Show9
What’s with this getting out of the wrong side of cars? First it’s Peter Handsell when he drops Veronica off then it’s John Addison at the service station. Maybe it’s just me, but I’d rather walk around. Submitted by daveb, 10/1/08. A vidcap of John here.
+ I agree the sliding across the seat of the car is very odd. Even years ago, when it was a lot easier to do something like that, I can’t recall a single instance of anyone sliding without a very good reason, e.g., the driver’s side was next to a cliff or something. At the gas station, I know they wanted to position the car so Veronica could get in first and check the registration but even so ...? It seems to me for some bizarre reason they didn’t want to reposition the camera for those scenes and shoot another few feet of film. Why? Submitted by billp 12/26/08.
+ Actually, according to what I was told when I started driving (back in '73), it's actually illegal (or was) to get out of a car on the driver's side. The older cars with big flat bench seats made it easier to do that then, than cars do now. You'd have to be a contortionist to do it in modern cars.. Submitted by MikeReese, 9/4/2014
> I suspect you were told an out-of-context excerpt from an actual statute - e.g. "no one shall exit from a vehicle into a traffic lane in such a manner..."etc. - but it certainly wouldn't apply to a gas station parking lot !! That having been said, and discounting the possibility of legal compulsion, it's not clear why they bothered here: it's true his action kept him in site of the camera the whole time, but so what ?? Perhaps it was meant to imply he was actually sliding over for some other reason (to put something in the glove box, maybe??) Notcom, 100920.
The $100 Della gets from “Mrs. Dale” would be $736.56 in 2007. The $10000 Handsell wants translates to $73656.13.
The $2000 check is $14731.23 in 2007. Submitted by billp 12/26/08
+ For my ease, I just add a "0" to the end of any dollar amount mentioned, e. g., $100 becomes $1,000, $2,000 becomes $20,000, and in episode 23 Della mentions she wants to return to a Ferrold's restaurant where her earlier dinner with Perry was interrupted because she wants to find out what "[the restsurant] could possibly do to a cup of coffee to make it worth $1.00", the cup of coffee now costs $10.00. jfh 07Jun2024
Signs of the times: when Veronica calls from the [1] payphone asking for Peter Handsell, the voice on the other end of the conversation, inisting that Handsell is not there says, "If we had [2] television-on-the-phone, I'd show you!" jfh 07Jun2024
The woman who pretended to be Mrs. Dale for Della is in the Courtroom, but Della never notices.
When Edgar Ferrell is driving Veronica Dale to the studio guesthouse, they go by a billboard. As near as I can make it out, it’s an advert for “the world’s largest gopher town.” Do others agree with this? It is a bit hard to see. Apparently, it’s in “San ?” Another billboard advertises the “Holiday House,” apparently some sort of hotel. Do either of these ring a bell with anyone? Also, one of my pet peeves with actors and car driving with rear projection: they jiggle the steering wheel constantly. The impression I get when they do this is there’s either something terribly wrong with the car’s steering, the road or it’s rear projection. Submitted by billp 12/28/08.
+ On the 2006 Region 1 Paramount DVD at about 02:16, the "world's largest collection" billboard is for the San Diego Zoo "at Balboa Park". At about 02:47 is the other billboard for the "holiday house" (Surfside?) Hotel. With Edgar Ferrell concentrating on Veronica Dale's hemline during the drive, it's a wonder he can drive as well as he does. Submitted by (lowercase, with a comma and period) masonite, 07/11/13.
The AUTOMOBILE REGISTRATION Prop will be used in many later episodes to quickly and effectively show the viewer the ownership of key automobiles. The form we see is not, of course, the real California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) form but rather a mock-up simplified for visual presentation of the fictional owner's name. The mock-up was a Hollywood "standard" that originated earlier with the movie studios. Here, from the film-noir CRIME WAVE (DVD 48:08) is the movie form identical to that seen in Perry Mason (here). CRIME WAVE is a Gem! (Filmed on-location in LA in 1952, released 1954. Here's Steve Lacey's car) Added by Gary Woloski, 12/13/14.
+ The same Hollywood prop Auto Registration is found on the fold-down sun visor flap of a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere Convertible in the 1958 monster flick MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS. Gary Woloski, 9/5/17.
+ An authentic Automobile Registration form of the mid-'50s can be seen on the steering column of Mike Hammer's (played by Ralph Meeker) XK120 at 03:41 of the 1955 film-noir Kiss Me Deadly, screenshot here. Reading the form is the means by which character Christina Bailey (Cloris Leachman) learns Hammer's ID & address in the opening sequence of the film. In Perry Mason, there's a glimpse of the real form at 18:51 of Ep#126, but not close enough to read. A Registration-holder of the 1950s typically comprised a leather envelope with transparent window and spring fasteners. One is seen on the steering column of Carey York's Mercury at 10:00 of Perry Mason Ep#202. The custom and/or lawful requirement of carrying the form on the steering column or visor apparently goes back to at least the 1920s. Added by Gary Woloski, 1/14/15.
