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#80: The Case of the
Violent Village
Original Airdate: 01/02/60

Summary Edit

From The Perry Mason TV Show Book
Perry is planning on a relaxing weekend in the Sierra town of Fawnskin, hunting with his old friend Sheriff Gene Norris, but he gets sidetracked into another murder case.

The town is out for blood when Phil Beecher returns from jail. Phil did time for drunken driving and neglience in the car accident that killed Aggie, the sheriff’s daughter. Aggie’s sister Charlotte wants revenge, and frames Phil for robbery. When the scheme backfires, Charlotte herself is killed, and things look pretty grim for Phil. A lynching is a definite possibility before Perry steps in.

Credits Edit

Opening

Starring Raymond Burr
in The Case of THE VIOLENT VILLAGE
Based upon characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner

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

Trailing

Directed by William D. Russell
Teleplay by Sam Elkin and Seeleg Lester
Story by Sam Elkin
Herbert Hirschman | Producer
Gail Patrick Jackson | Executive Producer
Seeleg Lester | Associate Producer, Story Consultant
Produced by The CBS Television Network in association with Paisano Productions
Arthur Marks | Associate Producer

Cast

Barton MacLane as Sheriff Eugene Norris
Ann Rutherford as Judith Thurston
Jacqueline Scott as Kathi Beecher
Ray Hemphill as Phil Beecher
Bart Burns as Norman Thurston
Richard Hale as Robert Tepper
John Dennis as Ward Lewis
Terry Becker as Everett Ransome
Willis B. Bouchey as Judge
Ina Victor as Charlotte Norris
Jason Johnson as Clerk
Frank Hagney as 2nd Man
Robert R. Stephenson as 1st Man
Cecil Weston as Court Reporter

Crew

Art Seid, A.C.E. | Assistant to the Producer
Production Supervisor … Dewey Starkey
Director of Photography … Frank Redman, A.S.C.
Art Direction … Lewis Creber
Assistant Director … Morris Harmell
Film Editor … John D. Faure
Casting … Harvey Clermont
Makeup … Irving Pringle
Hair Stylist … Annabell, S.C.H.
Wardrobe Supervision … William Zacha, Evelyn Carruth
Set Decoration … Charles Q. Vassar
Sound Effects Editor … Gene Eliot, M.P.S.E.
Music Editor … Gene Feldman
Properties … Ray Thompson
Production Sound Mixer … Herman Lewis
Script Supervision … M.E.M. Gibsone
Sound … Glen Glenn Sound Co.

Perry Mason \ A Film Presentation
A CBS Television Network Production

Trivia Edit

Location: Fawnskin is in the San Bernardino National Forest, not in the Sierras. It is located on Highway 38 on the North shore of Big Bear Lake. Submitted by D. A. Supernaw, 10/20/2006. Show pictures and more here.

Goof: Judith Thurston buys tissues and nosedrops in Robert Tepper’s general store. She picks up the bag and breezily tells Mr. Tepper to charge it to her account even though there is a sign over the cash register in plain sight that says “NO CREDIT - NO CHECKS.” Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 9/24/2008.
+ Actually it reads “NO CHECKS CASHED,” which suggests that checks would be accepted for the amount of purchase, and says nothing about credit. Submitted by gracep, 9/20/2010.
+ Actually, if you look at the photo posted above, you can see the sign behind Perry and Mr. Tepper. It clearly says "NO CREDIT" and just below that is "NO CHECKS CASHED". You can see this scene on the DVD at the 37:31 mark. Submitted by PaulDrake33, 27 November 2011.

Paul Drake, Hamilton Burger, and Arthur Tragg do not appear in this episode. Della appears very briefly talking on the telephone to Perry. Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 9/24/2008.

Goof: Early in the show inside the sawmill office there is a calendar on the wall that displays the months of July and August. Later in the show it is noted that the murder took place on Friday, November 13. That date actually was a Friday in 1959. Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 9/24/2008.

Robert Tepper sells Ritz and Hi Ho crackers in his general store. You can see them behind Perry when Perry first walks into the store. But for some reason all the boxes are displayed upside down. Maybe it’s an attempt to avoid product identification? Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 9/24/2008.

In the opening scene during which Phil confronts Kathi, behind her is a reproduction of that iconic Grant Wood painting, American Gothic. Submitted by gracep, 9/20/2010.

Character Names: Kathi Beecher introduces herself to Perry Mason as “Katherine.” Submitted by gracep, 9/20/2010.

For an option to buy land, Mason pays Tepper with a thousand-dollar bill. The Federal Reserve officially discontinued bills larger than $100 as of 14 July 1969; electronic transactions have made them obsolete, and they are too lucrative for counterfeiters. Although still legal tender, if you get your hands on a thousand-dollar bill, you could probably sell it to a collector for far greater than its face value. (Bonus trivia: Which President graces this banknote? Grover Cleveland!) Submitted by gracep, 9/20/2010.

Sightings: Distinguished Lady #4 turns up in the Fawnskin courtroom gallery. Submitted by gracenote, 10/22/2011.

Although credited, William Hopper (as Paul Drake) does not appear. Submitted by gracenote, 11/26/2011.

Comments Edit

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