Show54
Millie Crest is a very fortunate young lady. She is the driver of 1957 Ford that travels down a very steep hill, wrecking and catching on fire. Not only does she survive this disastrous wreck without a broken rib, cut, scratch, or bruise, but the automobile obligingly throws both of her suitcases out before it catches on fire so she will have clothes to change into. Submitted by PaulDrake33, 26 June 2008.
+ A Sign of the Times: Had Millie's accident occurred today with California's mandatory seat belt law, she probably would have been trapped in the burning vehicle and suffered the same horrible fate as "Fern Driscoll." Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 5-21-2014.
++ Actually, she was VERY VERY lucky. In such an accident, unbelted, she would have been knocked unconscious well before the car ended at the bottom of the hill (think about how hard the interior surfaces of a '50's era car was - I remember my dad's '57 Fairlane) and been unable to get out, at least right away, on her own power. She also might have been killed by being thrown out of the car; moving at the same speed the car was, even a 30 mile an hour speed would have given her extremely bad injuries once she hit the ground, worse if it was rocky. The likelyhood that you'll be trapped in a seat belt is eclipsed by the certainty that bouncing around in a speeding car going out of control will kill you, or injure you VERY badly. Submitted by MikeReese, 9/25/2016.
Agreed no one could have survived that car wreck--seatbelt or no seatbelt. Don't forget the frame would have been bent up, possibly jamming the doors and keeping them from being opened. --yelocab 29NOV18
Laura's weekly income was "$85 Take Home." Mike B.
+ A little over $700 in 2017. OLEF641; 10/11/2017.
Dr. Barnes Seaside Hospital is currently Cher’s house. No kidding! The Malibu estate has been on and off the market in 2008 at $41 million. As noted by Charles Richmond, the same location was featured at the beginning and mid-point of another episode, “TCOT Screaming Woman.” Posted by Eric Cooper, 19 November 2009.
Cher's house update: Zillow says the $41M listing was removed in February 2010. Zillow estimates the current value at about $18M. Submitted by MikeM, 10/26/2012.
What I Learned from this Episode: Don't pick up hitchhikers. Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 5-21-2014.
For the seventh time in the first fifty-four episodes:
Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 21 May 2014.
Despite some of the usual slight plot problems, this is a very entertaining episode that has it all - hard boiled dames, amnesia, Paul’s “Hi, beautiful!”, Tragg’s “It has my mark on it”, stolen identity (two of them), young love thwarted by a crotchety father, flaming car crash, and a swell dramatic confession. Who could ask for more? DOD 07/16/19
Goof: TCOT Inconsistent Injury. Mason’s deduction about Baylor being the one wounded from the waving photo is an excellent decisive clue. However, someone in continuity should have reminded Barton MacLane about his injury in the earlier scene of Mason’s visit to his hotel. Despite being stabbed in the shoulder the night before, Baylor/MacLane uses his right hand quite freely, opening the door easily, gesturing expansively during the conversation and even reaching across his body, taking a cigar from his breast pocket and lighting it without any sign of injury. Submitted by FredK, 1 Nov 2009.
+ It is possible that the initial injury with the ice pick wasn't very serious, and, due to the multiple layers of heavy clothing (undershirt, shirt, suit coat, heavy lining in the suit coat, etc), it was possibly somewhat superficial at the time, but, due to the possibility of the injury being reported to the police, it was not treated. Therefore, it wasn't serious the next day when Perry visited, however, by the time the case went to court it had become badly infected, and he could barely use it, or raise it. - Lazarus Long 05.27.2016
Senator Baylor used his right hand to raise his hat at the airport. But, after being wounded, he used his left hand to answer the phone and raise it to his ear. And he raised his left hand to take the oath. The wound may have bothered him most when he raised the right arm above his shoulders...MikeM. 6/15/2016
Perjury: Did Senator Baylor get charged for his lies or did his position cause the officials to overlook his falsehoods? He was in a re-election campaign that surely would have given lots of ammunition to his opponent. Submitted by H. Mason 10/17/14
Did the Senator actually lie? It was Burger who told the judge he had bursitis. The bigger shock is that he was willing that an innocent woman to be tried for murder.
