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#139: The Case of the
Shapely Shadow
Original Airdate: 01/06/62

Summary Edit

From The Perry Mason TV Show Book (Revised)
A beautiful but naive secretary, Janice Wainwright, is only carrying out her boss’s orders when she unloads a briefcase carrying more than $100,000 in a train station locker. Then she waits for her boss’s ex-wife at a train station in Las Vegas, but Tragg arrives instead with a murder rap, accusing her of killing her boss, Morley Thielman.

It seems that Thielman’s former partner, Cole B. Troy, saw a woman’s shadow through his (Troy’s) office window move along the sidewalk behind Thielman shortly before the murder. Troy says the sexy silhouette belonged to Janice. Although Tragg brags that Janice has been arrested outside Perry’s legal jurisdiction*, our man gets the case anyway and causes Burger to blow his top once again at some typical Mason maneuvers in the courtroom.

*See comment below on the usage of “jurisdiction.”

Credits Edit

Opening

Starring Raymond Burr
in Erle Stanley Gardner’s
The Case of THE SHAPELY SHADOW
Barbara Hale, William Hopper, William Talman, Ray Collins

Trailing

Directed by Christian Nyby
Teleplay by Jackson Gillis

“Perry Mason”
Art Seid | Producer
Gail Patrick Jackson | Executive Producer
Jackson Gillis | Associate Producer
Produced by The CBS Television Network in association with Paisano Productions
Samuel Newman | 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

Robert Rockwell as Cole B. Troy
Dorothy Green as Carlotta Theilman
Elaine Devry as Janice Wainwright
Barbara Lawrence as Mrs. Theilman
Karl Held as David Gideon
George Neise as Morley Theilman
James Callahan as Fred Carlyle
Willis Bouchey as Judge
Ray Hemphill as Henry Battle
John Dennis as Lt. Sophia
John Zaremba as Autopsy Surgeon
Hal Smith as Moulage Man
William McLean as Newsdealer
Austin Green as Meteorologist
Ollie O'Toole as Dudley Roberts
Olan Soulé as Water Company Official
Phil Arnold as Smitty

Uncredited Actors
Arthur Tovey as Juror

Crew

Director of Photography … Robert G. Hager, A.S.C.
Art Direction … Lewis Creber
Assistant Director … Gordon Webb
Film Editor … Richard H. Cahoon, A.C.E.
Casting … Harvey Clermont
Makeup … Irving Pringle
Hair Stylist … Annabell
Wardrobe Supervision … Ed McDermott, Evelyn Carruth
Set Decoration … Charles Q. Vassar
Properties … Ray Thompson
Production Sound Mixer … Herman Lewis
Script Supervision … M.E.M. Gibsone
Sound … Glen Glenn Sound Co.
Automobiles Supplied by … Ford Motor Company
Titles and Opticals … Pacific Title

Perry Mason \ A Film Presentation
A CBS Television Network Production

Trivia Edit

Location: About 8:43 into the episode, Janice Wainwright and Della arrive by taxi at Union Station. The street with the traffic is N. Alameda. The actual access/exit road is N. Los Angeles. It loops in front of the station. Union Station looks much as it did then, a mixture of Art Deco and interpreted Spanish Colonial. See here for an interesting interactive panorama. The lockers by the entrance seem to have gone in the interim. The buildings seen opposite the entrance to Union Station as the ladies exit the taxi don’t seem to be there anymore, either, as far as I can tell. Submitted by billp, 26 & 28 November 2010.

Location: About 17:48 we see an image that could very well be the Union Pacific Railroad Station in Las Vegas. It was at the west end of Fremont Street at Main Street. The Union Plaza Hotel Casino was built on the site in 1971. The pan from Hotel Fremont to the station might be in place at the station. See here for how the station looked. Submitted by billp, 26 November 2010.

The City of Los Angeles passenger train mentioned in the episode did stop in Las Vegas. See here for more details. Today there is no rail service between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Submitted by billp, 26 November 2010.

Location: Note that according the envelope that contained the supposed blackmail note, Morley Theilman lives/works at 1040 N. Las [Palmas?]. See here for more information on this oft-occurring address in Perry Mason. Submitted by billp, 26 November 2010.

Continuity: We’re treated to another out-of-body experience here as Mason cross examines bookkeeper Fred Carlyle (James Callahan). At one point there is a cut for reaction to the face of Henry Battle (Ray Hemphill) in the first row of the gallery that shows Carlyle rather disinterestedly watching two rows behind Battle. Submitted by FredK, 28 Nov 2010.

This episode marks the ninth and last appearance of Karl Held as David Gideon, Perry Mason’s dapper young assistant. Submitted by gracep, 12/13/2010.

Sightings: Little Old Lady #1, with “Miss Carmody” beside her, watches the trial from behind the defendant and the first Mrs. Theilman. Read about her and other favorite frequent faces. Submitted by gracep 12/13/2010.

One of the few episodes with an actual jury trial rather than a preliminary hearing. Submitted by gracenote, 7/13/2011.

Uncredited Actors: Prominently featured among the jury is Arthur Tovey, who appeared in hundreds of films, but you never noticed him. Although we do not have him on our Uncredited Actors page yet, in 1984 People ran a story about him. Submitted by gracenote, 7/13/2011.

Comments Edit

There is currently (22 January 2010) an original copy of the script of this show that was formerly owned by Hal Smith (The Moulage Man) for sale at Weaver’s Department Store. Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 22 January 2010.

The summary says “outside Perry’s legal jurisdiction.” This makes no sense. Prosecutors and policeman have jurisdiction; it means the official power to make legal decisions and judgments, or the territory over which one may do so. A defense lawyer may go where he is hired (many wealthy defendants, for example, have hired high-priced lawyers from out-of-state), if he can practice there. Now I understand Perry may not be licensed to practice law in Nevada, but that is not “jurisdiction,” which only belongs to the State or other legal authority. Submitted by gracep, 12/13/2010.

The policeman who advises Perry about his "jurisdiction" doesn't use that word. He says, "You're out of your bailiwick." He may have been speaking metaphorically. :) Submitted by katest 10/13/2011

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