Show65

CARS: 1959 Ford Sunliner convertible, medium & white color, top down, 1958 Ford Thunderbird convertible, black, white top up (Drake), 1959 Ford Skyliner retractable, black, top down (Mason), Cameo: 1959 Plymouth 4dr hardtop, medium color & white top. From The Cars by Greg Cockerill.

The words "nineteen-fifty-nine Ford convertible" are said in the courtroom at least three times. Submitted by MikeM, 11/06/2012.

Anomaly: Michael Dante is listed as Arthur Manning but is called Bill Manning by a witness on the stand. At other times, he is called Manning or Mr. Manning. Confirmed by BobH, 12/21/2007.

Robert Strauss makes his first of two appearances on Perry Mason. He would also appear in the 1965 episode #227, TCOT Thermal Thief. Robert Strauss was nominated for an Academy Award in 1953 for his role as Stanislas Kasava in Stalag 17. He would lose out to Frank Sinatra playing Maggio in From Here to Eternity. Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 7/29/2008.
+ Robert Strauss also played Mr. Kruhulik (who went out with the woman "with the big fat poodle") in 1955 in The Seven Year Itch alongside Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell, and Evelyn Keyes. jfh 13Aug2020

Barry Atwater had 5 other Perry roles, including Psychiatrist, Professor & Chancellor [114 IMDb credits]. Mike Bedard 6.29.16.
A familiar face to Sherlock Holmes fans is that of Frederic Worlock, who portrays the judge in several PM episodes, including this one. He was a featured player in the Universal Studios series of Holmes films and possessed a wide acting range. Submitted by francis, 7/20/14.

Ellen Corby, the poker player who demands to see Paul’s hand, is best known as Grandma Walton. She also had a brief but memorable role as the mysterious hotel manager in “Vertigo”. DOD 08/13/20

Sightings: Distinguished Gentleman #1 sits in the back row of the court gallery, on the prosecutor’s side. He‘s visible in a shot with Burger. More about him and other recurring courtroom observers here. Submitted by gracep, 9/2/2010
+ When Sylvia Oxman first enters the Clover Club, “Sasha Magaloff” is in a visor is dealing at the foreground poker table. Later, sans visor, he walks by in the background when the Old Lady (Ellen Corby) demands to see Paul’s cards. Submitted by alan_sings, 9 Oct 2010.
++ "Sasha Magaloff" is now known to be the actor Mitchell Rhein. Submitted by catyron, November 16, 2020.
+++“Miss Carmody” is seated next to Charles Duncan and in front of Dr. Caldwell in courtroom closeups. Submitted by alan_sings, 9 Oct 2010.
++++ “Distinguished Lady #4" is sitting in the front row of the gallery on the defense side. Submitted by JazzBaby, 8/17/2019.

During the pentutimate scene, Robert Benson (Barry Atwater) wears the titular tattersal vest from Ep 119 "TCOT Violent Vest". jfh 12Dec2019

Neighbors: Frank Oxman lived at the Ogden Apartments in #209. In episode 63 TCOT Calendar Girl Loretta Harper lived there in apartment 7E which was on an upper floor. Submitted by H. Mason 10/21/14

Checks: Paul opened a checking account at the City Trust & Savings Bank. John Addison had his account at a branch of the same bank in episode 9 TCOT Vagabond Vixen. The bank will appear in several future episodes. Can we assume the first check Paul wrote was to the Clover Club? It was number 203. Submitted by H. Mason 10/21/14
+I doubt Perry's check ruse would be possible today...if it was, even then: ID is required to open an account, so the only name that could appear on them would be Paul's own. Notcom, 121319.

This is the second of two PM directing credits for Buzz Kulik, who directed nine episodes of The Twilight Zone...MikeM. 10/6/2016

In January 1959, Patricia Cutts (Sylvia Oxman) had to hire a lawyer in real life to get charges dismissed of leaving the scene of a 1958 accident in Los Angeles. Cutts said she talked to the lady driving the other car. The lady said she didn't recall Cutts talking to her. Submitted by MikeM, 11/06/2012
+ Patricia Cutts was born in London, England, and died there at the age of 48. An inquest ruled her death a suicide by barbiturate poisoning...MikeM. 7/6/2017
++ How to justify Sylvia Oxman's British accent? She was American. Joe B. 03/30/2020
+++ It was awkward indeed to use a British actress with an accent that she either would not or could disguise to play the granddaughter of an American dowager. Perhaps Sylvia Oxman was supposed to have been raised in England before her mother ran off with the Neapolitan fisherman. In any case, Patricia Cutts trying to sound "American" reminded me of Kathryn Hepburn trying to play an aristocrat. ("The Calla Lilies are in bloom...") Also, i wondered if we were going to have an old case / cold case revelation and learn that the Sylvia's mother had NOT run off with a Neapolitan fisherman, but had been murdered by her mother and her body had been buried in a shallow grave in Gardena. Submitted by catyron, January 9th, 2021.
++++ I think the premise is that Sylvia displays affected mannerisms (personally I found her speech to be reminiscent of some of the roles Grace Kelly played). Much the same problem dogged fellow PM alum - and fellow Brit - Sarah Marshall, tho her appearance made her background less of a plot point. Notcom, 011122.
+ note that the judge also has a British accent. jfh 28Sep2023

This is the first of three PM appearances for Kathryn Givney (Matilda Benson), who was born in 1896 as Kathryn Givney Connolly in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. In the 1949 film "My Friend Irma", Givney played a character named Mrs. Rhinelander. Kathryn Givney passed in 1978 at the age of 81...MikeM. 7/18/2018