Show154

Rare Books: Two books are mentioned in this episode. Both are real. The first is Manning and Granger's Reports, aka Manning & Granger's Common Pleas Reports. You will find it mentioned here. The other book is The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. You can read about it here. Submitted by Steve Fox, 12/6/2004. [I wonder if Perry really does have a full set of Man & G?]
+ Also, English writer Izaac Walton (1593-1683) is mentioned by Professor Muntz. He had purchased a work by the author at the bookstore the previous week. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 7/02/12.

Character Names: Although Michael Fox is listed merely as the “Coroner’s Physician,” it is the same Dr. Hoxie he has been playing since “The Case of the Runaway Corpse”! (Talman addresses him thus.) Submitted by gracep, 1/13/2011.
+ The character played by Woodrow Parfrey was listed in the credits as George Pickson. He was called Herbert in the story. Added by H. Mason 12/13/14

Classical Music: This episode has some familiar classical pieces throughout. During the opening scence, the music played on the radio in the bookstore is the familiar second movement (Andante) of Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony No. 94 in G Major. In a later scene at the bookstore, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony provides the background. Two other familiar pieces play on that radio at different times. Submitted by gracenote, 7/11/2011.
+ Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto is recognizable. A late symphony by Haydn, maybe #104, also seems to be employed. Added by emahl, 15 January 2015.

Uncredited Actors: Burr’s stand-in, Lee Miller provides yet another performance as a silent Sgt. Brice. The stern bailiff guarding the door is Robert Wegner. Submitted by gracenote, 7/11/2011.

Sightings: Appearing in the courtroom gallery are Quiet Old Man #1 and the Thin Man. More here. Submitted by gracenote, 7/11/2011.

Unconvincing Musicianship Dept.: That guitar Adam West is so ineptly trying to look like he's playing is a low-budget Kay acoustic. Kay made many thousands of similar models sold through Sears, Spiegel, etc. Submitted by francis, 5/20/12.
+ The first guitar that Pete Norland (portrayed by Adam West) played was about three minutes into the episode. This guitar had a round sound hole in the front and a squarish head stock. To me it resembled an expensive type of guitar manufactured by C.F. Martin. The second time Norland played the guitar, there was a different guitar used. The second guitar appeared about 49 minutes into the episode and was an f-hole (also called arch top) guitar. The head stock on this guitar clearly had the word "Kay" on it. This was the one made by the Kay Musical Instrument Company, maker of less expensive instruments. You can see the two guitars at this web page. Submitted by Charles Richmond, 9/10/13.
+The first guitar is a Gretch (the name is briefly visible on the head stock if you pause the DVD). The second is, as already noted, a Kay. Also, the song that Adam West sings in the book store is an African-American gospel number titled "This Train." It was first recorded in 1922. In 1933 the folk music collectors John and Alan Lomax recorded a version by Walter McDonald, an inmate at Parchman Farm in Mississippi. They published a transcription in 1934 in "American Folk Songs and Ballads" and again in 1960 in "Folk Songs of North America," both times identifying the source of the song as being from Mississippi, which is why Pete Norland identifies it as such. See the Wikipedia article about the song here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Train -- Submitted by catyron, April 19th, 2018.
+ You can hear a fabulous rendition of This Train, by the inimitable Louis Armstrong (with apologies to Adam West, wink!) here: https://youtu.be/sGmX5ln18po.

Closing Credit. Beginning in the fall of 1962, CBS began incorporating the production credit (CBS/Paisano Productions in this case) along with the "Seal of Good Practice" into the closing credits rather than a separate credit. This occurs on the 1962-63 season of The Twilight Zone as well. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 7/02/12.

NEW NIGHT, NEW TIME! Until the end of Season 5, our favourite show had aired on Saturdays, 7:30-8:30 PM. On Thursday, 27 September 1962, THE NEW YORK TIMES (page 75) ran the following CBS ad for that evening's Season Six Première of Perry Mason:

{CBS} NEW NIGHT!
{EYE} NEW TIME!
8:00-9:00PM ON CBS
PERRY MASON Starring
as the famous lawyer, Raymond
Burr is embroiled in a mystery
of fakery and murder as court is
called to order for a new season
with "The Case of the Bogus Books."
(Image of a stern-looking Burr/Mason below text)

The NYT daily program listing, also on page 75, was:

  • 8:00-9:00 -- Perry Mason in "The Case of the Bogus Books" with Raymond Burr, Phyllis Love, Adam West, others. Man's death points to a racket involving bogus first editions (season's première) - (2).

