The Case of the Drowning Duck

Season 1, Episode 4, Aired
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Episode Summary

Donald Briggs is an unscrupulous private investigator hired by Clyde Waters to uncover information about Marv Adams, his daughter's fiance. Briggs learned that Marv Adams' father was Ben Devereaux who was convicted of murder 18 years ago. Donald Briggs is trying to blackmail Clyde Waters and Martha Norris in return for keeping silent about certain facts regarding the Devereaux case. The next evening Donald Briggs is found dead in his motel room and Marv Adams is accused of the murder because he had a fight with Donald Briggs the previous morning.moreless
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  • Big city lawyer.

    7.6
    "Good"
    By jamoon2006, Nov 25, 2007 Report Abuse
    The gang takes their show on the road in "Drowning Duck," as Perry & Co. head to a small town to defend a man accused of murdering a blackmailer.

    What's great about this episode is that it manages to play up all of the cliches about a "small town courtroom drama" are played up. The judge can't stand Mason and his "big city" theatrics; it's swelteringly hot; the local cop harasses Perry and Paul...it's all here. Not that it makes the episode bad, just amusing to a 21st century viewer who has seen these themes in dozens of other stories.

    Like a lot of the episodes, the titular duck bears very little on the actual plot (aside from being a surprisingly mean-spirited "magic trick"). But we do have a well-done mystery rooted in an old murder case and a lot of small-town closet skeletons. It's also a nice departure from the routine, since in this show, Mason has an entire town and its institutions to contend with instead of just Tragg and Burger.moreless

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  • Trivia

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    • While a barn correctly reads "Waters Dairy Farm," the roadside sign is mislabeled "Water's Dairy Farm" (with an inappropriate apostrophe). Edit

  • Notes

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    • Gary Vinson, who plays the defendant in this episode, would later appear on The Roaring 20's, McHale's Navy, and Pistols 'n' Petticoats. Edit
    • Don Beddoe would return in TCOT Buried Clock and TCOT Captain's Coins. Edit
    • Hamilton Burger and Lt. Tragg do not appear in this episode. Edit

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