Prop Trouble. The "AUTOMOBILE REGISTRATION" on the visor of Addison's '57 Continental MkII incorrectly reads "License No. - KYL-907, Make - LINCOLN, Type - CONT." Addison's plate number is unknown but it cannot be KYL 907 (which was on Ferrell's car). The other two entries should be: "Make - CONTINENTAL, Type - CONTINENTAL MkII" (or "Type - MkII").
- Reason: From 1939-48 "Continental" was the top-of-the-line model of the Lincoln brand. This model was discontinued after '48. However, in 1955 Ford revived "Continental" as a separate brand (and Division of FoMoCo). For the US car model years 1956-57, "Lincoln" and "Continental" were separate Divisions of Ford Motor Company, each making quite different cars. During this period, Lincoln Division made a variety of models in the luxury price range (around $5K), whereas "Continental" Division only made ONE model (Continental MkII) which, at about $10,000, was "Luxury-Plus" and in the same class as Rolls-Royce.
Ford thus created its own "Brand Confusion" in the public mind. The Perry Mason Prop Man must also have been confused after being told to produce a "Car Registration" prop for the "Lincoln Continental". He couldn't help but get it wrong, since although there was a '57 Lincoln and a '57 Continental, there was no such thing as a '57 "Lincoln Continental". If you understand all that and this, you'll have no trouble sorting out the family relationships in ep#121 TCOT Duplicate Daughter!
Note the Registration Fee of $248.00 on the Addison's Registration ($2K in 2012 dollars!): If authentic, I'm guessing that this was essentially a Tax levied at 2.5% of the purchase price. Added by Gary Woloski, 4/28/12.
I think the hotel that Veronica’s mother stays at courtesy Perry Mason is “The Town House,” 639 South Commonwealth, Los Angeles. For more info, see here. The image of the hotel we see seems to be the rear side which faces South Virgil. Submitted by billp 1/11/09.
+ Actually, as noted above, it's the Beverly Wiltshire. The sign is clearly visible on the roof. The Town House, also known as the Sheraton West, home of the famous Zebra Room, shows up in the remake of this episode, The Case of the Golden Girls. See my post for that episode for more info. OldDave, filed 5/27/2020.
Although I know she’s supposed to appear sexy to Ferrell, I find it a little curious that Veronica needs so little covering whereas Edgar is wearing a topcoat. Submitted by billp. 29 November 2009.
Perry in a hat: As he enters his office the morning after bailing out Veronica, a whistling Perry playfully tosses his hat onto the bust of Voltaire just inside the office door. jfh 02May2018
Perry lights a cigarette in Addison's office and, once again, does not smoke it; Perry accepts the offer of a drink ("straight, no ice"), but never drinks it. jfh 02May2018
Random Musings: It is amazing to me that at one time (at least in California) people were required to display their vehicle registrations--with their home address--in their vehicle for anyone to see. Privacy? What privacy? On the witness stand Tragg says they had not found the murder weapon (surprising, considering where we eventually learn it was) but that they nevertheless knew it was at one time in the possession of the defendant. He starts to say that the defendant did a lot of target practice, but the rest of his testimony is obscured by Della's conversation with Perry. Also, the killer later says he/she didn't know that a bullet could be traced without a gun. Can anyone fill in the details? Perry's client wasn't very smart (he was, after all, a studio executive). He says he decided not to call the police because the "vagabond vixen" could identify him, but why would he then give her a ride? After you've seen the whole episode, the scene where Addison and Northrup "find" the body is amusing. Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 3-19-14.
Did the police search the grounds for the murder weapon? After the location was revealed it seems unlikely. A cub scout troop could have found that gun if they were asked to look for it. Submitted by H. Mason 9/27/14
As is often the case, the time of events seems wacky. When Perry meets Addison at the murder house, he mentions it being two a.m., but it sure looks like a sunny night. Also, moments earlier Perry was in his office with Handsell. Would Perry really have arranged a meeting with him at what must have been about 1:30 a.m.?
In several later episodes we're confronted with a murderer who (seemingly) feigns surprise when discovering the body, even though there is no one around to witness. Here we have the opposite: when Miss Northrup accompanies Addison to the beach house, she shows not a trace of the nervousness one would expect from someone who knows they are about to "discover" a corpse (though it's possible that she's just a very good actress ... Addison doesn't know the talent hiding in plain sight!) In both cases, of course, the reason is the same: to avoid a spoiler. Mused by Notcom, 081417.
MAJOR SPOILER: the murderer is (Peggy Converse as) Myrtle Northrup. jfh 08Jun2024