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#52: The Case of the
Borrowed Brunette
Original Airdate: 01/10/59

Summary Edit

From The Perry Mason TV Show Book (Revised)
Check out the lineup of women in this opening scene. It looks like a 1950s Hollywood casting call. Eva Martell gets a part, not on stage but impersonating Helen Reynolds, a woman she has never met. She is paid extremely well and given a beautiful apartment to live in with her Aunt Agnes as long as she continues the charade. Still, Eva suspects foul play in paradise, and seeks the advice of a good lawyer.

Perry steps in and meets with the real Helen Reynolds, who swears she is not doing anything illegal, but cannot reveal her motives. That’s fine until they find that dead body in her apartment…

Credits Edit

Opening

Starring Raymond Burr
in Erle Stanley Gardner’s
The Case of THE BORROWED BRUNETTE

Barbara Hale as Della Street
William Hopper as Paul Drake
William Talman as Hamilton Burger
Ray Collins as Lt. Tragg

Trailing

Directed by Arthur Marks
Teleplay by Seeleg Lester
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

Maggie Mahoney as Eva Martell
Paula Raymond as Helen Reynolds
Sheila Bromley as Agnes Nulty
Adrienne Marden as Barbara Slater
John Stephenson as Grant Reynolds
Joe De Santis as Melvin Slater
Morris Ankrum as Judge Bates
Herman Rudin as Thomas Folsom
Gisele Verlaine as Secretary
Howard Van Proyen as Samuel Dixon
Fred Rapport as Clerk

Crew

Gene Wang | Story Consultant

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

Art Direction … {	Lyle Wheeler
	Lewis Creeber

Editorial Supervision … Art Seid, A.C.E.
Film Editor … Otto W. Meyer, A.C.E.
Assistant Director … Robert G. Stone

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

Perry Mason
Filmed in Hollywood by TCF Television Productions, Inc.
A CBS Television Network Production

Trivia Edit

CARS: 1958 Ford Skyliner retractable, black, top down (Mason). From The Cars by Greg Cockerill.

Maggie Mahoney is the mother of Oscar-winning actress Sally Field. Submitted by Ed Zoerner, 1/06/10.
+ Mahoney’s real name is Margaret Field (hence daughter’s surname). Submitted by gracenote, 8/11/2010.

Character Names: In this episode, Grant Reynolds’ middle name is Willoughby and is stated more than once. Submitted by gracenote, 8/11/2010.

Sightings: You can see the man PaulDrake33 refers to in Episode #48, “TCOT Purple Woman,” in the courtroom gallery in this episode—a dark-complected man with a pencil-thin mustache who resembles Leo Carrillo. This time he is more inconspicuous. Submitted by gracenote, 8/11/2010.
+ And now we call him Pencil Mustache Man. Submitted by gracenote, 8/20/2010.
+ Another spectator of the proceedings is Distinguished Gentleman #1, who has donned glasses for the occasion. He is seen, for instance, in a cutaway to Mr. Reynolds. And “Miss Carmody” is seen as Burger stands up to make an objection. As the court recesses we see Distinguished Gentleman #2 file out with the others, and as court resumes, Quiet Old Man #1 files in. And sitting near him is the Little Old Lady in a Hat. Submitted by gracenote, 2/14/2010.

Uncredited Actors: Don Anderson appears as the Interstate Detective operative trailing Maggie Mahoney and her aunt in the restaurant. Submitted by FredK, 2 October 2010.

Comments Edit

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