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#194: The Case of the
Wednesday Woman
Original Airdate: 01/02/64

Summary Edit

From The Perry Mason TV Show Book
Philip Stewart has done his time for manslaughter and is finally released from prison. Jack Mallory, an ex-insurance investigator, is convinced that Stewart knows the whereabouts of a stolen diamond worth $500,000. When Mallory is found murdered, only Perry stands between the ex-con and more time in the pen for another murder rap.

Credits Edit

Random actor from episode. Click for page of all available.

Opening

Starring Raymond Burr
in The Case of THE WEDNESDAY WOMAN
Based upon characters created by Erle Stanley Gardner
Barbara Hale, William Hopper, William Talman, Ray Collins

Trailing

Directed by Irving J. Moore
Written by Sam Neuman
Arthur Marks / Art Seid | Producers
Gail Patrick Jackson | Executive Producer
Jackson Gillis | Associate Producer
Samuel Newman | Story Consultant

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason
Barbara Hale as Della Street
William Hopper as Paul Drake
William Talman as Hamilton Burger
Ray Collins as Lt. Tragg
Wesley Lau as Lt. Anderson

Cast

Phillip Pine as Phillip Stewart
Lisa Gaye as Joyce Hadley
Douglas Dick as Lester Ormesby
Marie Windsor as Mrs. Helen Reed
Phyllis Hill as Mrs. Katherine Stewart
John Hoyt as Thomas Webber
Michael Pate as Jack Mallory
Alvy Moore as Cabbie
Ralph Manza as Amos Elwell
Morris Ankrum as Judge
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez as “Rosie” Dell
William Fawcett as Pawn Broker
John Cliff as Guard
Greta Granstedt as Manager
Bill Idelson as Ticket Agent

Uncredited Actors
Don Anderson as Courtroom Spectator

Crew

“Perry Mason”
Director of Photography … Howard Schwartz, A.S.C.
Art Direction … Lewis Creber
Assistant Director … Robert G. Stone
Film Editor … Richard H. Cahoon, A.C.E.
Casting … Harvey Clermont
Makeup … Irving Pringle
Hair Stylist … Annabell
Wardrobe Supervision … Ed McDermott, Evelyn Carruth
Set Decoration … Carl Biddiscombe
Properties … Ray Thompson
Production Sound Mixer … Herman Lewis
Script Supervision … Marshall Schlom
Theme Composed by … Fred Steiner
Automobiles Supplied by … Ford Motor Company

Perry Mason
Produced by the CBS Television Network in association with Paisano Productions

Trivia Edit

Location: About 14 minutes into the episode, right before the pawn shop scene, there is a nice street shot of Clifton’s Cafeteria which has been a landmark at 648 South Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles since 1931. Founded by Clifford Clinton it reflected his Christian ethics by feeding 10,000 people free in a 90-day period during the Great Depression. Submitted by Eric Cooper, 2 July 2010.
+ The view is from the southwest corner of Seventh & Broadway looking north on Broadway toward Sixth Street. The presence of Car(g) and Trolley Bus(i) definitely date the filming of this shot to between late-September 1962 and 31 March 1963; more in Comments section. Gary Woloski, 6/9/14.
+ Other signage in this shot: On the right, Desmond's, Palace [Theater], Bond['s?], ]--] & Frank, Clifton's Cafeteria, Bank of America. On the left side: Kress, Roy[al]. Submitted by catyron, May 26th, 2018

Goof: About 19 minutes into the episode, we see the exterior of a building at least 20 stories high. But once inside, we see the elevator only goes to 12 floors. Submitted by Eric Cooper, 2 July 2010.
+ This shot of the building exterior (DVD 15:12 to 15:18) sets the location for the offices of "Webber & Reed", presumably somewhere in Downtown LA. However, the film footage used here is of Lever House at 390 Park Ave @ E 54th St, New York City (floor count 24, a pioneer "glass curtain wall" design, constructed 1951-52 as "American corporate headquarters of the soap company Lever Brothers"). As the camera pans upward, the 1930s-era skyscraper to the Left and beyond the "Webber & Reed" building is the Du Mont Building at 53rd St and Madison Ave (floor count 42, completed 1931). The TV broadcast antenna on its roof is historic.See "Los Angeles Building Heights" in the Comments section for the steps leading to these findings. Added by Gary Woloski, 6/25/14.
+ It's not necessarily a goof, since tall (>c.15 stories) buildings will generally have multiple elevator banks, one for the low-rise floors, and one (or more) for the higher floors. Submitted by Notcom, 121715.

