Show106

Sightings: Distinguished Gentleman #1 and the Little Old Lady in a Hat grace the viewer with their presence in the courtroom gallery, along with the Quiet Old Man (#1) and “Miss Carmody”. Read more about them and other regulars on the Who Is That? page, and why we care! Submitted by gracep 10/27/2010.
+ Room for one more! We can see “Sasha Magaloff” when the D.A. and Mason are quarrelling over Rennie’s record. Submitted by gracenote 2/14/2011.
+ "Sasha Magaloff" is now known to be the actor Mitchell Rhein. Submitted by catyron, November 16, 2020.
+ Distinguished Gentleman #1 is also one of the surprised bystanders who watch the police take Rennie away. Submitted by gracenote, 7/4/2011.
+We find the Distinguished Lady #4 in the back row next to Quiet Man. Bill767, 1/3/16.

Uncredited Actors: Raymond Burr’s stand-in, Lee Miller, appears as Sgt. Brice, walking in with Joe Dixon. Although Lt. Tragg addresses Brice (when he asks for Dixon’s statement), he has no lines (ergo no credit). Robert Wegner returns as a courtroom spectator, scowling silently as usual. Continuity: But then in a later part of the hearing he reemerges as a bailiff! Submitted by gracep, 10/28/2010.
+ Gracep is correct in spotting Don Anderson as the bailiff seated near the court clerk. He also escorts Joe Dixon out of court at the recess and sits outside the conference room as Mason and Dixon (hah!) talk. But Don is also one of the two sheriff’s deputies who stop Dixon's car and discover the body. His partner gets all the lines. Submitted by FredK, 3 Nov 2010.
+I've watched the episodes a few times each, and still haven't been noticing the background characters too much—except Miss Carmody once in a while. But it's interesting what these early(?) TV shows could get away with. Using the same actor in different roles in the same episode, reusing sets soon after an earlier episode, etc. I imagine they thought the show would be seen once, maybe twice in a rerun, and maybe later a few time in syndication, on smaller TVs than we have these days (I imagine 21" was standard for a 'large' home TV?). —yelocab 17FEB20

Both Bill Idelson (Autopsy Surgeon) and Frank Maxwell (Joe Dixon) appeared in The Twilight Zone episode "A World of Difference" broadcast earlier that year (3/11/60). Other Twilight Zone appearances include H.M. Wynant ("The Howling Man" 11/4/60), Elen Willard ("The Grave" 10/27/61), John Archer ("Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" 5/26/61), Richard Deacon ("The Brain Center at Whipple's" 5/15/64), Shirley Ballard ("Person or Persons Unknown" 3/23/62), Willis B. Bouchey ("The Masks" 3/20/64), and George E. Stone ("Once Upon a Time" 12/15/61). Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 6/05/14.

Both Bill Idelson and Richard Deacon played recurring characters on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-66), Herman Glimsher and Mel Cooley, respectively. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 6/05/14.
+ Deacon was also on Leave It to Beaver playing Lumpy Rutherford's father Fred. Submitted by HamBurger - 09/13/2014

Tonight’s episode is one of the few in which George E. Stone as the court clerk speaks! Submitted by gracep, 10/28/2010.

Run, Perry, Run Perry runs from the courtroom to catch Ann before she threatens to jump from the window. Submitted by jfh 01Sep2017.

The tattersall vest worn by Wilmer Beaslee (Richard Deacon) appears to be the same one that was worn by a number of actors in various episodes, most notably Erik Rhodes in Ep#119, “TCOT Violent Vest.” Submitted by FredK, 3 Nov 2010.

Cars. (1) 1960 Mercury Montclair 4-Door HardTop, medium color, Joe Dixon driving.

