Show201
There have been several characters in this show that channel/copy other more famous (and talented) actors. We had the James Dean wannabe in the Bette Davis episode. And now we have a Kirk Douglas clone in Bill Smith (Andy.) From the the contrived, forced intensity voice to the square jaw, he is very obviously a Spartacus fan.
I love Connie Cezan as Gertie Lade, but her "Conehead" hairdo in this episode is not my favorite. jfh 19Mar2024
I am not 100% certain because of the distance of the shot, but when Mrs. James identifies a man getting out of his car as Perry Mason, it rather looks more like Distinguished Gentleman #1. Submitted by gracenote, 8/11/2011.
+ I couldn't tell either. From the way that the person walked, semi-lumbering, it seemed like Perry. To Mrs. James, however, Perry is "Mr. Mason", but he addresses her as "Natalie", not as "Mrs. James". Curious. lowercase masonite, 3/23/16.
Connie Gilchrist may be better known for her role as Norah Muldoon in "Auntie Mame" with Rosalind Russell.
Devlin apparently has a taste for flashy jewelry. In the lab scene, he wears a flashy pin on his jacket, and in court the biggest cuff links I’ve ever seen seen.
When questioning toy boy Andy, Perry points out that the jewelry Andy pawned for $160. was actually worth about $20,000. Yet it is a few minutes later that Paul breathlessly shows the just discovered pawn tickets to Perry.
When Paul introduces the real fisherman in the hall outside the courtroom, Perry is standing in front of a Civil Defense sign in such a way as to have it look like he has suddenly sprouted cat ears. DODay 1/12/18
When Perry completes his examination of Devlin and asks the judge for a moment or two, as he crosses in front of the prosecutor's table, there's a quite loud squeak. It sounds as though someone stepped on a doggy toy. <and then,, as he steps into the hall, he sprouts cat's ears as noted by DODay> jfh 19Mar2024
There is a young dark-haired fellow who appears in the courtroom, and then later reappears in the courtroom scene. Submitted by gracenote, 8/11/2011.
When Lang and James are intently watching their cute little bubbling test tube, it seems strange they're not wearing any eye protection, something which would have gotten me written up by the Safety Office. Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 12/6/2013.
+ Also interesting that Lang corked a "boiling" test tube. Kilo 3/13/2020.
James cracks a joke to Bradshaw about testing a "pocket-sized atom bomb," but he was more prescient than he realized; so-called "backpack," or "pocket," nukes actually have been developed. Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 12/6/2013.
RANDOLPH's CAR. The dialog at 18:03 goes:
POLICE: Hit-and-run over in the colony about 40 minutes ago. '50, '51 station wagon, according to a witness.RANDOLPH: Mine's a '50.POLICE: Yes Mr James, so it is.
Randolph's line should have been "Mine's a '51". It is intended (by screenwriter, director & cinematographer) that the driver's identity is not explicit in the hit-and-run scene BUT there is still an error in Randolph's line. It seems that either the script wasn't coordinated with the cars or actor Lee Farr misread the line; perhaps there was confusion arising from the similarity between Cars 1 & 3. The intended ambiguity about the car & driver in the scene would not be diminished with the suggested correction. Also note that screenwriter Jonathan Latimer and goofiness regarding cars seem to go together [for examples see ep#s 149, 155 & 117 Car(g)]. Added by Gary Woloski, 11/28/14.
Given the antagonistic relationship between Hans Lang + Randolph James vs. Hudson Bradshaw, why was Fetchin' Gretchen riding around with Bradshaw in his car? Bay Shores is looking more and more like Peyton Place West. There is more than just unsafe chemistry here. lowercase masonite, 3/23/16.
In the last scene Paul said he wasn't a fisherman and needed Perry to explain why he thought the witness was a fake. Paul went fishing with Perry a few times, including episodes 12 and 131. Submitted by H. Mason 3/17/15
+ He and Perry are also fishing in episode 229 TCOT Telltale Tap Submitted by HamBurger 10/10/2016.
Possible explanation: Paul went fishing with Perry, but that doesn't mean he took to it ... my wife has gone to car shows with me, but she's no gearhead like I am! Submitted by MikeReese 3/22/15
+ Answer: Beer or bait. Perry had the bait, Paul had the beer. HamBurger 8/28/2016
Question: Why did Mrs. Bradshaw wear the diamond clip when she knew Natalie was coming for drinks? Submitted by H. Mason 3/17/15
Possible Answer(s): Considering that Natalie was blackmailing her, Mrs. Bradshaw was just getting her payment out, and ready. Suppose Mr. Bradshaw had been present - she'd have had to explain why she was going into her jewelry box to get something, had Natalie hinted at her 'payment'. By wearing it, she'd need no explaining of why she had it out. Or, she just hoped this time Natalie would let her off the hook; notice that she insisted on her having another drink. Maybe to get her a bit fuzzy, so she'd forget? Submitted by MikeReese 3/22/15
+ I wonder if Mrs. Bradshaw, evidently unwilling to call Natalie's bluff, ever considered investing in less expensive baubles. However, this episode did take place about 12 years before the commercial production of cubic zirconia. lowercase masonite, 3/23/16.
++ Yes, but paste has been around since Roman times. OLEF641 7/6/21
The Article 1 "promote the Progress of...useful arts" clause relates to patents; "On May 22, 1849, Abraham Lincoln received Patent 6469 for a device to lift boats over shoals...which was never manufactured. However, it... made him the only...President to hold a patent," abrahamlincolnonline.org notes. Mike Bedard 3.17.15.
Could you explain more what this refers to? I didn't hear Lang-James talk about patenting their formula and process. lowercase masonite, 3/23/16.
Lang, Emile Genest reminds me of Henry Kissenger especially with the glasses. Submitted by HamBurger, Sep. 15, 2019
+ Genest reminds me of Rod Steiger in one of his many disguises. dped. 1/31/24.
Near the end of the trial, Perry suddenly produced an "old hat", which he claimed had inside it some hairs of the murderer. The murderer had worn the hat as a disguise while driving the hit and run vehicle. How did Perry get the hat, and how did he know whose hairs were inside it? Or was this just a successful bluff? lowercase masonite, 3/23/16.
The use of the hit and run vehicle depended not only in Randolph James abandoning his station wagon in a public parking lot for hours with the ignition key left somewhere inside the vehicle, but also on the murderer knowing about the location of the key. How did the murderer find out? Common gossip among the very-close-knit community? Granted, Randolph James could have been setting himself up with an alibi for murdering his wife -- "Lots of people knew about my leaving the key inside." (How did he feel about driving it after it was used to kill his wife?) lowercase masonite, 3/23/16.
...and in charging Randolph, there is the assumption he somehow knew his wife was visiting Helen and the exact moment she left for home. DOD 02/19/21
Although the premiere of Scooby-Doo was still more than five years away when this episode aired, Mrs. Bradshaw's post-confession jab at Marion Devlin is curiously anticipatory of the well known tag line from that series: "I would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for your meddling!" TriviaSleuth, 5/14/2020