Show126
Barney Kessel, the guitarist featured in this episode had a lengthy career in Jazz, winning Best Jazz Guitarist in multiple publications' polls in the 1950's and 1960's. He was an in demand session guitarist, backing Julie London (Bobby Troupe's wife) on her hit "Cry Me A River" and even doing session work for The Beach Boys. Barney is playing his treasured Gibson L-7 guitar, with the "Gibson" logo covered. Gibson manufactured a Barney Kessel signature model, with which he'd be pictured, but seldom used for sessions or live dates. Submitted by Chief Kurtz 23 February 2024
Love the jazz music in this episode! And how nice of Perry to compare the fictional Eddy King to the real David Brubeck! Submitted by gracep, 11/23/2010.
Also a nice jazzy playing of the Perry Mason theme (@ 29:08) while Jonny is "waltzing around" downstairs in the apartment building. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 1/7/15.
Eddie King’s yearly income of $100,000 is equal to about $840,000 today. Not bad! DOD 10/23/19
Loved the jazz combo, but if I were in that club, when that gal started singing I'd head for the parking lot for what Tragg would call a "tea" break. As I recall, that sort of over-the-top vocalizing was au courant at the time. Submitted by francis, 4/23/12.
+ I agree with you. It is cringe-inducing. Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 10/5/2013.
++ Ditto. Constance Towers has a "Broadway Belter" voice (and delivery) and the song setting calls for a more subdued intimate style of singing. It's too bad they didn't get Julie London--Bobby Troup's wife and a terrific vocalist--to play the part of Jonny/Joanie. Submitted by BobH, 23 September 2016.
+++ OMG, I thought I was the only one who felt that way. I STILL have problems listening to her "singing". I don't know about "Broadway Belter", but her loud voice, while it has a "vibrato", has absolutely no tone or timber, and isn't even on key.
++++ IMHO her singing is competent, but wholly unsuited to that intimate space and that repertoire. Her training was obviously for huge auditorium spaces. She certainly doesn't need that mike in the club! And, I must admit, I don't particularly care for it either. OLEF641 3/23/21
I'm sorry to have to say this, but, she sounds like a puppy yapping when she ends that song "Luf!", and that last song sounded like she was trying very hard to find the note she was supposed to hit.
+++++ I just watched the Ed Sullivan Show on MeTV. This song was sung by Leslie Uggams. I was wondering where I had heard that song before. When she sang the words “The Man I Love” I immediately recalled this episode. Kilo 10/10/2021.
I really wish they had dubbed over it with someone who COULD sing because it's a shame to listen to that voice for the rest of my life whenever i see this episode. :-D . Submitted by Arisia, 03/20/18
TCOT Screeching Songstress Like the above commenters, I find Towers' singing unbearable. Thank goodness for DVDs! I fast forward through her OTT performances. Even her wiggling as she squeals is annoying. Submitted by JazzBaby, 9/11/2019.
An amplification, if that is an appropriate word: Constance Towers sings the 1924 song "The Man I love", by George and Ira Gershwin. Per Ira's book "Lyrics on Several Occasions", the song was originally for Adele Astaire in "Lady, Be Good!", and it was cut from that musical before it reached Broadway. Constance also sings the 1931 song "The Thrill is Gone", by Lew Brown (lyrics) and Ray Henderson (music), from that year's edition of "George White's Scandals". It was sung by Everett Marshall "Assisted by Rudy Vallee and Ross MacLean" per the playbill. Submitted by (lowercase, with a comma and period) masonite, 03/09/19.
The theme music and titles for the closing credits have changed. There is a shortened version of the theme played showing the director and writer. Then the theme restarts with a title card reading “Perry Mason” (with quotation marks), and it is played a little more slowly than before, definitely re orchestrated a bit. And the “Paisano Productions” card has moved a little, too, and the ident at the end has different music. Submitted by gracep, 11/23/2010.
It is amazing to me that at one time people were required to display their vehicle registration (with their home address) in their vehicle for anyone to see. Privacy? What privacy? Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 10/5/2013.
Why couldn't the dialog match the picture? Jack Grabba said: "That's me standing behind the doll with the dice." A man was about to throw the dice in the photo. Submitted by H. Mason 11/11/14
+"That's me, standing behind the doll, with the dice." Would it have sounded better to have said, "Standing behind the doll is me with the dice"? jfh 03Oct2016
+ The scene showing the hand holding the picture is called an "insert." It was filmed separately from the scene with the actors to save time. The actors may even have not been looking at the actual pictures at the time. (When Mason places the pictures on a table after Polly shows them to him (after another insert), the pictures are identical.) The scene with Mason and Grabba may even have been filmed before the still pictures were taken. In any event the pictures themselves, the actors discussing the pictures and the scene of the hand holding the pictures could have been shot on different days by different people and by the time the discrepancy was noticed (if it were noticed) it was too late to redo any of the filming (or they just figured no one would notice.) Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 1/06/15.
