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#30: The Case of the
Screaming Woman
Original Airdate: 04/26/58

Summary Edit

From The Perry Mason TV Show Book
Columnist and socialite Mary K. Davis gets herself killed. Was it her shrill voice that prompted someone to do her in? Or was it something the columnist said? Maybe her politician-husband didn’t appreciate her refusal to give him a divorce. Or perhaps that doctor didn’t like it when Mary threatened to expose his illegal baby-selling scheme.

Perry and Della feel it’s an important enough issue to tamper with the evidence in defense of Leona Walsh, the nurse on trial for the crime. Burger’s out to put Della on the stand and get Perry for tampering.

Credits Edit

Opening

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

Cast

Ruta Lee as Connie Cooper
Berry Kroeger as Eugene Jarech
Josephine Hutchinson as Leona Walsh
Arthur Shields as Dr. George Barnes
Marian Seldes as Mary K. Davis
Philip Ober as Ralph Davis
Karin Booth as Susan Marshall
Don Gardner as Bob Shroeder
Morris Ankrum as Judge Cameron
Phil Arnold as Apartment Manager
Richard Ryan as Mr. Hill
Jeanne Bates as Miss Clay
Marian Collier as Attendant
Jack Gargan as Court Clerk

Uncredited Actors
Don Anderson as Courtroom Spectator
Tom Kennedy as Courtroom Spectator

Trivia Edit

CARS: 1955 Chevrolet BelAir 4dr sedan, 2-tone: dark color & white, 1958 Buick 4dr Caballero wagon, white, 1958 Cadillac convertible, black, white top up (Mason). From The Cars by Greg Cockerill.

Anomaly: Berry Kroeger, listed as Eugene Jarech in the credits, is identified as Arthur Jarech in a building directory and by other characters. Submitted by daveb, 12/20/2007.

Location: The same setup shot is used for the “Dr. Barnes Seaside Hospital” as in #54, TCOT Foot-Loose Doll. See here. Submitted by Charles Richmond, 6/2/2004.
+ Dr. Barnes Seaside Hospital is currently the Malibu residence of singer Cher. It has been on and off the market in 2008 for $41 million. Posted by Eric Cooper, 17 November 2009. Some pictures here.

Mary K. Davis (played by Marian Seldes) was a newspaper columnist and socialite. In real life, Marian Seldes was the daughter of journalist/author/editor Gilbert Seldes and niece of journalist George Seldes. Submitted by Charles Richmond, 10/20/2008.

Anomaly: The doctor in this episode is credited as Dr. George Barnes (played by Arthur Shields). Indeed, in the first part of the episode, Perry refers to him as Dr. George Barnes when talking with Paul. But during the beginning of the first courtroom scene, Mr. Burger refers to him as Dr. Philip Barnes. Submitted by Charles Richmond, 11/20/2008.

Uncredited Actor: Don Anderson makes his 17th appearance in the first season as a courtroom spectator. Submitted by FredK, 25 Oct 2010.
+ When someone in the gallery stands to be identified, we clearly see former boxer Tom Kennedy in the front row, along with some other familiar faces (see Sightings, below). Submitted by gracenote, 9/2/2011.

Goof: At 31:41, Dr. Barnes places the envelope in the fire; at 31:42, it begins to kindle; at 31:43, we see Mason getting a cup of water in the hall. At 31:56, thirteen seconds later, Mason returns to the office, and the envelope is still just beginning to kindle. Dr. Barnes says “I’m afraid you're a little late” (which isn’t quite true), but at 32:02, just six seconds later, the envelope is burned beyond all recognition. Submitted by 10yearoldfan, 7 August 2011.

Sightings: Among the courtroom spectators are Distinguished Gentleman #1, Distinguished Gentleman #2, and Distinguished Lady #4—all on the prosecutor’s side. When someone in the gallery stands up for identification, Little Old Lady #2 is in front of him (as is DG #2). Over on Perry’s side sits Little Old Lady #1. What we’d like to know is, who are they? Submitted by gracenote, 9/2/2011.

Comments Edit

This show is unusual in that Della is sworn in and must testify in the trial. Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 6/3/2009.

While certainly Mary K was written to be rather unlikable, I did not find her wholly unsympathetic as she was acting out of desperation to hold on to her unfaithful husband. And to say that her voice was shrill (as it does in the Summary) seems a little unfair, too. Slapping the secretary was designed to make here unsympathetic, but I would pretty mad, too, if I had found out my employee told a doctor I was unfit to be a mother. Submitted by gracenote, 9/2/2011.

Did anyone else notice the eye chart in the doctor’s office? It’s all E’s, every which way (sideways, upside down, backwards). Submitted by gracenote, 9/2/2011.
+ That chart is sometimes called a “Tumbling E.” It’s used with small children or adults who don’t know their letters. When I was a small child and went to the eye doctor, that’s the chart they used. I was instructed to point in the direction of the E. The Landolt C chart is based on the same idea. Submitted by billp, 09/29/2011.

Goof: When Ruta Lee explains why she killed the victim, Lee’s lines are dubbed over, the words don’t match her lips. At the end of both sentences the audio says “you” but her lips say “me.” Submitted by Craig, 2/20/2010.

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