Sightings: As Burger redirects the testimony of a witness, we find Distinguished Gentleman #1, Quiet Old Man #1, and “Miss Carmody” watching events unfold. A little later, we see a Pencil Mustache Man on the defense side of the room. Read more about these recurring but anonymous spectators here. Submitted by gracenote, 3/3/2011.
+In the Pawn Shop scene, we find the Distinguished Gentleman #1 out for a walk. Submitted by BigBill767, 6/17/2016.
+We may be wrong, but both my husband and i are pretty sure Miss Carmody is sitting at the bar in the restaurant scene at 21:31. Her back to to the camera, but we are pretty familiar with her body, cheekbones, and gestures. +Yes, indeed, it was I! Submitted by Miss Carmody, 13 October 2023.

CARS. Of the very large number of background cars seen in this episode, I have listed only the most visible or significant. There are only three Cast Cars:

  • (1) A yellow 1964 Ford Custom 4-Door Sedan TAXI takes Katherine Stewart to San Quentin Prison in the opening scene and later for her second visit. It's the first 1964 model-year Ford to appear in PM (Dodge had the first '64 in ep#192).
  • (2) At 14:07 Phillip Stewart exits the pawn shop as Jack Mallory watches from his medium-color 1963 or 1964 Buick Electra 225 4-Door HardTop. Not enough is seen to determine which year Mallory's car is. I believe that the bulbous side mirror seen at 14:07 is the "remote-control outside rear view mirror" option S7 ($11.78) which was available on both the '63 & '64 cars (ref Gunnell p112 &115). The first Buick definitely identifiable as 1964 does not appear until Ep#201 so Mallory's is almost certainly still a '63.
  • (3) At 38:52 it's Perry's OLD 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 Sunliner top down, with the expired 1956-pattern YELLOW-plate Lic No XCF 015. This is another re-use of one of two Season 6 Hill Street Courthouse location-setters: this is the one with the line of traffic on Hill St and without Paul's TBird in the picture.

Background Cars. Cars (a)-(d) are in the opening shots as Katherine's taxi, Car(1), approaches the prison and pulls into visitors parking:

  • (a) (00:50) In the quarter-full San Quentin Prison outer parking lot, there's a 1959 Chevrolet station wagon at lower center-screen, dating this shot to no earlier than late 1958.
  • (b) (01:00) A light-colored 1949 or 1950 Ford passes through the gate as Katherine's taxi approaches.
  • (c) (01:02) As the 49/50 Ford approaches the taxi, a black 1950-1953 Cadillac Sedan is parked to the Right. At 1:03 the shot abruptly cuts to:
  • (d) At "Visitors Parking" Car(1) pulls up beside a medium-color 1962 Oldsmobile 88 2-Door HardTop. The unique front end, seen in a flash at 1:03 before Kathy's taxi blocks the view, has been described as having a "chin strap layered front bumper". The jet-age styling evolved from the '61 Olds but the doubled bumper was dropped for '63.
  • (11:54-11:56) In another view of the outer parking lot with a guard tower and the front entrance in the background, from L→R the cars are a 1960-61 Ford Falcon, 1960-61 Chevrolet Corvair, VW Beetle, '58 Ford, '49-'53 Chevy & a '56 Dodge.

