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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 (Revised)
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, a.k.a. 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

Opening

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

Trailing

Directed by William D. Russell
Teleplay by Francis Cockrell
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

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

Uncredited Actors
Jamie Forster as Judge (added by gracep 10/25/2010)

Crew

Gene Wang | Story Editor

Production Supervisor … J. Paul Popkin
Director of Photography … Frank Redman, A.S.C.
Art Direction … Lyle Wheeler, Lewis Creber
Assistant Director … Maxwell Henry
Editorial Supervisor … Art Seid, A.C.E.
Film Editor … Richard W. Farrell
Makeup … Mel Berns
Wardrobe Supervision … Dick James
Set Decorations … Walter M. Scott, Charles Q. Vassar
Properties … Ray Thompson
Recorded by Alfred Bruzlin
Rerecording Mixer … Harry M. Leonard
Script Supervisor … Cosmo Genovese

PERRY MASON / A Film Presentation
A CBS Television Network Production

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.

Continuity: 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, 7/22/2002.

Uncredited Actors: 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 #26, 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.
+ Charles Richmond is correct in his 10/24/08 post about the lake in this episode being the same as #26. Most of the exteriors here are on or around Malibou Lake and is featured in quite a few episodes. It was popular with the Hollywood set and remains basically the same as pictured here 50 years later. Submitted by Eric Cooper 28 October 10.

Location: The area of the lakeside cottage Perry stayed at in this episode was reused in TCOT Watery Witness. When Della arrives driving Perry's Cadillac at the cottage, note the pylon (lightpost?) near the water wih the curious top that reminds one of a lighthouse and also the surrounding low wall. In Watery Witness, when Perry and Della talk with Raeburn waterside, the same pylon is very much in evidence. So the site was reused. Submitted by billp 3 June 2011.
+ The cottage/cabin also turns up in “TCOT Angry Dead Man.” Submitted by billp, 9 June 2011.

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.

Addison Richards, playing Atty. George Lansing in this episode, also played Judge Markham in TCOT Howling Dog (1934). Submitted by billp, 27 August 2010.

Glovebox Guns: Carla Adrian’s gun is stolen from her glove compartment, to be used as the murder weapon. This is the 3rd time in 7 episodes that this has happened! Submitted by evelyne, 2/7/2011.

Sightings: Little Old Lady #2 appears as the court stenographer today. Submitted by evelyne, 2/7/2011.

Set: That cowhide chair that Carla Adrian sits in at Mark Cushings' also turns up in TCOT Lonely Heiress. It's in the cabin where Perry interviews Marilyn Clark along with her step-brother, George Moore, right before Marilyn surrenders to the police. Submitted by billp, June 15, 2011.

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 it” in. It comes equipped with three bathrooms and Paul Drake at the fridge. Submitted by Dedra Kaye, 3/21/08.

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

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