CBS ads for MISTER ED 7:30-8:00 (season première) and THE NURSES 9:00-10:00 pm (series début, image) ran above and below the Perry Mason ad. Added by Gary Woloski, 5/27/13.

This episode has NO CARS but Ford gets credit for them anyway. Added by Gary Woloski, 5/26/13.

ASTRONOMICAL DATING. Perry makes a demonstration to the Judge, Burger and Tragg in which he states "according to the Weather Bureau, twilight extended only to 6:40 that particular evening" (ie, the murder date). To Meteorologists, Astronomers and Navigators, "twilight" is a formally defined concept of which there are three types; I assume that Perry is speaking of "Civil Twilight", the duration of which in Los Angeles varies from about 24 to 30 minutes, depending on time-of-year (longest in June & Dec). Under the Daylight-Saving-Time protocol in effect in Los Angeles up to 1966, the only days of each year that could have Civil Twilight extending "only to 6:40" in the evening were 3 or 4 April and 19 or 20 October. By making reference to a solar event, Perry has almost explicitly dated the murder. All that's missing are the season and year. Too Bad there's NO CARS to help us with the year! See Comments section below for details & links to online solar calculators. Perry does this again in Ep#216. Added by Gary Woloski, 5/29/13.

For the second time a victim was killed by inhalation of natural gas fumes. It also happened in episode 112 (TCOT Wintry Wife). Submitted by H. Mason 12/13/14

Goof: A bank official testifies that Joseph Kraft got 20 one-hundred-dollar bills at the bank and that the bills were brand new bills from the Mint. The Mint has nothing to do with paper currency. Paper currency comes from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Submitted by D. Tlougan, 5/1/15.

Goof: Pearl's chain lock on her door was installed incorrectly. The tethered end is supposed to be on the jamb and attaches to the receiver on the door. Paul would just need to lift the chain to get in. Submitted by Perry Baby 3/24/16

This is the third of five PM appearances for Allison Hayes who, according to Wikipedia, was a close friend of Raymond Burr...MikeM. 11/2/2016

Library Substitution Alas, there is no "Cosgrove Library" in San Marino (or anywhere else in SoCal); by a remarkably small coincidence, however, there is the Huntington Library which features a well known collection of antiquarian volumes. So why go to all the trouble of essentially identifying an actual location and then not use it ?? Maybe the CBS Legal Dept. became concerned that it would give people ideas, or maybe the Huntington itself refused to be associated with a plot so stupid as this one (see below)
+ The Huntington does get a mention about halfway through. After Perry has demonstrated how easily a substitution could be made, he asks about substititions at other libraries, and gets this response: "UCLA has found two substitutions, Huntington and Old Berry, one each." The first two are obvious, the third may be what is now the Baker-Berry Library, the main library at Dartmouth College. OLEF641 2/30/21

This is the second of two PM appearances for Renee Godfrey, who was married to English actor/director Peter Godfrey...MikeM. 2/8/2017

This episode marks the first of two Perry appearances for Phyllis Love. In her second appearance, episode 255 The Case Of The Wooden Nickels, she plays Minerva Doubleday, a very similar character, also an employee in a collectibles shop, also charged with murder. jfh 08Feb2017.

This is the first of two PM appearances for Tenen Holtz, who was born in Russia in 1887. His stage name was created by dividing his birth surname of Tenenholtz. His second PM appearance in 1964 would be the final television role of his career. Tenen Holtz passed in Los Angeles in 1971 at the age of 84...MikeM. 5/10/2018

John Abbott and Allison Hayes also appeared in TCOT Laughing Lady. Submitted by Steve Fox, 10/28/23.

Allison Hayes and H.M. Wynant also appeared in TCOT Singing Skirt. Submitted by Steve Fox, 11/4/23.