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#7: The Case of the
Angry Mourner
Original Airdate: 11/02/57

Summary Edit

From The Perry Mason TV Show Book
There's trouble in Bear Valley. Carla Adrian, played by the luscious Barbara Eden ("I Dream of Jeannie"), gets her blouse ripped by a wheelchair-bound water skier who gets fresh. Later, when the masher is found shot dead, Adrian's mother, Belle (Sylvia Field, aka Mrs. Wilson on "Dennis the Menace"), is arrested for the crime. Luckily for her, Perry is vacationing nearby. Watch Perry literally strong-arming his elderly client in an effort to have her come clean.

Paul Fix, better known as Marshal Micah Torrence on "The Rifleman," makes the first of his several appearances on the Mason series portraying the "typical" backwoods prosecutor.

PMESG

Credits Edit

Cast

Sylvia Field as Belle Adrian
James Westerfield as Sheriff Elmore
Joan Weldon as Marion Keats
Paul Fix as District Attorney Hale
Dorothy Adams as Betsy Burris
Malcolm Atterbury as Sam Burris
Barbara Eden as Carla Adrian
Peter Nelson as Harvey Delano
Eve McVeagh as Nora Fleming
Addison Richards as George Lansing
Eric Sinclair as Mark Cushing
Harry Tyler as Court Clerk
William Boyett as Motor Cop

Trivia Edit

CARS: 1957 Cadillac convertible, black w/ black & white int., white top up (Mason), 1957 Pontiac 2-dr hardtop, medium color. From The Cars by Greg Cockerill.

In one courtroom scene, Della is not seated at the defense table. Three seconds later, she is! The next time we see the table, she's gone but soon is seen entering through the courtroom door. See here. Submitted by Leah, 7/22/02.

Jamie Forster plays the judge but is not credited even though he is quite involved in the action and has many lines. Submitted by daveb, date unknown.

Location: The opening set-up shot of the lake is identical to the opening shot of TCOT Half-Wakened Wife. Not only is the house on the hill the same, but the boats at the lake shore are in the same positions. Submitted by Charles Richmond, 10/24/08. Vidcap here.

+William Boyett makes his first of eight appearances here on Perry playing the motor cop. In most of his eight appearances he would appear as a member of law enforcement. Seems only fitting since his most memorable role was as policeman Ken Williams for 64 episodes in the classic TV show "Highway Patrol". Submitted by PaulDrake 33. 28 August 2009.

The (shooting?) script for this episode is dated 5 July 1957. At least 10 other episodes had earlier dated scripts. It seems possible then that this was no earlier than the 11th episode filmed. It was the 7th episode broadcast. It would be interesting to view the episodes in sequence according the these putative dates filmed to look for episode to episode consistencies in cars, sets and what-not. Submitted by billp. 4 November 2009.

Comments Edit

This is the only time you hear the 'romantic' version of the Perry Mason theme as Della drives Mason's car up to the lake cabin he's 'roughing' in. It comes equipped with three bathrooms and Paul Drake at the fridge. Dedra Kaye, 3/21/08.

I remember William Boyett from his run (119 episodes) in the Adam-12 series as Sgt. MacDonald. daveb, 8/28/09.

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