Show29
CARS: 1957 Mercury 4dr hardtop, 2-tone: light & medium colors, 1957 Ford 2dr sedan, light color. From The Cars by Greg Cockerill.
+ Speaking of cars, dig the late 30's, early 40's autos in the opening scene. What dusty vault did they find this stock footage in? Submitted by Bill-W2XOY on 08/26/13.
Kim Lane’s death is front-page news in the Los Angeles Star-News. Normally the Los Angeles Chronicle is the newspaper of choice for the Perry Mason show. Submitted by PaulDrake33, 6/3/2009.
+ A city the size of L.A., of course, had more than one newspaper in the 1950s. The Los Angeles Star-News appears again in episode 41 TCOT Lucky Loser. A third L.A. paper is mentioned in episode 139 TCOT Shapely Shadow and a different newspaper, The Los Angeles Clarion, is seen in episode 181 TCOT Witless Witness. Submitted by H. Mason 9/26/14\\
++ A fifth L.A. paper, The Evening Star, is in episode 156 TCOT Playboy Pugilist. A copy of it is not shown. A reporter on the staff is in the story. Added by H. Mason 9/29/14
+++ A Los Angeles CHRONICLE front page appeared in the "Charlie Harris At Large" episode of The Rockford Files (1975). Mike Bedard 4.29.15
++++ A facsimile of the (Daily) Star-News is also seen in the 1950 film In a Lonely Place. "Star News" is, in fact, the name of the newspaper of record of Pasadena, and while it might seem confusing to utilize a name actually in use in the area, one wonders if it was familiar to script writers.
+++++ A sixth publication, Tribune - tho maybe only fifth if we assume the "Star-News" and "Evening Star" are one in the same - will be mentioned in episode 59 (TCOT Stuttering Bishop).
Notcom, (revised) 12-05-19.
Uncredited Actors: Don Anderson plays two more extra roles in this episode. Early on he’s seen on the dance floor at the ballroom. Later he’s a courtroom spectator at the robbery trial. Submitted by FredK 25, Oct 2010.
+ I caught a sighting of Don Anderson showing some fancy footwork on the dance floor in the opening scene. It’s the camera view from above; he’s under the “dance floor ball” to the right of the sailor and his dance partner. The guy had moves! From Kelvin Chambliss via email, posted by daveb, 5/15/2011.
++ Unacknowledged but identifiable courtroom spectators include Lee Miller, who may still be playing the Sgt. Brice role he played earlier in the episode, and boxer-turned-actor Tom Kennedy, who never stops chewing gum.
Location: About 31 minutes in we see the exterior of the building where Universal Model Agency is located. If you look closely you can see First Trust Building etched on the side. This building, built in 1927, is on the National Register of Historic Buildings and is located at 595 E. Colorado Blvd in Pasadena. Recent picture here. Submitted by Eric Cooper 11 January 2011.
+ "The First Trust Building & Garage, aka Lloyd's Bank, incorporated the Mediterranean Revival, Renaissance Revival & Beaux-Arts styles. The design features...a cupola, frieze and balustrade. CALTECH Professor R.R. Martel designed the...Earthquake-proof support system...an important advancement [that] became a Standard form of construction," en.wikipedia reports. Mike Bedard 4.29.15
Sightings: Distinguished Gentleman #1, Distinguished Gentleman #2, and Distinguished Lady #4 are among the courtroom spectators today. More on this page. Submitted by gracenote, 9/2/2011.
+ (Also Continuity Error:) Earlier, a passenger in the elevator is Distinguished Gentleman #2, who then impossibly appears in the courtroom when Drake walks in. He also magically floats around the courtroom, appearing on one side and then the other. Submitted by gracenote, 9/2/2011.
++ Sasha Magaloff shows at the first trial with glasses. Submitted by BigBill767, Nov 11, 2016.
+++ Slight correction: Distinguished Gentleman #2 is the elevator operator, not a passenger. Submitted by JazzBaby, 7/17/2019.