  • (2) 1961 Plymouth Savoy 4-Door Sedan, Lic No " E 082", Sheriff B&W. This is the First 1961 Model-Year Car to appear in PM. The "E" in the Lic No is the "Exempt" designator; see Comments, Ep#99.
  • (3) Perry's black 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Galaxie Skyliner, Lic No RTS 277, top down and (4) a parked, black 1959 Buick Electra 225 4-Door Hardtop are seen as Perry drives the Skyliner into the Fernwood grounds. I believe this shot is a leftover from Season 3, inserted here in post-production to provide continuity between the ranch-hand's cabin and the scene between Perry and Ann at Fernwood.
  • (5) TRIUMPH TR3A, white, top down, Kathy Jergens. TR3A was produced 1957-'62. Screenshot here is clipped. Full-screen shows the "PH" in the "TRIUMPH" written across the nose of the car - making it a TR3A rather than the earlier TR3.
  • (6) 1960 Ford Galaxie, black, indeterminate model/type, parked behind the TR3A, only front end visible. This is probably a 1960 Ford Galaxie Special Sunliner originally cast as "Perry's Car" for this episode. I believe it was demoted to "background car" in post-production editing when the scene with Cars (3) and (4) was inserted.

Kathy's "TR" tells us that she's from a well-off family and that Fernwood is probably a pretty posh school - a nice example of how the choice of car (or clothes, hair, etc) transmits information to the viewer. TRIUMPH motorcars seem to have become a favourite of the PM crew after their first noted appearance in Ep#27. More on TRs at Trivia Ep#178. Added by Gary Woloski, 9/25/12.

Improperly Dressed? The LA County patrolman's shoulder-patch (screenshot, top of this page) matches this authentic patch. Just prior to the screenshot, the star on the door of the patrol car was shown: The bear inside the star looks somewhat like this: facing the wrong way, with head upturned as if bellowing, and looking much more like a Grizzly (which it's supposed to!). The star on the patrolman's chest looks credible (perhaps one of these) but his capbadge is incorrect (LAPD?). The officer should be wearing the L.A. County badge worn by actor Gordon Jones in ep#113, also see here. Added by Gary Woloski, 9/24/12.

Chronicle Special! The Los Angeles Chronicle - Vol. VI, No. 11 appears at 17:45. Below the "NIGHT EDITION" box you'll see "PRICE SEVEN CENTS". The Chronicle is normally 10 cents. Added by Gary Woloski, 9/26/12.

Bad Accent Dept.: Of note is Richard Deacon's unsubstantial attempt at a Southern accent on the witness stand. The role is minor, but another actor would have been more convincing as a native of Memphis. Submitted by francis, 9/05/14.

Wrong number: Listen to the sound effects when Jill was supposed to be calling Perry's office (MAdison 5-1190). Submitted by H. Mason 11/4/14

The Foam That Made Fresno Famous: A few spent cans of "Quality Brand Beer" grace Joe Dixon's room in the bunkhouse. (Rennie Foster liked it too, apparently.) JohnK, 5 October 2015

This is the third of three PM writing credits for Harold Swanton...MikeM. 8/26/2016

This is the only PM appearance for Reba Waters...MikeM. 8/26/2016

This is the second of four PM appearances for Linda Leighton...MikeM. 8/26/2016

This is the only PM appearance for Elen Willard, who appeared in four episodes of 12 O'Clock High...MikeM. 12/2/2016

"The Case of the Extended Epilogue." Is this the only PM episode in which the epilogue contains two scenes--one with Perry's usual explanation of the crime, and the other with a seemingly happy Ann Farwell resuming her riding activities? Submitted by BobH, 27 December 2016.

Happy 76th birthday to Elen Willard, who might be watching her PM performance on MeTV today...MikeM. 9/1/2017

Bad Barn Manners: After dismounting, Rita is holding the reins in a way that a real rider would not. The reins encircle her hand, which could result in her being noosed and dragged if the horse startled and pulled away suddenly. (This is a frequent error when an equine is used in a PM episode). After Rita hands the reins to Rennie, he tosses the reins over the horses neck and sends the horse toward the barn with a slap on the rump! This would NEVER happen with real horse people. The horse walks over to the barn and stands patiently. This is especially implausible because a horse that is fully tacked up and has just been ridden is likely to be itchy and sweaty, and likely to rub against the building or a post and damage the saddle. In the last scene, Joe gives Ann a leg up, and then slaps the horse on the flank! No experienced horse person would ever do this. Another thing that is not likely for horse/country people, Rita comes back from riding and comes in the house through the sliding glass door. Country people enter the house through a “mud room,” and remove their outdoor shoes before marching into the house.....DeeSkeets 10/9/20

H.M. Wynant and John Archer also appeared in TCOT Candy Queen. Submitted by Steve Fox, 9/24/23