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#113: The Case of the
Angry Dead Man
Original Airdate: 02/25/61

Summary Edit

From The Perry Mason TV Show Book
Willard Nesbitt is dead and he wants to keep it that way.

He supposedly drowned in a boating accident. But it’s almost a moot point—his doctors had told him he only had a short time to live anyway. He wants his delicious young wife Eve to collect on his double-indemnity life insurance policy. But when his crooked business partner illegally cuts Eve out of a $500,000 gold deal, Nesbitt must rise from the dead to warn her. Then someone kills him for good. Eve is naturally a suspect as the police smell insurance fraud. It’s up to Perry to set them straight.

Credits Edit

Opening

Starring Raymond Burr
in The Case of THE ANGRY DEAD MAN
Based Upon Characters Created By Erle Stanley Gardner
Barbara Hale, William Hopper, William Talman, Ray Collins

Trailing

Directed by Arthur Marks
Written by Michael Morris
Art Seid | Producer
Gail Patrick Jackson | Executive Producer
Produced by The CBS Television Network in association with Paisano Productions
Jackson Gillis | Story Consultant

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason
Barbara Hale as Della Street
William Hopper as Paul Drake
William Talman as Hamilton Burger
Ray Collins as Lt. Tragg

Cast

Gloria Talbott as Eve Nesbitt
Edward Binns as Lloyd Castle
Les Tremayne as Willard Nesbitt
Gordon Jones as Second Deputy
Carol Ohmart as Jenny Bartlett
James Millhollin as Ben Otis
Frank Ferguson as Prof. Laiken
Naomi Stevens as Fanny Werbler
Karl Held as Bruce Nesbitt
Wally Brown as John Givney
Ray Montgomery as First Deputy
Juney Ellis as Receptionist
Kenneth R. MacDonald as Judge
Phil Chambers as Anderson
Charles Stroud as Court Clerk

Crew

Production Supervisor … Dewey Starkey
Director of Photography … Frank Redman, A.S.C.
Art Direction … Lewis Creber
Assistant Director … Robert G. Stone
Film Editor … John D. Faure
Casting … Harvey Clermont
Makeup … Irving Pringle
Hair Stylist … Annabell
Wardrobe Supervision … Ed McDermott, Evelyn Carruth
Set Decoration … Charles Q. Vassar
Sound Effects Editor … Gene Eliot, M.P.S.E.
Music Editor … Gene Feldman
Properties … Ray Thompson
Production Sound Mixer … Herman Lewis
Script Supervision … M.E.M. Gibsone
Sound … Glen Glenn Sound Co.
Titles and Opticals … Pacific Title

Perry Mason \ A Film Presentation
A CBS Television Network Production

Trivia Edit

Goof: Lloyd Castle, on the stand, refers to Jenny Bartlett as Miss Barton. Later, on the stand, Perry correctly calls her Bartlett.

Location: This is another episode shot around Malibou Lake. There are two scenes that show the Clubhouse building. The main differences are the Haven Motel sign and the Coke machine. Submitted by Eric Cooper, 2/12/08, via email. Posted by daveb. A picture of the building and some screen shots can be found here. Read more at The Lakes.

Location: The Nesbitt cabin on the lake should seem familiar to Perry and Della. Perry stayed there in the TCOT Angry Mourner. It was also used again in TCOT Watery Witness. Altogether, we get a pretty good sense of the property. I'm guessing since it was reused so many times, it may have had some connection to the studio/cast/crew. Submitted by billp, 6/9/2011.

Karl Held makes his first appearance on Perry playing Bruce Nesbitt. He will make 9 more appearances in season 5 playing David Gideon, Perry’s (and Paul’s) assistant each time. Submitted by PaulDrake33, 3/6/2009; updated by gracenote, 7/6/2011.

Sightings: Blue Collar Guy is briefly visible (through the glare on the windshield) as the truck driver who picks up Willard Nesbitt in front of the motel. More about him and other frequently-seen people here. Submitted by alan_sings, 9/26/10.
+ During the hearing, the Little Old Lady in a Hat, Distinguished Lady #3, and “Miss Carmody” sit in the gallery (prosecutor’s side) during the hearing. Distinguished Gentleman #1 appears on the defendant’s side, and at some point “Miss Carmody” teleported there, because we see her leaving on the defendant’s side. Submitted by gracep 11/6/2010.

Comments Edit

+ The title of this show “Angry Dead Man” brings to mind a cute joke. This man tells his friend he was just forced to shoot a dog. His friend asks him “Was it a mad dog?” He tells his friend “Well the dog sure wasn't too happy about it.” Submitted by PaulDrake 33. 10 Nov 2009.

Eve Nesbitt states that she’s from Georgia, where “it was considered vulgar for a woman to know too much about business matters.” I used to live in Georgia, and believe me, it’s not true. Oh, those Hollywood myths about the South! Submitted by gracep, 11/6/2010.

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