Show18
CARS: 1957 Cadillac convertible, black w/ black & white int., top down (Mason), 1956 Corvette, white, top down (Drake), 1957 Cadillac series 75 limo, light color. From The Cars by Greg Cockerill.
Actually, the light colored Cadillac (license JPE098) is a 1956 Sedan De Ville as seen at the country club, along with a 1957 Buick Roadmaster convertible. Steven Argyle's limo is a dark '57 Cadillac. Odd that Harry Pitkin would (falsely) claim he found the right front fender damaged while parked in Beverly Hills. Seems unlikely. Joe B. 02/24/2021
Uncredited Actors: Lee Miller as a courtroom spectator on Perry's side. submitted by BigBill767, Nov 12, 2016.
Sightings: Distinguished Gentleman #1 is the court reporter. Sasha Magaloff is next to Sheila in court. Submitted by Bigbill767, Nov 12, 2016.
+ "Sasha Magaloff" is now known to be the actor Mitchell Rhein. Submitted by catyron, November 20, 2020.
Correction: Despite being driven by a uniformed chauffeur, that '57 Caddy is merely a Series Sixty Special. Submitted by francis, 5/17/13.
+ California & 5G were Above the JPE 098 on the plate. Mike Bedard 4.14.15
++ Speaking of cars, at the 38 minute mark of the DVD of this episode, Perry is at the country club talking to Sheila Cromwell. If you look over her right shoulder you can see the 1957 white Corvette parked at the club that Paul drives later in the show. Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 14 May 2009.
The background music for the pool scene can be heard as a song playing in the murder room and elsewhere in #85, TCO Paul Drake’s Dilemma. Submitted by Charles Richmond, 3/4/2005.
+ The background music for the pool scene mentioned above, is also in another three episodes: Crimson Kiss, Fan Dancer and Crying Cherub. Would love to know the composer/artist.
++ The music that Steven Argyle is playing on his organ when Perry makes his second visit sounds like the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.
Virginia Greg makes the first of five appearances on Perry playing Sheila Cromwell. Virginia Greg was a prolific old time radio actress, and a favorite of Jack Webb. She appeared 10 times on the original Dragnet, 16 times on Dragnet 1967, and even in the Dragnet movie. Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 14 May 2009.
Sadly, Kipp Hamilton who played Elaine Barton (Pitkin) in this one, was diagnosed with and had a long battle with breast cancer, and died at the young age of 45 on January 29, 1981 at her home in Beverly Hills, California. Submitted by mesave31, 04/14/15.
Kipp Hamilton did leave us too early, but at least she got to perform "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat" in the Russ Tamblyn movie sensation, "War of the Gargantuas." Ed Zoerner, 1/12/23.
The Pitkin Principle: Erle Stanley Gardner had a knack, in the original novels, for creating character names that were highly unusual, to say the least. This was often accomplished by giving a character two surnames, one of which became the character's first name. In Gardner's "TCOT Cautious Coquette," for example, the chauffeur's name was Hartwell Pitkin. The producers and/or writers of the series probably thought that many of these names were so preposterous that, when they adapted the novels for TV, they often gave the characters actual first names. Thus, Hartwell Pitkin becomes Harry Pitkin in this episode. Submitted by BobH, 8 January 2016.
+ "Pitkin Cubed." Perhaps ESG's best use of the Pitkin Principle is found in "TCOT Phantom Fortune" (1964)--a later novel never adapted for TV. In that novel, the blackmailing murder victim's name is Collister Damon Gideon. ESG succeeded not only in giving the character three surnames, but in making his first name the least likely first name of the three. Submitted by BobH, 8 April 2017.
++ "And a Bit of Justice Served?" One also wonders whether ESG took this opportunity to get even with the show's producers for having created the incredibly annoying David Gideon character several years earlier by bumping off a possible near-relation--C. Damon Gideon. Submitted by BobH, 8 April 2017.
