Show87
This show features two different scenes inside Perry's law library. Della is shown opening the safe inside the library. Submitted by PaulDrake 33.
Anomaly: The law library is supposed to be located stage left of Mason's desk. At 14:09, the scene is shot from the law library, and you can see through the door the picture that hangs behind the desk. But the picture seems to slant down to stage left. From the law office, the picture should seem to slant down to stage right. I think the "law office" was set outside the door that usually leads to Gertie's office. Submitted by 10yearoldfan, 6 Sept 2012.
Anomaly: Also, in the same shot through the door at 14:09, you can see two lamps that hang from the ceiling stage right of the desk, which had been glimpsed at 14:05. These lamps are seldom included in office shots, perhaps because of the very dark shadows illogically behind them on the wall--shadows cast by very bright set lights offstage left. Submitted by 10yearoldfan, 6 Sept 2012.
Anomaly Redux In fact, when Perry and Della return to his office from the law library, they do so through the door to the right of the main door to the office, not the one to the left, as we would expect. The details above about what we can see in the shot from inside the law library, while well-observed, are superfluous. We actually see our stars exit through the "wrong" door. Submitted by JazzBaby, 8/25/2019.
Was it just a coincidence that this episode had marijuana being "planted" to discredit an employee, and the episode aired the very night that William Talman was arrested at an apartment where marijuana was found? Was there an existing marijuana "problem" on the PM set? Had employees been warned? This might explain why Mr. Talman was fired so quickly. Or was Mr. Talman set up (he said he had been invited to the apartment for drinks) in order to get rid of him for some reason unrelated to marijuana? Submitted by MikeM, 11 Jan 2013.
+ While it probably was just a coincidence - albeit a remarkable one - if art was to imitate life, or more precisely presage it, it's a shame the "found in the nude" element of Talman's frolic couldn't have been demonstrated by Ms. O'Brien here as well !! In a tasteful, early 1960's way, of course. Submitted by Notcom, 102715.
++ uhmmm, Really? The preceding comment as late in our social evolution as 2015? Stunning. jfh 30Aug2019.
Perry identifies the Colt automatic Betty gives him as a ".38 Super" but the actual gun he's holding is a Model 1911 .45, identified by the flat mainspring housing(the back of the butt). By the time Colt introduced the Super .38,as they referred to it, in 1929 the mainspring housing was curved. Also ,in a couple of scenes, the large
bore of the .45's muzzle is obvious. Both chamberings of the
Colt have the same dimensions, so most won't spot the difference;not the same for the careless gun-waving shown..
1Oct,2013
SteveP
+ The M1911 pistol was the standard US Army issue for 75 years before the 9 Millimeter replaced it in the '80s. Mike Bedard 7.28.16
+ Perry released the magazine while talking to Betty (but we don't see him do it). I assume it must have been loaded with cartridges. He then dramatically slams the magazine home thus rearming the gun. It would have been more prudent to keep the gun unloaded and clear the chamber. Kilo 11/19/2019.
Great Guns: This is one of my favorite PM episodes. It features some truly evil people -- the casino owners, who stab their innocent employees, and even each other, in the back, so to say. But I am startled every time I see it, by the careless handling of those enormous Colt pistols, not only by Perry, but Paul too. And Della doesn't seem to mind a bit. John K. 1 October 2015.
+ Speaking of mishandling firearms, we once again see a cop pick up a pistol by sticking a pencil in the barrel, instead of in the trigger guard. Submitted by vgy7ujm on 8 July 2020.
The versatile HM Wynant will eventually play victim, suspect, killer, and prosecutor in various episodes. This episode may lack dramatic scenes, but it is still a favorite for its tidy plot, cast of unsavory characters, and the nifty way Perry puts himself in a spot. And, for once, he has a client who is completely truthful and follows his instructions. The only questionable bit is the idea someone would happen to notice the serial number on a gun. DOD 09/14/20
Anomaly: Perry is tailed from the motel by a black 1960 Buick sedan, but when it forces him to pull over in the next shot it has changed into a black 1959 Buick sedan, which was easy to spot with its unusual diagonally-situated headlight pairs, among other styling differences. MFrench 8/2/16
You’re correct - in the space of about a block, it loses its “Cruiserline Ventiports”. DOD 09/14/20
"LOCATION" When Perry exits the motel after visiting his client he pulls out of the Hollywood Center Motel 6720 Sunset Blvd and you can see the Hollywood Reporter building ( 6715 Sunset) with the 3 distinctive disc. That building is described by the Hollywood Conservancy as The Hollywood Reporter Building, historically significant both for its Regency Moderne architecture and its association with publisher and businessman William Wilkerson and The Hollywood Reporter.
Wilkerson founded the entertainment trade newspaper in 1930, which operated from the property for six decades. The Reporter was one of only two local publications, the other being Variety, that were devoted solely to entertainment news.
Wilkerson, who started legendary Hollywood nightclubs including Café Trocadero and Ciro’s, developed the Hollywood Reporter property during the 1930s and 40s, which evolved to include three connected structures. Eric Cooper 11 November 16.
+As of May 2019 (per Google Maps), both the Hollywood Center Motel and the Hollywood Reporter Building are still standing. The Motel appears to have closed about 6 years ago. It was used as a location in a bit of television, and memorably in the film L.A. Confidential. See IMDb location page OldDave 9/14/2020
While Perry is talking with Betty in his office he's interrupted by a call from Della in the outer office. He makes reference to some obscure legal citing. That call doesn't appear to have any bearing on this episode. (I also wonder why Della didn't use the intercom.) Kilo 11/19/2019.
Near the end of the episode, Mason delivers one of the best comebacks in the entire series while cross-examining Anclitis:
Mason: How do you account for this particular gun getting into the possession of the defendant? Did she steal it?
Anclitis: 'Steal' is a big word...
Mason: 'Murder' is an even bigger one.
(Submitted by ParkAvenueBeat 9/14/2020)
More, Please: Too bad the writers couldn't have rearranged things a bit, so that we would have a few minutes to see the perpetrator sweat and squirm on the stand, or in the hands of the police. I wonder how ESG handled it in the original? JohnK, 28 September 2021