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#96: The Case of the
Treacherous Toupee
Original Airdate: 09/17/60

Summary Edit

From The Perry Mason TV Show Book (Revised)
Robert Redford makes an early TV acting appearance as Richard Hart in this, the premiere episode of the Mason series' fourth season.

Hartley Basset returns from the dead after two years. A tyrannical company president, he isn't liked any better the second time around, a fact underscored when someone puts two bullets in him. Poor Peter Dawson was fired by Hartley on his return, making him Tragg's prime suspect. Perry has a witness lined up to testify that Dawson didn't do it. Richard Hart's new wife, Teddi, says she can identify the murderer.

It's an open and shut case until Teddi disappears, and Burger accuses Perry of being behind her disappearance.

Credits Edit

Opening

Starring Raymond Burr
in The Case of the TREACHEROUS TOUPEE
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 Richard Kinon
Written by Maurice Zimm
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

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

Peggy Converse as Sybil Basset
Philip Ober as Peter Dawson
Bert Freed as Ken Woodman
Cindy Robbins as Teddi Hart
Thomas B. Henry as Hartley Basset
Robert Redford as Dick Hart
Nelson Olmsted as Arthur Colemar
Dee Arlen as Lorna Grant
Jonathon Hole as Stanley Roderick
Frank Wilcox as Judge
Lindsay Workman as Wilber Fenwick
Juney Ellis as Lucy
Rita Duncan as Flo
Hal Smith as Supper Club Owner
Len Hendry as Plainclothesman
George E. Stone as Court Clerk
Lee Miller as Sgt. Brice
Patricia Marlowe as Receptionist

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 … Robert G. Stone
Film Editor … Richard H. Cahoon, A.C.E.
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.

Airport Sequences Presented with Cooperation of Pan American Airlines

Perry Mason
A CBS Television Network Production

Trivia Edit

Anomaly: Jonathan Hole, the actor, is listed as Jonathon Hole. Posted by daveb, 12/20/2007.

When the judge looks at his watch to dismiss the court, if you look closely, you’ll see that he isn't wearing a watch! Submitted by Will Holman, 5/7/07.
+ Update: Upon watching the DVD version of this episode, it looks like there may be a watch there after all. More at the link above. Added by daveb, 5/15/2010.

Talman’s last gasp. Apparently, the producers of Perry had two three episodes already filmed and in the can when William Talman was arrested and fired in March 1960, because even though William Talman had been fired 6 months earlier, he appears in this episode and the next episode [as well the previous episode]. A clue to the fact that this was a leftover from last season was the opening, which is identical to the previous season. Two episodes later, starting with #98 “TCOT Ill-Fated Faker,” a new opening appears for the rest of the season. See The Credits. Also read trivia items for episodes #87-89 and #95 and #97. Submitted by PaulDrake 33. Edited and expanded by gracep 10/14/2010.
+ Another clue suggesting this was a leftover from the previous season is in the turnover in the crew. For example, the producer here is Herbert Hirschmann, whereas starting in #98 Seeleg Lester has been promoted from associate producer to producer. Jackson Gillis takes over Letser’s other job as story consultant. Submitted by gracep, 10/15/2010.

Hal Smith has a small part here as the supper club owner. Hal Smith is best known at the town drunk Otis in The Andy Griffith Show. Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 16 Jun 2009.

The book that the Domestic Tool & Die receptionist is reading at about 2:20 into the episode is Patty’s Romance, by Carolyn Wells. The book had a blue cover. (See here). This particular book was published in 1915 and seems to have been part of a series of books about “Patty Fairfield,” something of a Pollyanna figure, published in the early 20th century. Submitted by billp, 1 November 2009.

Location: Paul drives Dick Hart to the Pan American and JAL terminal at the intersection of Airport (100) and Avion (6000) in Los Angeles (LAX). The actual address is 5920 Avion (Municipally Owned and Operated). I don't think these particular buildings are there anymore. Anybody have any contemporary pictures? Submitted by billp. 1 November 2009. Some show pictures here.
+ The terminal building at 5920 Avion Drive seems to have been replaced with another. You can see it with street view at Google maps. It’s labeled United Cargo and doesn’t look like the building in the episode. Submitted by daveb, 11/3/2009.
+ By way of addendum, it occurs to me that Hartley Basset is seen walking in this same Pan Am terminal. (Pan Am does get a credit at the end of the episode). When Basset exits the terminal, you can see the cars coming down Airport Road towards the terminal and the parking lot across Avion. This is the direction from which Paul Drake approached the terminal. Compare the open doors Dick Hart goes in and Basset exits. They sure look to be the same. They likely filmed all these scenes at the terminal the same day. I'm thinking the scene with Tragg and Della at the Pan Am ticket counter was also filmed there. By the way, I think the jet plane is a Boeing 707-120. Pan Am flew the first production 707 on 20 December 1957. Submitted by billp, 2 November 2009.

The gun that killed Hartley Basset is a Browning (M)1903 or Browning #2 pistol. The concealed hammer and the side/bottom cut-outs/scallops in the slide at the muzzle end etc. are consistent with this hypothesis. The weapon was made in the US by Colt in a .32 version. Elsewhere (Europe) it was made by FN (Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre Herstal Belgique) in a 9mm (.38) version. It was not uncommon for this pistol to be modified to fire the .38 ACP. So the description of the gun in the episode as a .38 is credible. It was also made in Sweden by Husqvarna Vapenfabriks. It was in production from 1903 till about 1942. It’s one of the forerunners of most semi-auto pistols in the world. By today’s standards it’s underpowered, but it is a reliable and accurate weapon. It is also characterized as a “comfortable” weapon. I think you get a sense of that just looking at it in this episode. To see if you agree or disagree with my identifications, compare here. Submitted by billp, 2 November 2009.

Sightings: Distinguished Gentleman #1 lurks in the shadows of the courtroom gallery. Quiet Old Man #155 also appears, sitting behind Sybil Basset. “Miss Carmody” looks rather interestedly on from her back-row seat. They all laugh rather merrily in one long shot at a remark made by Stanley Roderick (no, I won’t spoil it). Read more about these and other recurring spectators. Submitted by gracep, 10/13/2010.

Comments Edit

This episode is included in the Perry Mason 50th Anniversary DVD set. In Barbara Hale's introduction, she notes that it's based on Erle Stanley Gardner's novel The Case of the Counterfeit Eye, but a glass eye was considered to be too gruesome for TV. Hence the change to a toupee. Submitted by raja99

+Jonathon Hole indicates to Perry in this show that his hair is a toupee. I wonder if it is really a toupee? I have seen this actor in quite a few shows, and he always is shown with hair. Submitted by PaulDrake 33.

Note the prominence of the LAX airport and Pan Am in this episode, especially the jet plane. I believe this was something of a plug for both. Jet service, IIRC, was inaugurated from LAX about this time (1959). Submitted by billp. 1 November 2009.

I thought Robert Redford’s performance here was not quite up to what he was capable of in later years. It seems a bit childish, though perhaps that is intentional. On the other hand, Ray Collins delivers a more animated performance than usual. Submitted by gracep 10/13/2010.

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