In the shot at South Broadway & 7th Street (12:53-12:58):

  • (e) An Austin Healey Sprite Mk I, light body/black top up, approaches the camera. Commonly called the "BugEye Sprite", it was manufactured 1958-61. The less cute Mk II-IV Sprites were made until 1971.
  • (f) A light-colored 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner is ahead of the Sprite and exits Screen-Right during the fade-in.
  • (g) A medium-color 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 2-Door HardTop is driving northward through the intersection toward Sixth Street, counter to the Sprite. The 1963 Fords were introduced in late-Sept 1962.
  • (h) Way-behind the Sprite is a "New Look" transit bus picking up passengers. It's a 1961-1963 Flxible Model F2D6V401-1. It's not the similar GM New Look bus; compare here (L→R: an "Old Look" 1953-59 GM TDH-4512 , two Flxible New Looks & a GM New Look). Amongst other differences compared to the GM bus, note the flat windshield sections and wiper positions of this episode's bus.
  • (i) Looking further Northward to the next intersection (Broadway & 6th), a trolley bus can be seen crossing from L→R on 6th. It's an ACF-Brill T-46, T-44 or T-45. No trolley buses or streetcars remained in service in LA after 31 Mar 63 (see article The Trolley Bus in Los Angeles).

The Broadway & 7th view is immediately followed by a shot of Phillip approaching the pawn shop (12:58). The bottom of the screen is filled by a:

The location-setting shot for the offices of "Webber & Reed" at DVD 15:12 to 15:18 shows at least two recognizable cars, bottom-left:

As of 1 April 1963, streetcars and trolley buses were gone from Los Angeles streets. On the weekend of 30/31 March 1963, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority (LAMTA) ended use of electric-powered transit vehicles. All remaining streetcars and trolley buses were replaced by 200 "New Look" diesel buses. They were 100 Flxibles and 100 GM buses LAMTA had received in February '63 specifically for that purpose. These 200 buses made LAMTA's fleet of New Looks up to over 500, bought in stages since late 1959. The fleet was mixed at about half & half Flxible/GM because, although LAMTA preferred Flxible, the company was not able to supply the full numbers required (McKane, pp51-52). After the departure of the streetcars and trolley buses, LAMTA was left operating the 500+ New Looks plus 175 GM Old Look (25 TDH-5103 and 150 TDH-4801) buses, all diesel. See: LAMTA Bus Spectacular (Dodger Stadium 30/31 Mar 63, youtube 6:27) and this Nathan Masters article. Added by Gary Woloski, 7/23/14.

Phillip Pine played the genocidal Colonel Green in Star Trek's "Savage Curtain" opposite PM alums Barry Atwater/Prankish Professor (Vulcan Surak) & Lee Bergere/Murderous Mermaid (Abraham Lincoln). Raymond Burr was in the 1946 movie San Quentin [IMDb RB Filmography]. Mike Bedard 3.11.15.

Uncredited Actors: In the final scene, Don Anderson and an escort exit the elevator that Perry awaits to board. (Anderson was also a courtroom spectator.) Submitted by gracenote, 3/3/2011.

For several times in a row now, Lt. Tragg (Ray Collins) has only appeared in the credits. Submitted by gracenote, 3/3/2011.

Cold case / old case: Perry also solved the murder of David Reed - killed a year earlier. Submitted by H. Mason 9/27/14

Names: In episode 24 TCOT Deadly Double the murder victim was named David Reed and he had a wife named Helen. In this story the unseen murder victim was named David Reed with a wife named Helen. Submitted by H. Mason 3/9/15

Recycled newspapers: The newsman in Perry's office held a stack of newspapers with the partially visible headline: HEIRESS DEATH. That paper came from episode 185 TCOT Deadly Verdict. The paper Perry took to his desk was made for episode 182 TCOT Nebulous Nephew but not used in the story. It had the headline PATENT MEDICINE BABY LOSES STONE FORTUNE. The full front page can be seen in episode 204 TCOT Woeful Widower where it was supposed to be a New Orleans newspaper. Submitted by H. Mason 9/29/14

Address: Phillip Stewart's apartment was at 3506 Vista Haven #204. In episode 177 TCOT Elusive Element Austin Lloyd lived at the same address (no apartment number was given). Submitted by H. Mason 3/9/15

Banks: In court it was discovered that the Jakarta Diamond was in a safe deposit box at the Sherman Oaks Bank. That establishment paid $500,000 for the Volney Papers in episode 171 TCOT Two-Faced Turn-A-Bout. Submitted by H. Mason 3/9/15

Phillip Pine played the genocidal Colonel Green in Star Trek's "Savage Curtain" opposite PM alums Barry Atwater/Prankish Professor (Vulcan Surak) & Lee Bergere/Murderous Mermaid (Abraham Lincoln). Raymond Burr was in the 1946 movie San Quentin [IMDb RB Filmography]. Mike Bedard 3.11.15.

