Show47
Billy Pearson’s acting is painful to watch in this episode. I guess you could say that as an actor he was a wonderful jockey. Small wonder that he had only one other appearance, 14 years later on the screen. Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 7/17/2008.
+ That role was "Stationmaster" In "The Life And Times of Judge Roy Bean" [1972 IMDb]. Mike Bedard 6.1.16.
++ As bad as Billy Pearson was, Joe Di Reda was terrific. I enjoyed his performance very much. Rickapolis 09/14/16
We get a rare view of the back wall of the office, where we see that decorative plate that briefly hung where the mask hangs. In the closing scene, we see yet another door in that wall. Wonder where that goes? DOD 07/20/20
Wikipedia says that in 1958, the year of this episode, Billy Pearson played the lead in a TV pilot based on a book written by Erle Stanley Gardner, under the pen name of A. A. Fair. Wiki says that no episodes were made after the pilot. Submitted by MikeM, 10/23/2012
+ I loved A.A. Fair/Earl Stanley Gardner's 29 Cool and Lam mysteries as much as Perry Mason! I always wondered (without bothering to google it) if anyone had ever considered a Cool and Lam series. Benay Venuta played Bertha Cool ("Fry me for an oyster!") to Pearson's Donald Lam in this pilot which, as MikeM states, was not picked up. Both Pearson and Venuta would retire from acting soon after this half-hour-long pilot was shot, but Venuta would make a couple appearances over the years. Submitted by DyNama, 8/21/2014
The Case Of The Mispronounced Name: At one point in court, Hamilton pronounces "Dion" as "Die-on" (with a long i). In episode 227 TCOT Thermal Thief, a witness pronounces the same name as "Dee-an". jfh 07Jul2019.
+ At about 4 minutes in, standing outside the stable with his wife, Dion pronounces his own name with a long i. Kilo 6/21/2023.
At the end of the episode, Tic Barton won't take a call from his wife, whom he will presumably divorce. Tic tells Perry it's great to be free. Wiki says that jockey/actor Billy Pearson was married six times. Submitted by MikeM, 10/23/2012
+ For those who might be interested, there's a lengthy obit published by Variety magazine here. Pearson led a very interesting life, including a winning stint on The $64,000 Question and an ongoing association with John Huston and Pre-Colombian art. OLEF641 12/2/2020
Does Don Durant (Johnny Starr) ever play a good guy? He seems to have a built-in sneer .. and Tic Barton's marital situation reminded me of the old Johnny Soul song - "If You Want To Be Happy" .. and finally, what a policeman once told me: "If you have a gun, it's for shooting, not scaring." Submitted by MikeReese, 8/6/2013
When Della inadvertently provides the solution to the case, Perry says "Della! You're a doll! A stunned Della says "I didn't think you noticed." Submitted by DellaFan, 5-13-2014.
Question: What did Perry and Della do with their tickets to the "big race"? Since all three seemed to be able to buy tickets on or near race day there didn't appear to be much problem getting them. Perry probably just gave them away. Submitted by H. Mason 10/14/14
+ Does anyone know what racetrack the long shots, and I guess all the racing scenes were filmed at? IMDb has Santa Anita, but Santa Anita never had houses right across the fence from the turn leading into the home stretch. And, SA has a grass track right inside the dirt track, which also seems to not be there. OLEF641 12/2/2020
Much noise from the camera dolly in the courtroom, when Starr's neighbour is on the stand and the camera pans around. Submitted by Clothears, 24/12/2019.
+ I didn’t hear any noises but I think you mean truck. Panning is when the dolly is stationary and the camera is rotated left or right. Trucking is when the entire dolly is moved left or right, for instance. Kilo 6/21/2023.