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#48: The Case of the
Purple Woman
Original Airdate: 11/22/58 Revised

Summary Edit

From The Perry Mason TV Show Book
Cigar-smoking art collector Rufus Varner claims to own an original "Van Hooten" called The Purple Woman. He's too embarrassed to admit he was sold a fake by art dealer Milo Gerard and Aaron Hubble, a burnt-out, boozed-up painter. Gerard's wife, Evelyn, suspects her husband will try to pin the fraud on her. She needs Perry's advice and later his courtroom expertise when Milo is murdered and she becomes the prime suspect.

There is a classic scene in this episode: In a close-up of Perry discussing the case with his client in jail, the light's reflection caught in his eye becomes a gleaming little triangle; the shot is held for some time and has an intense effect.

Credits Edit

Opening

Starring Raymond Burr
in The Case of THE PURPLE WOMAN
Barbara Hale as Della Street
William Hopper as Paul Drake
William Talman as Hamilton Burger
Ray Collins as Lt. Tragg

Trailing

Directed by Gerd Oswald
Written by Robert Bloomfield and Gene Wang
Ben Brady | Producer
Produced by CBS Television in association with Paisano Productions
Gail Patrick Jackson | Executive Producer
Sam White | Associate Producer

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

George Macready as Milo Girard
Bethel Leslie as Evelyn Girard
Robert H. Harris as Aaron Hubble
Rhys Williams as Rufus Varner
Doris Singleton as Doris Andrews
Donald Murphy as Wayne Gordon
Stephen Bekassy as Laslo Kovac
Edwin Jerome as Judge
Shirley Houser as Waitress

Uncredited Actors
Don Anderson as Bailiff

Crew

Gene Wang | Story Consultant

Production Supervisor … J. Paul Popkin
Story Editor … Alice Young
Director of Photography … Frank Redman, A.S.C.
Assistant Producer … Robert Wechsler

Art Direction … {	Lyle Wheeler
	Lewis Creber

Assistant Director … Morris Harmell
Editorial Supervision … Art Seid, A.C.E.
Film Editor … Otto W. Meyer, A.C.E.
Casting … Marvin Schnall, Harvey Clermont
Makeup … Richard Hamilton
Hair Stylist … Annabell, S.C.H.
Wardrobe Supervision … Dick James
Set Decoration … Walter M. Scott, Charles Q. Vassar
Properties … Ray Thompson
Sound Editor … Gene Eliot, M.P.S.E.
Production Sound Mixer … Robert O’Brien
Script Supervision … William E. Orr

This has been a CBS Television Network Production
Filmed in Hollywood by TCF Television Productions, Inc.

Trivia Edit

CARS: No cars. From The Cars by Greg Cockerill.

Sightings: There is a spectator in the courtroom who appears in several other trials. He is a dark-complected man with a pencil thin mustache who resembles Leo Carrillo. He is wearing Hamilton Burger’s gold tie with black stripes that was described in Episode #22, TCOT Fugitive Nurse. He wore this same tie the year before in the courtroom in Episode #32, TCOT Substitute Face. All during the trial in this episode, he whispers to the woman seated next to him, thereby drawing attention to himself. Submitted by PaulDrake33, date unknown.
+ By now you may wonder, just who is that? Some of his friends join him in the courtroom gallery, too, including Quiet Old Man #1, “Miss Carmody”, the Little Old Lady in a Hat, and Distinguished Gentleman #1, who is first visible when Burger stands to object to Mason’s questions of Mr. Gordon. Submitted by gracep, 1/10/2010. See also continuity note, below.

Uncredited Actors: Don Anderson repeats one of his familiar roles here as the bailiff seated near the clerk and the reporter. Submitted by FredK 19 Nov 2010.

Continuity: When Burger stands to object to Mason’s questions about The Purple Woman, two courtroom spectators, Quiet Old Man #1 and Distinguished Gentleman #1 are sitting on the prosecutor’s side of the courtroom. As he sits down, overruled of course, the two spectators have teleported to the defendant’s side! As Burger and Mason talk to the judge at the bench, they two are back on the prosecutor’s side. Then, when Kovac and Burger stands before the painting, DG #1 is right behind Perry Mason (and QOM #1 has switched sides, too). But when Burger returns to his seat, DG#1 is in the back row of the defense side again! Submitted by gracep, 1/10/2010. + The Pencil Mustache Man described by PaulDrake33 above also moves back and forth in the final courtroom scene. Submitted by gracep, 1/10/2010.

Comments Edit

A fascinating article about this particular episode, one of my favorites, appeared in a magazine on 2/21/59. The article details the events on the final day of shooting. To read it, see here. Submitted by billp, 6/11/11.

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