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#243: The Case of the
Fatal Fortune
Original Airdate: 09/19/65

Summary Edit

From The Perry Mason TV Show Book
Pat Kean is a levelheaded career woman who goes to see an astrological fortune teller for a lark—but the predictions begin to come true. For one thing, Max Armstead, her kindly but much older boss, proposes to her.

The mystic predicted Pat would “wear white, then widow’s black.” Pat marries Max, prediction or not. But things begin to work out badly. Max gets a letter saying that Pat is running around on him, even though she isn’t. Then Max’s heart condition gets more critical and he dies. But it wasn’t a heart attack. In full view of Perry and Lt. Drumm, Max says, “She poisoned me!” then collapses. He’s dead of an overdose of digitalis.

Burger gets an indictment against Pat for first-degree murder. Perry has to dig through the supernatural to solve the case.

Credits Edit

Opening

Starring Raymond Burr
in The Case of THE FATAL FORTUNE
Based upon characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner
Barbara Hale, William Hopper, William Talman

Trailing

Directed by Arthur Marks
Written by William Bast
Arthur Marks \ Art Seid | Producers
Gail Patrick Jackson | Executive Producer
Ernest Frankel | Story Consultant
Orville H. Hampton | Associate Story Consultant
Raymond Burr as Perry Mason
Barbara Hale as Della Street
William Hopper as Paul Drake
William Talman as Hamilton Burger
Richard Anderson as Lt. Steve Drumm
Dan Tobin as Terrence Clay

Music Composed and Conducted by Richard Shores

Cast

Julie Adams as Patricia L. Kean
Lee Philips as Gordon Evans
Jesse White as Max Armstead
Ford Rainey as Dr. Fisher
Nan Martin as Beth Fuller
Dean Harens as Daniel Buckley
James Lanphier as Marius Stone
Grandon Rhodes as Judge
Nora Marlowe as Landlady
Alex Bookston as Desk Clerk
Belle Mitchell as Gypsy

Uncredited Actors
Joe Ploski as Courtroom Spectator (from IMDb)

Don Anderson as {	Wedding Guest
	Courtroom Spectator

(spotted by FredK 1/1/2011)

Crew

Director of Photography … John M. Nickolaus, Jr.
Art Direction … Lewis Creber
Assistant Director … Gordon A. Webb
Film Editor … Richard W. Farrell
Casting … Harvey Clermont
Makeup … Irving Pringle
Hair Stylist … Annabell
Wardrobe Supervision … Bob Wolfe, Evelyn Carruth
Set Decoration … Carl Biddiscombe
Properties … Ray Thompson
Production Sound Mixer … Herman Lewis
Script Supervision … Hazel W. Hall
Theme Composed by … Fred Steiner

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

Trivia Edit

Anomaly: James Lamphier, listed at Marius Stone, is called Marius Stowe. Submitted by daveb, 12/21/2007.

Uncredited Actors: Don Anderson appears in two, or possibly three, roles in this episode. Early on, he’s among the guests at the wedding of Pat and Max. The possible appearance is at Pat’s office when she returns from her honeymoon. As Pat gets off the elevator, he appears to be a man getting on, but he’s seen from three-quarters behind making this only a possible. At the trial, Don’s among the spectators in the first row behind the prosecution table. Submitted by FredK, 1 January 2011.

During Pat’s getaway in LaJolla, one cup of the Curious Coffee Set makes an appearance in her hotel room. Oh, the things that Coffee Set has seen! Submitted by FredK, 1 January 2011.

Sightings: Sitting in the courtroom gallery are a fidgety Pencil Mustache Man and a Quiet Old Man (#1)—the former clearest in cutaways to the fortune teller and the latter in cutaways to Ms. Fuller. Submitted by gracenote, 5/10/2011.

Jesse White would go on to “fame” as the bored “Maytag® Repair Man” who never got a service call. Submitted by cgraul, 9/14/2011.

Comments Edit

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