Show136
Is it just me, or is Burr (Mason) reading his lines from the paper in his hand while he questions Emery Fillmore (Denver Pyle)? Submitted by gracep, 12/9/2010.
+ No, I don’t think it's just you, gracep! The impression I got, however, was that just before shooting, Denver pulled a prank or told Raymond an off-color joke and Burr couldn't look him in the eye for fear of breaking out in guffaws. Maybe not, but the idea makes watching the show more fun! Submitted by GaryW, 9/27/11.
++ It could have been from last minute script changes. On DVD extras from the original Battlestar Galactica TV show a clip was shown with an actor reading his (unseen) script taped to a column because it had just been given to him. Added by H. Mason 11/15/14
When Perry says "no questions" for Osborn, the judge tells Osborn he can step down. Then Burger says "I call my next witness to the stand." This whole time, Osborn makes no move at all to actually leave the witness chair. He just sits there unmoving. Weird. I wonder if there was some last-minute editing going on. Rick P 10/14/21
On the table at that board meeting is a white globular bowl with a wavy rim. This is from a line by noted industrial designer Raymond Loewy for Continental China. I happen to own the same piece.
Perry’s gentle rebuke of David is a fine example of one of the reasons we enjoy this show. So often we get a clear, relatable lesson in finer points of law. DOD 12/22/22
Identifying Car (3), 1962 Plymouth Savoy. Car (3) is seen from a distance and from above but the quirky styling of that era's Chrysler Corp cars still gives several visible clues to its identity. First is the rear deck/trunk styling inherited from '61 Plymouths. Other visible features which exactly match the 1962 Plymouth Savoy 4-Door Sedan are the shapes of the C-pillar and rear window, two small taillights and the rear door shape including the flange-like ridge along the lower edge of the rear side window. 1962 Plymouths were present in California by 28 Sep 61 according to the LODI (Calif.) NEWS-SENTINEL article Plymouth For 1962 Makes Debut Today In Lodi of Sep 28, 1961 (72 days prior to airing of this episode). Added by Gary Woloski, 2/13/13.
The Battle of the Bulge (Dec. 16, 1944 -January 28, 1945) involved nearly 1 Million soldiers & resulted in 67,000 US & 100,000 German casualties [National WWII Museum website]. Ironically, the crucial battle began the Same Day Ike got his 5th Star. Mike Bedard 7.8.16.
Scientists like Werner von Braun worked on Germany's V[engeance]1 & V2 Rocket programs before working for the US Space Program. Several were suspected of being dedicated NAZIs & at least 1 was later deported. Mike Bedard 7.8.16.
+ Wikipedia says: "Several of the ... scientists were later investigated because of their links with the Nazi Party during the war. ... In 1947, Georg Rickhey ... was returned to Germany to stand trial at the Dora Trial, where he was acquitted. ... In 1951 ... Walter Schreiber was linked ... to human experiments conducted by Kurt Blome at Ravensbrück, and he emigrated to Argentina with the aid of the U.S. military. ... In 1984, Arthur Rudolph, under perceived threat of prosecution relating to his connection - as operations director for V-2 missile production - to the use of forced labor from Mittelbau-Dora at the Mittelwerk, renounced his U.S. citizenship and moved to West Germany, which granted him citizenship." submitted by catyron, 02/17/2018/
This episode sure packs a lot - two secret identities, extortion and embezzlement, a Nazi and a secret marriage.
The string music during the fight sequence is very unusual - perhaps the influence of 'Psycho' which came out the year before?
When Lt Anderson addresses the group outside the retreat, it looks like he and Perry are standing in front of a painted backdrop while the group of men are definitely on location.
+ Yes, it does appear as though that scene is done in a soundstage, since the hillside is kinda fuzzy. But, if you notice, in the next scene, where Perry is asking Merrill about the blackmail notes, the hillside visible behind Paul has that same hazy feel, and the scene is definitely shot on location. I suspect the slightly odd appearance of the previous scene is due to location lighting on the actors which is also over-illuminating the nearby backdrop of tall plants. OLEF641 4/6/21
++Perry Pry the blackmail note scene witnesses a rather egregious invasion of privacy: Perry remarks to Harlan "I have the blackmail note, I have to give this to the police." I would submit that not only does he not have to give it to the police, he actually cannot give it to them: recall how it was obtained (by David, without authorization, from Harlan's office)...in short it is not Perry's to give...to anyone. Notcom 042022.
Della wears that same dark dress with the pattern of ladies holding umbrellas that appears in "The Missing Melody". DODAY 10/12/17
Sorry, but if this had been the first Perry Mason i watched, i never would have tuned in again. Father Paul's smugly religious pop-psychology gave me the creeps. Raymond Burr cold-reading his script was bizarre. On the good side, though, both my husband and I were fascinated by how closely Donna Atwood the ice-skater resembled Barbara Hale. Submitted by catyron 02/17/2018.
Camera Work: at 11:27 mark in the video there is a short scene of Merrill driving up a winding road towards the retreat. This is the first time in the series I recall a driving scene with the camera situated inside the car giving the shot a cinéma vérité feeling. Was there an advance in camera technology allowing for a smaller rig around this time? 2/12/2021
TCOT Absent Accent I love this episode for its complexity, and for its giving Della more screen time and lines again, but it takes a huge suspension of disbelief! 15 years ago, Hennings (sorry, can't recall his German name), apparently anticipating Hitler's defeat and his own opportunity to flee to an Allied country, learned fluent English, erased his German accent, and worked up a British accent so that when he came upon a dead Allied soldier he could assume his identity and mix in with the other Allied soldiers, no questions asked. Hard to swallow! This would hold true no matter who the Nazi turned out to be. The minute Vander told Barlow he was looking for a Nazi on his staff, I knew we were in preposterous territory, as Barlow did not say, "Huh, could be X, he has a trace of a German accent...." LOL. Submitted by JazzBaby, 3/5/2019.
+ Per Perry during the last scene, Hennings/Kleinerman had previously been in England where he had spent years going to school. Someone young enough can learn to speak two or more languages like a native speaker in each language. Submitted by (lowercase, with a comma and period) masonite, 03/15/19.
+Exactly! When I lived in Japan, I knew people of English-speaking and Japanese-speaking parentage. Fluent in both. That's what puzzled me: Why didn't "Hemmings" use his British accent to help cover up his identity? Submitted by JazzBaby, 9/19/2019.