Show22
This is the first episode that Tragg's first name is used. Submitted by Old Colony St. Gar, 4/22/15
+ . . and another case of a character (Gladys' brother) having the name Arthur as well. Must have been the favorite name of one of the writers. OLEF641 10/28/2020
Do you think Tragg REALLY made sure Paul got his handkerchief back? Submitted by Rickapolis 07/14/22
To convert old money into new, see here. My impression is that generally the dollar amounts mentioned in the series are realistic for the time. Probably not a surprise. Submitted by billp, 1/1/09.
The $92,000 Kirby had on him would come to $676,231.83 today. For a police sergeant, that comes to about 10 years’ pay. So an LA police sergeant made about $9200/year or $67,623.18 today. Not too bad, but my impression is that they do even better today. From insurance/will, the doctor’s wife gets $125,000 ($918,793.25) while the nurse gets $50,000 ($367,517.30). The 35-cent hamburger with fries is $2.57 today. The $154 that Mr Kirby took from the sales-tax box is $1,131.95. No wonder Mrs. Kirby was fed up with him! Mrs. Kirby put down $8,000 (at least $58,802.77) on her hamburger joint. Perry offers the nurse’s brother $100 ($735.03) for information. Mr Kirby had, perhaps, $15,000 ($110,255.19) in insurance. Submitted by billp, 1/1/09.
When Perry is granted a continuance on Friday afternoon at nearly 5 PM, "until Monday morning", Della comments, "Well, that gives us 48 hours." In reality, knowing Perry's proclivity for working until the wee hours, it actualy gives them 63 hours. jfh 21May2018.
Perry sure carries a BUNCH of cash on him, as when he paid off Gladys' brother for info on her location, that $100 seemed to barely make a dent in the wad of cash he put back into his pocket! Submitted by mesave31, 04/20/15.
+ It seems highly unlikely to me that Perry would carry his "wad" in his suit jacket pocket. My dad was of the same era; his bills were in his wallet in a back pocket and his coins in a front pocket, both in his trousers. This is why at least one back trouser pocket almost always has a button -- to make it harder for a pickpocket to lift a wallet. It seems a jacket pocket would be a very easy target for theft, standing so loosely away from the body. Ah, well, no accounting for personal preference! OLEF641 10/28/2020
Dr Morris plays a variation of Perry’s “what if I were to tell you “ ploy when he says he’ll take the first plane out of Boca de Oro, but doesn’t say in what direction.
There is a lot of argument about a person being unable to testify against a spouse. I believe that although a person cannot be compelled to testify against a spouse, that person may choose to do so. DOD 06/15/20
World War II veteran Dave Kirby mentions to his wife (09:40 on the 2006 Region 1 Paramount DVD), "If it wasn't for the doc, I wouldn't be alive today. Enough steel in me to build a jail." So why did the authorities first misidentify the crash victim as Dr. Morris? Even though Kirby and Morris flew in WWII, no one mentioned injuries for Morris. Perhaps the person in charge didn't want to look too closely because they had a very delicate constitution. Submitted by (lowercase, with a comma and period) masonite, 07/21/13.
At 05:10 on the 2006 Region 1 Paramount DVD, Perry crosses Mrs. Janet Morris off his "Wednesday February 18" (1959?) appointment-calendar page. Later (see above) Kirby and his wife are together with various other of the drive-in's employees. So why, still later (21:46) does Mrs. Kirby tell Perry that the last time that she saw her husband was on Monday the 16th? The employees could have overheard her. Why not, to be safer, say that it was the 18th? Or the 20th? The fatal flight was the 20th. Submitted by (lowercase, with a comma and period) masonite, 07/21/13.
+ The bottom of the calendar page says 1958. But what is odd is that 2/18/1958 is a Tuesday, not Wednesday. However, Monday the 16th, as stated by Mrs. Kirby, jibes with the 18th being Wednesday. Submitted by Kilo 4/12/2018.
++ On closer inspection that calendar is even more peculiar. Even though it indicates the 18th is Wednesday at the top and bottom of the page if you zoom in to the small monthly calendar in the upper left of the page you can see that it says the 18th is on Tuesday which would be correct for a 1958 calendar. It also appears that the number 18 at the center top of the page is pasted on. Kilo 12/12/2018.
+++ And in that list who is Mrs. Frank Smith? Is that related to the "Smith" in the closing credits (who apparently isn't even seen in the episode)? Or is that the wife of the Dragnet detective played by Ben Alexander? (The name Frank Smith should have been familiar to Mason writers/producers at this time since Dragnet was in its seventh season; was that an in-joke?) Wiseguy70005, 2/26/24.
(Just like Dave Kirby, I also need a life...) The "evidence" against Janet Morris seems very thin, if not nonexistent. Sure, she wouldn't give her rich husband a divorce, so the police rightly considered her a person of great interest. But what does the state actually have against her besides the thermos bottle? Its chain of custody was broken soon after the accident (why didn't Perry at least question the chain?, even if the state did not bring up the issue), and Perry showed early on in the preliminary hearing that no one could prove that the thermos was the source of the morphine sulfate. Not surprisingly, it was not the source. Also, given that the thermos (of coffee, per Janet Morris) remained in the plane, I wonder if Dave tried drinking any of its contents. Submitted by (lowercase, with a comma and period) masonite, 07/21/13.
Despite Mr. Kirby not being much help to his wife in their business, he was basically harmless and they were married for 18 years making her confession particularly vicious and heartless. "He was no good to me alive, I figured he might be worth something dead!" Joe B. 12/20/2019
I love that funky airplane. Today the Good Doctor would be flying a Cirrus SR22, or a Cessna 400/TTx, or maybe the "Doctor Killer". Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 4-4-2014.
+ Or a Cessna 182 Skylane. Submitted by Old Colony St. Gar, 4/22/15
+ The special effects of the plane crash is really awful but makes me smile. Signs of the times! ;-> Submitted by mesave31, 04/20/15.
+The plane flight over the hills of Southern California, right before the crash of the little model plane, reminded me a great deal of the old "Sky King" TV series, which, although supposedly set in Arizona, was filmed out over the old Apple Valley Airport in San Bernardino County. "Songbird calling tower ... Songbird calling tower..." Submitted by catyron, November 24, 2020.
Amendment 16 [ratified in 1913]: "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration [the 1st of 4 Populist-Progressive Era amendments]." Mike Bedard 4.20.15
+ This is funny, as some have challenged federal income tax as being unconstitutional. Submitted by Old Colony St. Gar, 4/22/15.