Hallway: For the first time there was a water fountain visible outside of Perry's private door. Submitted by H. Mason 3/9/15

Perry once again gets his coveted on-street parking space right in front of the courthouse! ;-> ...AND Goof: the white handkerchief in his left breast pocket as he walks up the stairs after parking, is not present when seen in court! Submitted by mesave31, 05/07/15.

This is the sixth of seven PM appearances for Douglas Dick. Among his many TV and film credits, he starred in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Rope alongside John Dall (also a PM alum), Farley Granger, and Jimmy Stewart. jfh 25Apr2018.

This is the last of four PM appearances for Marie Windsor, who made eight appearances on The Red Skelton Hour...MikeM. 12/28/2016

This is the only PM appearance for Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, who appeared in four episodes of "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet"...MikeM. 4/5/2017
+ And his brother, Jose Gonzalez Gonzalez, also appeared in one episode of PM. Submitted by catyron, May 26th, 2018
++ Pedro appeared in my favorite John Wayne movie as the hotelier Carlos, good friend and landlord of Wayne's character, in my favorite John Wayne Western, Rio Bravo. His brother Jose resembles him in both appearance and voice so closely that when Jose appeared in an earlier PM episode (TCOT Libelous Locket/#170) I thought it was "Carlos". OLEF641 6/19/21

This is the only PM appearance for Alvy Moore, who played the cabbie for the "Wednesday Woman". Alvy Moore is most remembered for his "Green Acres" 1960's CBS TV comedy role as kooky Hank Kimball, the local county agricultural agent who frequently visited Mr. and Mrs. Douglas. .... Bob61571 25 April 2018
Moore had a brief appearance in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” as one of the Olympic team gobsmacked by the sight of Dorothy and Lorelei boarding the ship to “Europe, France”. He also has the first line (after the opening narration) in the 1953 sci fi classic “War of the Worlds”. DOD 03/14/23

TCOT Rick-Rack Hat I do not have permission to edit the "Extras" Hats page at Path:/wiki/index.php/Extras/Hats but it is worth noting that the so-called "Rick-Rack Hat" worn by so many female characters in the series is here worn by Phyllis Hill as Mrs. Katherine Stewart -- and her picture should be added to that page. Submitted by catyron, May 26th, 2018

Comments Edit

When Philip Stuart attacked Mallory openly in public, it seemed a bit unrealistic. Anyone with a brain who had just done a year in San Quentin for murder would have learned how to keep his temper in check really quick or else face the consequences from the other inmates. Even though Philip Stuart was innocent of the murder of Mallory, he might still be sent back to prison anyway for violating his parole. A convicted felon in possession of a firearm is illegal in California (not sure when the law went into effect). Legally, he should have turned it over the minute he discovered it was still in his desk. Pretty hard to believe that gun would still be in his desk knowing what we know of the LAPD. Even voluntary manslaughter would have warranted a search of his workplace to make sure there was no premeditation. Submitted by DellaMason

South Broadway & 7th Street (12:55). From far to near (L→R), the business signs in the shot are:

Don't fail to notice the two sets of STREETCAR tracks running down the middle of Broadway (the little sports car is straddling one of the southbound rails)! Broadway had been the main streetcar corridor through the downtown LA core but in this episode there are no streetcars in sight; new diesel transit buses were replacing them.
      Note the two LAPD Traffic Division officers in the intersection, each wearing white cap & gloves just like the officer who helped Miles (Billy Mumy) in Ep#183. Also, a bit of one of the two KRKD radio towers atop the Arcade Building (one block North of the Palace Theater) can be seen directly upwards from the "new diesel transit bus". Here's a marked air photo of the area; move cursor for labels.
      See Seventh & Broadway: Photos of Downtown's Crossroads through the Decades by Nathan Masters. The streetview today: the façades & signs have mostly been preserved but the streetcar tracks are long gone! Added by Gary Woloski, 6/9/14.

