Show232
Fay Wray was, of course, the damsel in distress in the original King Kong (1933). She was blonde then, but now appears to be a brunette. Submitted by gracenote, 4/25/2011.
+ Ms Wray's memoir has the subtly witty title "On the Other Hand".
++ I seem to recall, from reading her bio recently, that blonde was NOT her natural color. OLEF641 8/18/21
Douglas Kennedy, a longtime friend of Burr's, was one of the most powerful of the myriad character actors to appear in Perry Mason - especially with his memorable performances in TCOT Moth-Eaten Mink from early in Season 1, and in TCOT Lucky Loser, from Season 2. Nice to see him here, after several years had elapsed. Submitted by dwhite 1.18.13
+ "Making his debut in 1940, [Douglas Kennedy] appeared in many westerns & detective thrillers, usually as the villain. World War II interrupted his career, and he spent the war years as a Signal Corps officer and operative in the OSS & Army Intelligence" [IMDb]. Mike Bedard 5.4.15
Sightings: At the Club Caribe, Distinguished Gentleman #1 is rapt with attention at Mignon’s second performance as the drums stop and everyone wonders what happens next. Later, he turns up on the prosecutor’s side of the courtroom gallery, along with Quiet Old Man #1. Meanwhile, Pencil Mustache Man is on the defendant’s side. Read more about these and other frequent faces, and help us spot them. Submitted by gracenote, 4/25/2011.
+ The Distinguished Gentleman #1 also makes an appearance admiring art at the museum as Paul asks a few questions. He also makes an appearance at the airport as Paul talks on the phone before his flight. Do you think that he is following or stalking Paul? Submitted by BigBill767, 6/22/2016.
I have noticed a young brunette (dark hair) in this episode that was in the club (was on left side at bar) and then looks like she was again in the courtroom behind in back row on defendant side and then back again at the club at the bar during the epilogue. PerryBaby 10/23/13
The nurse, who is gorgeous, is "Brenda" in IMDB, which also mentions her credits as Brena, Brenna, and Breena Howard--the name she uses in this, her only credit in PM. She plays a nurse in 3 tv show episodes, receptionist in 2, waitress in 2. Submitted by DyNama, 1/29/2015
++ Not only is Brenda, Brena, Brenna, or Breena a good looker - she's a good screamer, too (at about 32 minutes in). JohnK, 20 April, 2022
+++ I definitely believe that the incredible scream let out by Breena Howard (Nurse), on seeing the dead body of Carina Wileen (Karen Steele) was a homage and tribute to Fay Wray (Mignon Germaine), who was known throughout Hollywood and her career as 'The Queen of Scream'. Submitted by Tragg, 21 August 2022.
Murder Method: Carina Wileen was at least the thirty-second murder victim to die from stabbing. Submitted by H. Mason 4/24/15
Paul Drake: For at least the second time he went to New Orleans for Perry Mason (#204 TCOT Woeful Widower). Submitted by H. Mason 4/24/15
This is the second of two PM appearances for Karen Steele, who was born in 1931 in the Territory of Hawaii...MikeM. 2/20/2017
Wiktionary defines "mignon" as "small and cute; pretty in a delicate way; dainty."...MikeM. 2/26/2018
This is the third of three PM appearances for the iconic Fay Wray (Mignon Germaine), who was born into a Mormon family in Alberta, Canada. The family migrated to the US, and Fay Wray eventually settled in Los Angeles. Wray's 1933 role in King Kong helped save RKO from bankruptcy. Fay Wray passed in New York City in 2004 at the age of 96. In her honor, the lights of the Empire State Building were dimmed for fifteen minutes...MikeM. 7/2/2018
This is the second of two PM appearances for Lynn Bari, who was also known as "The Woo Woo Girl" and "The Girl with the Million Dollar Figure", and was a pin-up model during World War II. jfh 02Jul2018
Star Trek Alert: Three actors in this episode will later appear in Star Trek roles. The voluptuous Karen Steele, who appeared in two Perry episodes, was a pharmacologically enhanced mail-order bride for some lonely exo-miners, in the original series episode, "Mudd's Women." Wilda Taylor appeared as a Suliban woman in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode, "Detained." Robert Francis Chadwick was a Romulan scope operator on a cloaked War Bird trying to destroy the Enterprise, in the original series episode, "Balance of Terror." Submitted by MyFavoritePolarBear, 11/30/22.
TCOT Curious Coffee Cups: One curious coffee cup can be seen on Carina's nightstand as Mignon visits her at the opening of the episode. Submitted by catyron October 6th, 2021.
+ The West Bend Thermo-Serv plastic and aluminum travesty cups and carafe are used by Della in Perry's office. Submitted by catyron, 2018.
Once again, I find myself chuckling about how actors shave years off their age. If Gary Collins was really born in 1938, then he was about 26 in this episode. He looks pretty mature for 26! This is typical, with many of the actors looking much older than their supposed age in real life. The show routinely cast actors whose actual age was years older than the character's stated age. Rebellious "teenagers" were almost always played by actors in their 20s. Basically, everybody looked so old back then! ;-) Submitted by JazzBaby, 6/15/2019.
Carina's payment of $18,000/year from Brady Duncan is the equivalent of just over $150,000 in 2021 money. OLEF641 8/18/21