Amazing that Perry could hear what was on the tape he found since he doesn't seem to either thread the tape to play nor unthread the tape after Paul Drake busts in. Although all we see are his arms he doesn't seem to make enough movements and take enough time to remove the tape that had been playing without rewinding it (on two reels), get an empty take-up reel, thread the new tape and play it. When Bongo tells Perry to erase the tape, it is presumably still on both reels since it had been playing (and needs to be to be erased). After Paul enters, we see Perry's right hand doesn't move at all and the next thing he does is remove the reel already rewound from the recorder. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 1/06/15.
The "night janitor's" observational powers don't seem to be too great. Despite being positive of his identification, he has confused Jonny with Polly who look nothing alike, even at 2:30 am. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 1/7/15.
Fourth Hand Smoke Although a rumor that the following cautionary label
was once required before this show probably isn't true, it sure does have a lot of smoking: practically every character who has more than a few seconds airtime - except Della, of course - indulges, smoking scenes are integral to the plot, and a brand name (albeit fictitious) is mentioned several times...I felt like showering afterward !! Submitted by Notcom, 121915.
Making things easier - you could have cartons of cigarettes delivered by your neighborhood drug store! DOD 10/11/18
+I smoked for 36 years, and I would frequently light up when somebody on tv had a smoke. I've had many cigarets with Paul Drake, Dr. Richard Kimball, and IMF's Barney Collier. Submitted by DyNama, 1/16/2016. (P.S., now I vape.)
Polly's reasons for not marrying was a real slam against jazz musicians. I wonder if that was the common opinion then. Beatnicks were not often not well portrayed either. Submitted by Perry Baby 1/12/16
Correction to The Perry Mason TV Show Book: should read "Perry and Della", not "Perry and Delta". jfh
03Oct2016
+ Another correction: Polly was only about halfway to the altar, if any (she was by the 4th pew, where Sherwin was holding the envelope for her to see) when she shouted "Oh no no no!" and ran out of the church. A marriage ceremony was later performed near the piano, with no altar in sight. Submitted by (lowercase, with a comma and period) masonite, 03/09/19.
Some comments on costumes - Tragg trades in his usual rumpled suit for a rather sharply tailored jacket and slacks. Likewise Paul Drake, who eschews his usual light textured jacket for a similar outfit. Perry's favorite tie, the one with the broad dark diagonal with a small medallion in the middle, makes its appearance in the final courtroom scene. Can't recall ever seeing Della in a hat before, and what is that pattern on the dark dress at the end? Looks like ladies holding shopping bags. DODay 9/29/17
+ Umbrellas. jfh 19Jan2018
At this time, a woman wouldn't dream of going to church without wearing a hat. My mom used to wear a hat just like Della's. When fashions started to change several years later, some spiritual leaders actually had to make statements making it okay for women not to wear hats to church! Submitted by Unilou 4/25/22
The "two negatives" found in Bongo'a apartment weren't negatives at all. They were prints with the images reversed. Submitted by Kilo 6/27/2018.
As some have commented on other episodes, I find this one unbearably artificial and dated. All those "uncool" actors talking stiltedly in slang...the lathering on of jazz as background music in every single scene...and, of course, not one African-American in sight when jazz was one area where, sometimes, the races could cross paths. Our beloved show made some subtle attempts at inclusiveness over the years; this was a great opportunity missed. Grumble, grumble. And--lastly--the complicated plot and its resolution made almost no sense to me. At a minimum, it was emotionally unsatisfying, given the rotten things some of the non murderers had done. Submitted by JazzBaby, 9/11/2019.
I'm always having to readjust my thinking about time and social mores when I see an episode like this: My wife would have turned to her bridesmaid, said, "Hold this", and brained Mr. Sherwin with the closest object. The wedding would still have been delayed, but for a different reason! She was a non-nonsense woman. We were married forty years this June when she passed.. Submitted by MikeReese, 12/9/2023 \\Deepest sympathies, Mike. Rickapolis, 12/25/23
Every episode involving “compromising” photos/letters/documents, reminds me of the Duke of Wellington’s famous response to a potential blackmailer - “Publish and be damned!” DOD 12/25/23