Los Angeles Building Heights. The shot of the building exterior (DVD 15:12 to 15:18) sets the location for the offices of "Webber & Reed", presumably somewhere in Downtown LA. However, the film footage used here is of a location outside of the Greater Los Angeles area. Any search for this building in Los Angeles will be fruitless. Conclusive proof is given by the 1930s-era skyscraper to the Left and beyond the "Webber & Reed" building in the exterior shot. I count 30 visible upper stories and estimate 10-12 stories below that making this older building at least 40 stories in height, not counting the somewhat distinctive radio tower on its roof. This is more than triple the maximum building-height permitted in Los Angeles prior to 1957.
      It seems incredible now, but LA's tallest building from the late-1920s until the early 1960s was Los Angeles City Hall (built 1926-28, 28 stories, 454 feet), as illustrated by this 1954 photo of downtown LA. Compare the 1945 & 2014 skylines in this Nathan Masters photo article (2014). The absence of skyscrapers was due to the 1904 City of Los Angeles imposition of a 13-story/150-foot building height limit. The Los Angeles County government soon extended the height limit to include LA's neighboring cities. City Hall was exempted from the limit by a public vote prior to construction. It wasn't until after the law was rescinded in 1957 that taller buildings sprouted in Los Angeles. Read more about it in Nathan Masters' article L.A.'s Changing Skyline (2012).
      A bit of observation and research indicates that this episode's shot of the "Webber & Reed" building was probably filmed in the USA, but outside of California. Note these details:

  • The flag towards Screen Left appears to be the Stars & Stripes.
  • The latest cars in the shot are 1955 or '56 models, eg: there is a white/woody 1955 Ford Country Squire at the lower-Left.
  • The taxi passing the '55 Ford wagon is an exact match to this 1954 Checker A6 appearing in New York City scenes of the 1956 Columbia Pictures movie The Harder They Fall, right down to the 2-tone paint scheme and door markings.

            (This episode's shot does not appear in The Harder They Fall , 104 minute version at tubeplus.me, from which end-credits are deleted.)

Use a few key words from above to do an internet search for images matching the "Webber & Reed" building of this episode. It seems impossible but you'll find it quickly.
      The 12-floor elevator in this episode is, of course, perfectly in line with the pre-1957 LA building code. So is Perry's Brent Building (Downtown Standard Hotel) seen in many other episodes. If you noticed two Gargantuan Cylindrical Objects to the East (Right) of City Hall in some of the linked air photos and don't know what they are, see the Comments section of Ep#180. Added by Gary Woloski, 6/23/14.

Was anybody else expecting a reaction shot of Della when Perry and Katherine talked about her relationship with David Reed?
Perry: There was never anything between you and Reed?
Katherine: Only what grows between a man and his secretary in ten years......
She had another line then Paul spoke. Submitted by H. Mason 3/9/15

Marie Windsor steals the show, especially her performance on the witness stand. jfh 28Dec2016
+ Marie Windsor always steals the show!
After telling Perry and Della the results of his investigation, which involve a mysterious woman, a mysterious package, and a sailor at San Pedro, Della says it sounds like “...the plot of a thirty year old movie”. Could she be thinking of “Maltese Falcon”, which involves a mysterious woman, a mysterious package, and a sailor at San Pedro? DOD 03/14/23

David Reed's death echoes that of Horace Giddens in Lillian Hellman's "The Little Foxes". And why didn’t the fact that his heart medicine was missing come out in Philip Reed’s trial? DOD 01/28/20

