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Roger Byrd's agile camerawork in the opening scene is little short of miraculous, as he seems to be able to shoot from multiple vantage points in consecutive, uninterrupted shots. He first shoots an extreme close-up of murderer Charles Houston about to push his wife and car over a cliff. Having clearly established Houston's close-up culpability, his rolling footage then jumps immediately to a long-shot of the car plummeting over the cliff. Submitted by BobH, 30 May 2016.
+ It's more than miraculous; it's simply impossible. In the beginning, he's about 500' directly to the left of the car in the bushes. This is how he gets the close-up of Houston. However, it's physically impossible for Byrd to suddenly be on the other side of the ravine Houston pushed the car into so he could take those last videos of the car plunging. Then return to the original vantage point to video Houston straightening his tie and suit coat.
However, after seeing this episode for almost 60 years, I finally realized something. Byrd only took videos of Houston pushing the car. The scenes of the car going over the cliff were NOT filmed by Byrd; instead, they are the action of the episode itself, and only there for our benefit. Proof of this is that the same footage was used in Ep#103, TCOT Provocatove Protege at 04:50.
Submitted by Arisia, 02/27/18
+Rebuttal "In Camera" Testimony. If viewers check the episode again, they will see that virtually the entirety of the footage--from the close-up of Houston, through the distance shot of the car going over the cliff, and back to another Houston close-up--is shown through Byrd's camera's crosshairs, clearly indicating that the director wants us to assume that Byrd's camera caught the entirety of the dastardly deed, including the car going over the cliff. (The only break in the "continuous" shot through the camera's crosshairs is when Byrd is shown repositioning himself to take the last close-up of Houston.) The fact that the same long shot of a car plunging over a cliff is used in Episode 103 proves nothing more than that the director of that episode reused the same stock footage, minus the crosshairs. Submitted by BobH, 27 February 2018.
Roger Byrd's ability to be in several places at the same time notwithstanding, it was a clever way to gradually reveal that Byrd was carrying a camera and not a rifle. The "No Hunting" sign added to the red herring and overall the sequence is executed quite well. Of course, until we see Houston and his dead wife that is. Submitted by Kenmore 06/08/2022
'Roger Byrd', blackmailer, reminded me of mystery writer Keating's (Inspector Ghote series) story, 'The Iciest Sin (or Crime), where he puts forth that a blackmailer has to be cold-blooded, conscienceless, to commit HIS crime. Byrd certainly fit the description - blackmailing the sister of the murdered woman? Evil!! Submitted 9/20/2013 by MikeReese.
Interesting Character Names: A WILDCATTER named HOUSTON, a WILDLIFE photographer named BYRD. Mike Bedard 2.17.15.
The premise of selling multiple 50% shares in a business enterprise, and then panicking when that enterprise is an unexpected success, is reminiscent of “The Producers”. We even have someone planning to escape to Rio. DOD 09/10/20
In a nice switch, this time we have “The fury of a man scorned”. DOD 09/10/20
Dialog: One of the best lines in this episode occurs at about 41:00, when Perry asks Madelyn Terry where she was at 9:30 on the night of the murder. After she tells him she was taking a bath at that time, he looks pointedly at her and she adds, “No, no one can corroborate it.” Submitted by Dan K, 24 January 2021.
Crossed Colonials: I chuckle at Lucky Sterling's "Colonial Inn" each time I watch this. You would think that in Southern California, colonial would have a Spanish flavor, rather than the Paul Revere look we get here. I grew up near Philadelphia and worked at one such place during high school. JohnK, postdated 24 September 2021
Liars: This episode is unusual in that all cast members except the police, court officials, and our heroes tell at least one lie -- victim, defendant, murderer, bystanders, murder suspects, and all witnesses in court tell lies, for a variety of reasons. Submitted by catyron February 3rd, 2021.
On the witness stand, Byrd states that he made his phone call reporting the gunshot to the police by anonymous phone call, because he didn't want to be involved. "Not involved" in a murder committed in his apartment. hmmm. jfh 05Apr2023.
On the fire escape, Paula Wallace climbed down one flight, yet Roger Byrd's apartment was on the third floor. Submitted by Otto Gervaert, September 24, 2021.
+ Paula walked down one flight, then released the fire ladder and climbed down to the ground. jfh 05Apr2023
Roger Byrd is a particularly lucky blackmailer, catching not one but two murderers in the act: Charles Houston killing his wife, and Houston's killer leaving Byrd's hotel room after bumping off Houston. Submitted by BobH, 21 October 2016.