++++ "Sasha Magaloff" is now known to be the actor Mitchell Rhein. Submitted by catyron, December 6, 2020.
Syndicated cuts: The Danceland sign at the beginning of the episode [see picture above]; scene with Mason and Della about whether Martha was with Archer during the robbery; boys playing baseball, finding the body; Della pouring Perry a cup of coffee; second jail scene with Sanders now charged with murder; the Los Angeles Star-News headline; scene with Kim and Paul before Larry leaves; shot of the plane and downtown Las Vegas. \\ Additional Hallmark cuts: Mason telling Sanders he made inquiries about him [this edit saved Hallmark all of 3 seconds]; Mason and Della pretending to be repossessing the mink coat and, after Mr. Wickett leaves, Perry telling Della to search the bedroom [or everything between the exterior shot of the apartment and the clock that reads 7:37]; Burger saying Mason is insulting the intelligence of the court by prolonging the trial, Mason saying he will prove pertinence, telling Martha her purse is unusual and her saying that it was made for her; Tragg arriving with Kim's real purse, Sanders thanking Perry and Mason telling Burger and Tragg it was just flour in the phony purse [the Hallmark scene ends with the judge saying court is adjourned with a piece of music (edited from the real act end) dubbed over the scene to create a phony end]. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 7/25/12.
Goof: Perry's client's last name is listed in the credits as "Sanders" but most of the other characters--including Perry himself--seem to pronounce it "Saunders." Submitted by Alan Smithee, 4-15-14.
Bad stenographer: The stenographer wasn't doing a very accurate job. Martha Rayburn's testimony was as follows:
"She was Archer's girlfriend and she threatened to go to his family unless he paid her off...oh no no, he, he paid off, all right, in fact I cashed one of the checks for him myself."
When Perry has the stenographer read back the remarks, it was read as follows:
"Q: Was she Archer's girlfriend?
"A: Yes, she threatened to tell his family if he didn't pay off...no he paid all right, I cashed one of his checks myself." Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 12/30/14.
+ Whose life is it anyway?, one wonders about the possible ramifications of misstated testimony. Another example occurs in #179 TCOT Skeleton's Closet, that time by Perry. lowercase masonite, 3/5/16.
According to imdb, Betty Utey was born in Finland in 1935. She was married to director Nicholas Ray from 1958-1964...MikeM. 8/17/2016
Karen Sharpe was married to producer/director Stanley Kramer from 1966 until his death in 2001...MikeM. 8/17/2016
This was the first of five PM appearances by June Vincent...MikeM. 8/17/2016
According to an online obituary, writer Al C. Ward added the Raymond Burr sequences for the American version of a Japanese Godzilla movie. He reportedly insisted that he receive no credit for this work...MikeM. 8/17/2016
Fay Roope was born in Massachusetts in 1893. He graduated from Harvard University in 1916...MikeM. 8/17/2016
Timeline: This episode aired as #29, but I believe it was filmed fairly early on. That's because the books on Perry's credenza are the older Corpus Juris, with brown covers, rather than the spiffy blue Corpus Juris Secundum, which show up midway through the first season. JohnK, 12 March 2018
Another clue this is an early episode - the witness stand is the old style, with the front rail in line with the judges stand. From Martha Rayburn’s testimony, it is easy to see why that rail would later be pushed forward about a foot. She is asked to identify Saunders, but there is no way for the camera to get both of them in one shot. DOD 06/24/20
This is the only PM appearance for Ned Wever, who was president of a drama organization at Princeton University. On the radio, Ned Wever portrayed detectives Bulldog Drummond and Dick Tracy. Ned Wever passed in 1984 at the age of 82...MikeM. 5/30/2018
Gavel Tally - Early in the episode, as court is adjourned "until Monday", Archer bursts out with, "That's not true!", and the judge gavels him to order; in the later court scenes, the judge gavels to adjourn court. OLEF641 12/18/21