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#184: The Case of the
Drowsy Mosquito
Original Airdate: 10/17/63 Revised

Summary Edit

From The Perry Mason TV Show Book
When someone tries to kill a friend of Perry’s who has discovered a lost gold mine, Paul is called on to disguise himself as a prospector and act as bait for the potential killer. But while Paul is looking for rocks, he finds a body instead.

This episode is unusual in that there is no trial—just a coroner’s inquest. Therefore, there is no defendant.

Credits Edit

Opening

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

Trailing

Directed by Jesse Hibbs
Teleplay by Jonathan Latimer
Art Seid | Producer
Gail Patrick Jackson | Executive Producer
Jackson Gillis | Associate Producer
Samuel Newman | Story Consultant

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

Cast

Arthur Hunnicutt as Sandy Bowen
Russell Collins as Banning Grant
Kathleen Crowley as Lillian Bradisson
Clinton Sundberg as Deputy Coroner Chute
Robert J. Wilke as Deputy Sheriff Connors
Archie Moore as Jason Sparks
Strother Martin as Gerald Sommers
Robert Knapp as James Bradisson
Ann Doran as Nell Wyatt
Woodrow Parfrey as George Moffgat
Richard Derr as Hayward Small
Garry Walberg as Asst. D.A. Northridge
Charles Stroud as Man No. 1
Jack Fife as Man No. 2

Crew

“Perry Mason”
Director of Photography … Robert G. Hager
Art Direction … Lewis Creber
Assistant Director … Gordon A. Webb
Film Editor … Al Clark, A.C.E.
Casting … Harvey Clermont
Makeup … Irving Pringle
Hair Stylist … Annabell
Wardrobe Supervision … Ed McDermott, Evelyn Carruth
Set Decoration … Carl Biddiscombe
Properties … Ray Thompson
Production Sound Mixer … Herman Lewis
Script Supervision … Marshall Schlom
Theme Composed by … Fred Steiner
Automobiles Supplied by … Ford Motor Company

Perry Mason
Produced by the CBS Television Network in association with Paisano Productions

Trivia Edit

Archie Moore makes his only Perry appearance here playing Jason Sparks. Archie Moore was the light-heavyweight boxing champion of the world from 1952-1960. Archie Moore was the last boxer to fight Rocky Marciano, actually becoming only one of two fighters to knock Rocky down even though in the end he was knocked out by Rocky. After he retired from boxing he had a brief acting career, most notably as Jim in the 1960 production of Huckleberry Finn. Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 29 September 2009.

David Sadowski noted in the Perry_Mason Yahoo! group that this episode was originally aired a week after its scheduled date. Submitted by daveb, 1/16/2011. More information here.

Sightings: Apparently Distinguished Gentleman #1 made the trip from Los Angeles to observe the coroner’s inquest. Perhaps he’s a weekend rockhound, with his buffalo plaid flannel shirt; after all earlier he appears as a customer in the saloon. Submitted by gracenote 2/16/2011.

You know it’s a Western saloon because Stephen Foster’s “Camptown Races” is playing on a tinny piano in the background (doo-dah, doo-dah) as Paul Drake heads for camp. Submitted by gracenote, 7/29/2011.
+ This song is also used in “TCOT Clumsy Clown.” Must be a favorite of one of the producers. Submitted by cgraul, 9/26/2011.
+ It’s also in the public domain—which could be why it’s a favorite not only of the Perry producers but of many others on TV and radio! Submitted by gracenote, 10/5/2011.

Strother Martin, of course, is best known for uttering the famous line “What we have here…is a failure…to communicate” in Paul Newman’s great Cool Hand Luke. Submitted by cgraul, 9/26/2011.

Comments Edit

At the episode’s end, Paul, Perry, and Della drive off in a jeep—with Della in the back seat! Not very chivalrous by today’s standards! Submitted by Ed Zoerner, 8/23/2010.
+ Not particularly chivalrous back then either! But if Perry let Della ride up front, they wouldn’t have gotten to show off Della’s shapely gams as she climbed, unassisted, into the jeep’s back seat . . . while wearing her White High-Heel Shoes! This is the second or third time the trio came out to the desert in the jeep and Della wore high-heels each time! (And it really was the desert! These scenes were shot on-location.) Submitted by Gary Woloski, 2 December 2011.

There is a middle-aged woman in a dress who somewhat resembles Barbara Pepper, but I don’t believe it is she. Does anyone recognize her? Submitted by gracenote, 2/16/2011.

Della (in dark mine shaft): “It’s dark in here.” Paul: “What did you expect, streetlights?” [Unidentified submission.]
+ 1. Guess what footwear Della is wearing down in the mine? RIGHT! High-Heel Shoes!
2. The production crew gets my accolades for adding the realistic reverb to the recorded dialogue in the mineshaft scene! (Shot in studio, not a mine, I’m sure. Barbara Hale couldn’t have climbed down a real mineshaft in those shoes!) Submitted by Gary Woloski, 2 December 2011.

This episode has everything but a courtroom: Paul Drake being sarcastic, the “town coot,” the “western town feisty older woman,” Mason’s stock manipulation, shots ringing out in the middle of the night, too many names to keep straight, and Paul wearing feminine-looking sunglasses. Quite enjoyable. Submitted by cgraul, 9/26/2011.

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