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This episode demonstrates an apparent rule of Perry Mason, that if you're lucky/rich/spoiled enough to own a fur coat, you never take it off, not even on the witness stand. Amy wears hers, and even the matching fur hat, without sweating perspiring. Submitted by DyNama, 1/1/2014.
I think this one of the better plotted episodes. What, at first, seems a too coincidental meeting of loosely connected people turns out to be a a fairly tight and logical web. I had none of those “what the...?” moments so common in PM. DOD 03/29/21
Does anyone have any idea why this episode is called TCOT Thermal Thief? Where does the 'thermal' part of the title come from? Submitted by Neil Van Zile, 6/13/2014
+ Good question. I checked two dictionaries and a thesaurus for possible alternates for both words and found nothing that fits. Added by H. Mason 4/20/15
++ If the necklace had been DIAMONDS, it Might have made sense. A Slang term for Diamonds is ICE, which THERMAL Heat could melt & make Disappear. But since they were EMERALDS, I see No Link between the Title & the Plot. Mike Bedard 4.28.15
+++ Nor did it take place in nearby Thermal California. KGarrett 4/22/16
++++ Well since something stolen is referred to as "hot" item ($50,000) it could require "thermal" gloves to hold. ;-) Submitted by HamBurger 10/09/2016
+++++ Could be the title is a holdover from the original book in which the meaning is clear. The same thing happened in"TCOT Rolling Bones".
++++++ I can find no book of this title.
So what would be a good alliterative title? TCOT Ersatz Emeralds? Mourned Mariner? Sultry Safecracker? Discuss... DOD 03/29/21
+Mourned Mariner - Well done! Submitted by Otto Gervaert, 3/29/21.
Does Della really have 26 file drawers, one for each letter of the alphabet?
+ Apparently so - and careful viewing will find those same cabinets appearing in several office sets throughout the series. DOD 03/29/21
Must say I am impressed LAPD, in a city that large, can trace the seller of a single handkerchief. DOD 03/29/21
The only "guest attorney" episode I recall in which Perry doesn't appear at all.
+ Per this short trivia page on MeTV TCOT Bullied Bowler (Mike Connors) was similarly barren. (I can't recall offhand, and some of the info on the page is incorrect, so perhaps another viewer can confirm.) Notcom 062618.
++ You are correct. Perry is completely absent from both episodes. 03/26/21
An exchange between Lona Upton and Kenneth Kramer reminded me of a scene in the movie Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.
LONA: Oh, but I couldn't go to him, don't you understand? He simply wouldn't understand.
KRAMER: It does take quite a bit of understanding.
from the 1985 movie:
PEE-WEE: Dottie! There's a lot of things about me you don't know anything about, Dottie. Things you wouldn't understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you shouldn't understand.
DOTTIE: I don't understand.
Submitted by H. Mason 4/20/15
This is another case where two murders are resolved. jfh 13Feb2017.
+ In a rather sketchy way, yes. Submtted by catyron, June 29th, 2018
++ "Sketchy way"? A confession to a murder and to the killing for which the innocent defendant was accused of murder, both brought out in the epilogue. jfh 01Mar2019.
I loved that final line Kramer delivers to the real killer - "bide your time, .. bide your time!"
submitted by MikeReese, 4/9/2013, edited 5/29/2017
+ (lowercase masonite moved the above comment to below the Spoiler Warning on 4/30/16.) Kramer's line is actually "Bide your time, [accused's name], bide your time!" Aside from what Kramer actually says, IMHO using the word "sir" is a spoiler. lowercase masonite, 4/30/16.