+++ Speaking of the Pitkin Principle: The episode has a very Pitkin-like actor in it -- Weaver Levy, who plays Jimmy.
Syndication cuts: Mason driving to Elaine's apartment; at the hospital Bates offering $3500, Argyle adding $1000, Finchley accepting; most of Tragg at Elaine's apartment [This is a strange edit. The scene segues from Mason calling Tragg on the phone to Tragg sitting in Elaine's apartment holding the gun with he and Mason staring at each other without saying a word to the scene with Tragg getting the report on the fingerprints.]; Drake at Argyle's place; Drake traveling to Halsey, seeing the telegrams on the floor through the window.
Additional Hallmark cuts: Harry Pitkin bribing Pat at the country club; the short scene of Tragg at Elaine's apartment; Tragg getting the report on the fingerprints on the gun. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 7/09/12.2017
+ Thankfully, most of these scenes were restored in the MeTV airing. jfh 11May2017.
When Ray Collins was ill his name remained in the credits until he died in 1965. On Cagney & Lacey, actor Sid(ney) Clute (Frederick Arms in this episode) remained in the credits also while ill but his name remained in the credits for the rest of the series even after his death. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 7/09/12.
Unlike the previous episode "Sun Bather's Diary" Mason's phone number does not appear in the newspaper ad. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 7/09/12.
We don't see Sheila step down from the stand after her second testimony. We do see two spectators sitting next to each other behind Burger while the judge tells Burger to examine her testimony for perjury and the next witness, the sheriff, being called to the stand. We next see Sheila when Paul looks at her while the sheriff is testifying. She is seen behind Burger sitting between the two spectators who were previously sitting next to each other. So how did she get there without being seen on camera? Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 10/28/13.
Unsolved mysteries: Perry and Paul did not discover the identity of the driver who hit Robert Finchley. Submitted by H. Mason 10/1/14
May 3rd is a very eventful day. This is only episode 18 and is (at least) the third time that date is mentioned. In episode 3, "The Nervous Accomplice," the murder took place on May 3rd. In the previous episode, "The Sun Bather's Diary," the bank robbery occurred on that date. In this episode Mrs. Cromwell last saw Hollister on May 3rd when she came by to pick up the company books. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 1/20/15.
+ The Sheriff testified that it had to be May 3rd because the evidence pointed to a High Tide. Mike Bedard 4.14.15
The price of the 15-word Telegram was $1.15 + .12 Tax. Mike Bedard 4.14.15
Donald Randolph was born in South Africa in 1906...MikeM. 8/2/2016
Alfred Hitchcock Psycho Mother - Virginia Gregg was the voice for Norman Bates Mother in the 1960 classic movie Psycho. Submitted by BigBill767, Nov 13, 2016.
+ She continued as the voice of Norma Bates in Psycho II and in Psycho III. jfh 27May2019.
This is the only PM writing credit (shared with Gene Wang) for Leo Townsend, who was exposed as a member of the Communist Party during the HUAC investigation in the 1950s. After consulting with his employer, Warner Brothers, Townsend agreed to testify before the committee and give the names of other "leftists" in order to keep his job...MikeM. 5/15/2018
Gavel Tally - After Sheila Cromwell breaks down under Perry's grilling, a hubbub breaks out in court and the judge gavels court to "order". OLEF641 11/27/21
There is an odd sound in this episode on the DVD. After Frederick Arms on the stand says "That's not for me to say" (@35:00) there is a sound which to me sounds like a fragment of a door buzzer similar to Elaine Barton's door buzzer (@12:05). Wiseguy70005, 2/22/24.
The suspenseful music played (@11:15) when Mason first enters Elaine's apartment is one of my favorite pieces of background music in the series. Wiseguy70005, 2/22/24.
Closed-captioning oddity: Harry Pikin says to Elaine "I made a mistake, you made a beaut." The closed-captioning reads "you made a few." Slightly different meaning. Wiseguy70005, 2/22/24.