+ Seems like Senators back then were lying posers just like they are today. Submitted by HamBurger, 7/5/2021
Surgical precision: How was Marjory able to kill Carl with one stab to the right shoulder with the ice pick? Did she know exactly where to stab or was she lucky? Submitted by H. Mason 10/17/14
+ Maybe I'm confusing this with a similar story I once read, but, I'm sure the reason he needed 30 minutes to decide whether or not to see Perry's doctor was because he needed to have a real wound. I think he wanted Marjory to inflict that wound, and she killed him instead. If you look at his fake bandages when Perry visited, they were closer to the heart than his shoulder; more like he was pretending to be stabbed in the chest. So, maybe he even pointed to where his heart was so she could hit him anywhere else but there. Talk about irony, huh? - Lazarus Long 05.26.2016
++ It was Perry who gave Davis 30 minutes to decide about the doctor. OLEF641; 10/12/2017.
Surely the medical examiner would be able to distinguish a fresh wound from one at least 48 hours old. DOD 07/03/18
Since Perry saw the bandage in the upper right chest area, Marjory had to wound Carl at that location. She was "lucky" that the wound proved fatal and that she was able to re-establish the scene so that Perry would be fooled when he returned to the room....MikeM. 6/15/2016
The Case of the Phony Photo, Version 2.0 (See my comments regarding Episode #51 (TCOT Shattered Dream)): Another fishy photo in this episode, this time of Sen. Baylor "getting off an airplane" and waving. It's quite clear that two separate photos-- one of actor Barton MacLane (in the foreground) and the other of the plane (in the background)--have been clumsily melded into one. Submitted by BobH, 15 June 2016.
+hey, this is 1950s darkroom technology, after all. And most people would have been watching on a 20" TV. It's not the worst phony photo I've seen on PM. --yelocab 29NOV18
+ In the next scene the paper that Perry and Della are looking at has the picture without the photo of the senator pasted on. Also you'll notice the word "CAMPAIGN" is in a different font than the other words in the headline. It looks to be cut out and pasted over another word. Kilo 1/13/2019.
The Case Of The Confusing Credits: Ruta Lee....Mildred (Millie) Crest aka Fern Driscoll / Helene Stanley....Brenda Scobie aka Fern Driscoll mistaken for Millie Crest / Jan Harrison....the real Fern Driscoll. Submitted by H. Mason 10/16/14
Alaska became the 49th State the same month & year F-LD premiered: January 1959. Senators appear from time to time on Perry; the title derives from a Latin term for "Old Man": the Framers modeled the US Senate on the Ancient Roman Senate (Art. 1, Sec. 3). Mike B. 6.15.16.
So easy in the 1950s to change your identity, I guess. But why did Millie use the name of the woman who died? She could have just as easily picked another name with initials FD (and she didn't know if Fern running from another crime herself). And Fern really packed light, just a few negligees and one bra(?). I pack more when I go on a 3-day business trip. --yelocab 29NOV18
> I think it's actually quite realistic: suddenly a pair of letters is thrown at you and you have to come up with a name; we all know ESG probably would have come up with something like 'Futura Delaney', but most of us, I imagine, would instinctively respond with the name we had just heard. A bigger problem, I think, is why Millie's assailant had done the same: her actions were premeditated, after all - so she would have ample opportunity to think of something - and assuming the identity of someone you'd just assaulted, who you knew people would be looking for, makes little sense; I guess psychopaths don't always think everything thru tho. Notcom, 121120.
+ Brenda Scobee escaped from prison, hitched a ride with Fern Driscoll, assaulted Fern, and assumed Fern's identity by taking Fern's driver's license, etc., leaving Fern for dead. Brenda Scobee, now as Fern Driscoll, switched drivers licenses, etc, with Mildred Crest so that Mildred became Fern Driscoll. jfh MLK Day 2024
> I believe you may be confusing this episode with its Ninth Season remake (TCOT Fanciful Frail) where such an exchange occurs; but none is shown here (and given what we see of their interaction, it doesn't seem possible such could take place). Brenda may well have pilfered Fern's DL, but it's not ultimately relevant. Notcom 012424.