THE CASE OF THE WICKED WIVES is a workable PERRY MASON mystery and the first made after the death of star Raymond Burr. This time around, the similarly bulky Paul Sorvino plays a similarly hotshot lawyer rival of Mason's, taking on the murder of a fashion designer and fighting to clear the name of the man's accused wife. A flirty assistant and no less than four ex wives muddy the waters somewhat, so there are a great deal of sub-plots and back stories to pad out the running time. Barbara Hale and William R. Moses are still present in the story, the latter getting involved in some outdoor shenanigans that have very little to do with the central legal story. It does feel dated and low budget in parts, but it's not the worst of the series either.

***SPOILERS*** With the passing of actor Raymond Burr Perry Mason was written out of the script with Perry going to Washing D.C to be confirmed by the US Congress as the next Supreme Court Justice. In Perry's big shoes there stepped in the opera singing defense attorney Anthony Caruso, Paul Sorvino, who can not only sing up a storm but cook,in being a master Italian chef, up one as well!It's when Caruso gets the news that his good friend fashion photographer David Morrison, Eric Braeder, needed him to get his former top models as well as wives together to do a photo shoot that will very possibly get him out of bankruptcy he jumped at the offer! It was David's latest wife Dee, Kathy Ireland, who got Caruso to take up the case of contacting his former wives Abby Jane Shelly and Nina, Shelly Hack Beverly Johnson Maud Adams and Kim Alexis, whom he was also involved in their divorcing proceedings against his client David!During the middle of his photo shoot Dee became very annoyed at David when she spotted his assistant Margo, Paula Marshell,leave his private dressing room buttoning up her blouse indicating that he was involved in some hanky panky with her. Sure enough that evening David ended up dead with a sword through his chest with the woman spotted leaving his studio identified,from behind, as his outraged wife Dee! It's now up to Caruso to forget about helping David out in his finances, since by being dead he doesn't need his help anymore, but to get his wife Dee off on a murder charge in being the person who did David in!The movie soon leads to the great outdoors where Margo and her cowboy boyfriend Cutter, Yargo Constantine, are hold up which at first doesn't seem to make any sense in David being murdered! It up to human punching bag and Caruso's news assistant Ken Malansky,William R.Moses, to track down the pair with the help of local cowboy Big Red, Ron Headlee, to show Manansky the ropes in him surviving in the wild! Malansjky doesn't let the audience down with him getting a far worse beating, from all sides, then you would have expected him too as well as, by riding for days at a time, a serious case of saddle sores!****SPOILERS*** It's Caruso,after he took time to stop both singing and eating, who in the end uncovered the reason behind David's murder. As usual it had to do with David's unfeeling and selfish lifestyle where he not only took the women that he married, Abby Jane Shelly & Nina,for a ride but also their, and his, family members as well! In this case it was someone so close to him that if David had any brains in his head as well as just plain common sense he would have known who that person was as soon as he laid eyes on her!

Mr. Sorvino was great in the type of role that Raymond Burr began and I expect many even before him. I must admit that as a first time in the PM format I looked forward to more. the character was just beginning to be developed and he was charming to all and talents without [it appeared] limits. Too bad the network or the producers or the writers or whoever is responsible didn't see that this character was worth pursuing. Many long time viewers may have been questioning because Mr Burr was so fully ensconsed in the role, but Mr. Sorvino's character could have been a second rate copy or a first rate new version. I thought it could have been truly first rate. Too bad it was one and done.

I thought this movie was OK. The cast seemed to be doing their best but in my opinion they were missing someone essential! Raymond Burr who would usually play the main character of Perry Mason died before this movie was made. It's still an OK story but having seen other TV movies with Burr in, I don't think this one is quite so good.