armitage! I hope it ends up better than Lucille’s marriage to Bertie!