Show121
This is one bizarre episode in that we never see the victim, nor do we meet one of the prime suspects. Posted by Kenmore, 12/14/2009.
+ Also in episode #1, TCOT Restless Redhead, murder victim Harry Merrill aka Lester Gladden was never shown. Added by H. Mason 11/10/14
Fans of early TV will recognize Walter Kinsella as Happy McMann, proprietor of the tobacco shop frequented by Martin Kane, Private Eye. Submitted by francis, 4/19/12.
PM set designers often show a lurid taste in wallpaper, but they really outdid themselves with the Gilman house - ugh! DOD 12/18/23
Although he's frequently offered or handed beverages, this is one of the very few times Mason is seen actually drinking one; in this episode he enjoys a highball with Della. Submitted by francis, 4/19/12.
+ Ditto for Perry smoking cigarettes: we sometimes see Perry lighting or stubbing out a cigarette, and often holding one, but we actually see him smoking in this episode (although, see Anomaly). jfh 04Oct2018.
Glamis' JAGUAR. Identifying where in the JAGUAR family Glamis' car lies is a lot easier than figuring out the family connections in this PM episode! Some visible Identification Points that distinguish her XK140 (1954-57) from an XK120 (1948-54) or an XK150 (1957-61) are: 140 has split two-piece windshield (like 120 but unlike 150); 140 has one-piece front bumper with two large over-riders (like 150 but unlike 120); front JAGUAR badge is integral with grill (120's is separate and above grill); 140 has a deep “crouch” in the body side sculpting, forward of rear wheel (like 120 but unlike 150); and exterior door handle position. Note the increasingly modern appearance from XK120 to XK140 to XK150, culminating with a leap into the Space Age with the E-Type or XKE in 1961. The XKE debuted at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, 16-26 March 1961 - at about the same time that this episode #121 would have been filmed! There was no JAGUAR XK130 (unlucky 13??). Both an XK150 FHC and an XK140 DHC will appear in Episode #133. Added by Gary Woloski, 11/24/12.
Paul's convertibles sure are snazzy, but it seems strange he would sit in a convertible, with the top down, in plain sight of everyone, while conducting an undercover operation (in this episode, staking out the Gilman house). Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 10/3/2013.
Willis Bouchey really chews up the scenery in this episode as the Judge. He looks and sounds like he should be on the Supreme Court! He is my favorite Perry Mason judge. Submitted by 65tosspwertrap, 10/3/2013.
Don Dubbins' character, Hartley Elliot, says "I refuse to answer" repeatedly on the witness stand. In episode 168, TCOT Prankish Professor, once again his character says "I refuse to answer" on the witness stand. Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 11/9/2013.
You just know that when an episode has characters named Glamis(!) Barlow, Hartley Elliott, and Cartman Jasper--as opposed to the more reasonable Elliott Hartley and Jasper Cartman--there's a good chance the episode is adapted from an ESG novel. (See Episode #241, TCOT Mischievous Doll, for another example of the misnamed members of the Jasper family.) Submitted by BobH, 2 July 2018.
Paul said he had to get a friend "stoned" to get information out of him about why Mrs. Gilman was being blackmailed. I'm thinking stoned had a different meaning back in 1961. (Or did it?) Kilo 12/23/2019.
+ "Stoned" used to be one of many euphemisms for drunk, but as marijuana use became more mainstream it was appropriated to specifically mean high on weed. OLEF641 3/14/21
It's inconceivable that someone (Muriell) could mistake red paint for blood. Kilo 12/23/2019.
I LOVE the befuddled look on Tragg's face when Perry tells him: "You'll find the sawdust and the red paint in the workshop behind the garage." Tragg has just barely said he has a search warrant, but not what it's for! OLEF641 3/16/21
Indeed, as noted above, not only do we never see (1) the victim, Vera Martell, but we also do not see many of the other people involved in the convoluted plot: (2) Stephen Barlow, (3) Phyllis Monroe, (4) G.W. Monroe, and (5) Joe Yemen (who might possibly have changed his name to G.W. Monroe). And poor Muriell has little to do, other than to provide one more duplicate daughter. Submitted by Fifty-Niner on 11 August 2011.
And, adding to the bizarreness mentioned above, the shot of the revealed killer's grasping, clutching hands. They seem to float, disembodied in space against a black background - wonder if they actually belonged to the actor who played that role? Submitted by MikeReese, 11/22/2013.
+ Actually, the hands are shown in the lap of the killer. jfh 11Feb2019