Spoiler Warning! Do Not Read Below If You Have Not Seen The Episode

Justice IS blind Although it probably doesn't rise - or is it fall ?? - to the level of "goof", it's hard to believe that not one of the three (or more) people waiting for the elevator in the lobby, including of course our usually eagle-eyed jurist, noticed the elevator had stopped at the ninth floor...particularly after they had already been held-up by a lengthy "emergency" stop before that. Submitted by Notcom, 121715.
+ When Perry and the 2 women walked to the lobby's elevator doors (28:37 on the 2012 Paramount DVD) the elevator had just passed the 9th floor on its way down to the lobby. So none of them had arrived in time to see that the elevator had stopped at the 9th floor or had previously been stopped above the 9th floor. Complicating matters, Lt. Anderson testified in court (32:16) that "Nobody saw it stop on the way down." When Perry announced, out of the blue, in court that the elevator had stopped at the 9th floor, he likely surmised that, because the murderer had had an appointment on the 9th floor, the murderer must have taken advantage of the elevator doors opening there. If only the murderer had kept quiet in court... lowercase masonite, 3/18/16.
++ Having just watched the scene again - carefully!! - I can confirm lcm 's account (above) is correct: Perry et al. do indeed arrive just after the car has made it's fatal stop, and as it's beginning its descent...we're even given a closeup of the indicator lights to emphasize the point. But this just points out the absurdity of Burger's claim that "nobody saw it stop" somehow constitutes proof; although in this case someone can prove something didn't happen, but only if they were staring at the lights for the entire duration of the trip..in which case they would have to notice a pause. Yet perhaps we shouldn't blame Hamilton, but rather the writers, for trying too hard to avoid a spoiler: as he would thunder out, "they deliberately tried to trick us!!" Amended by Notcom, 032416.

During the closing scene, why is the elevator button for the 10th floor illuminated? Didn't Perry press only the button for the 9th floor? And, after the door opens on the 9th floor, the 1st floor button is illuminated. I didn't see Perry press it. If Perry is reconstructing the crime scene, no one in the elevator (especially the dead man) or the murderer pressed the 1st floor button. Otto Gervaert, 2/10/21.
+ I seem to recall that on some elevators, if someone pushed the "call" button on a floor, the corresponding floor's button inside the elevator would light up so the people on board would know about stops the elevator would be making. OLEF641 6/25/21

Did I miss something? What was hidden in the music box?
--The insurance man had Phillip pick up the music box from the pawn shop in a trick to try to get the real thief to reveal himself. So nothing was in the music box--and Phillip knew that so why did he break it open? (Although now I wonder who ransacked his apartment looking for the diamond. Maybe I missed that part or it was cut from they syndicated version I saw.) --yelocab 02APR18
+ I think Phillip opened the music box to remove the small package that the real thief was supposed to think held the diamonds. All part of Mallory's complicated plot! And his apartment was ransacked by Ormesby, as stated by Joyce Hadley. Submitted by JazzBaby, 4/20/2019.

The glorious Marie Windsor has been victim, suspect, and killer in various episodes. Any list of other actors with this trifecta? DOD 01/28/20
+ Would you be surprised to find out there is?? Probably not, though maybe the size of the list is surprising (And techically speaking the trifecta is DMV - DefendantMurdererVictim - since "suspect" is a little amorphous..nothing amorphous about Marie Windsor's ability though !!) Notcom, 013120.

TCOT Hideous Humans As so often happens, we are faced with a truly ghastly group of people in this episode, from the first dead man, David Reed, to the current victim, Mallory. The murderer, Helen Reed, is psychopathically cold, framing one man for both her crimes, but the greedy, lying mistress, Joyce Hadley, and her sleazy, sexually abusive blackmailer, Ormesby, are scarcely better. In fact, I think Ormesby is about the most horrible chatacter ever seen on PM, and definitely the worst of the many creeps Douglas Dick played. His blackmailing Joyce into sex was so shocking, I am surprised the writers got away with it. I hope he went to prison! Submitted by JazzBaby, 4/20/2019.

Does Mallory’s plot to catch the real jewel thief make any sense whatsoever? It’s certainly convoluted enough, but the bottom line is that the real jewel thief would know that Stewart does not have the diamond. So, how exactly is that person supposed to be caught? Furthermore, it seems that Mallory just did some old-fashioned detective work to discover who the real diamond thief was. No need for any complicated scheme once you rule out Stewart having it or the diamond itself being sent to Hong Kong. Submitted by Kenmore 09/28/2023.

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