Show16
CARS: 1957 Cadillac convertible, black w/ black & white int., top down (Mason), Late 50s Austin-Healey 100-6, top down. From The Cars by Greg Cockerill.
+ The Austin-Healey 100 being driven by Nadine's boyfriend John, then disappearing around the corner. Seconds later Perry and Della depart the scene. GW, 10 Apr 2012.
Being obviously driven on the studio lot. Apparently they didn't trust him to avoid that delivery truck on a real street. And why would there be such large block buildings next to a strip-mall grocery store? Pretty lazy, right? cgraul 7.29.2016.
+ John Locke has, among other things, a loaf of Wonder bread in one of his grocery sacks. jfh 17Sep2018
It may be a miracle, but Paul turns down food. When Perry and Della are busy preparing a celebratory dinner—for two if the table service is correct—Paul shows no interest in what’s being prepared. He must have been sick or worried about Perry’s hijinks….Submitted by Dedra Kaye, 3/21/2008.
+ LOL!!! But on the MeTV version, Perry is cramming a hot dog and does not move "at all" when the kid who finds the bottle in the lake screams to him that he found it! ;-> Submitted by mesave31, 04/10/15.
++ Perry's Apartment: Della and Perry are preparing their celebratory dinner at Perry's place. jfh 11May2018
Perry is wearing in a VERY light colored suit when visiting Lester Newburn and discussing the "other bottle" (and also Marian comes in). It just stood out, so I had to add this! ;-> Submitted by mesave31, 04/10/15.
Sightings: Distinguished Gentleman #1 is the court reporter. Submitted by BigBill767, Nov 11, 2016
Continuity: In the courtroom scene near the end, Perry picks up the pen holder containing the buckshot from off the Judge’s desk to examine it. While Perry is holding the pen holder the camera cuts to a shot of the Judge and the pen holder has magically re-appeared on the Judge’s desk. Next shot is of Perry and he is still holding the pen holder. Submitted by PaulDrake33, 5/27/2008.
Double Duty: As Perry drives his Eldorado into Logan City, he takes out his handkerchief and mops up some perspiration. How hot was it? It was so hot that in the next shot it’s actually Lee Miller behind the wheel. Submitted by Francis, 1/8/2012.
+ The scene a few seconds after Perry mops his brow. Is that the back of Burr's or Miller's head in the Caddy? GW, 10 Apr 2012.
++ It looks like Miller to me driving the Caddy. Submitted by Perry Baby 11/18/14.
In jail, Perry asks Nadine "You still believe you could have inherited that 'bad seed'? In the 1956 film version of the novel The Bad Seed concerning the same subject matter, William Hopper portrayed the father of the title character. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 7/05/12.
In the closing credits, only the names of the teleplay writers (Ben Brady and Richard Grey) are completely capitalized. All other names, including Raymond Burr, use lower-case letters as well. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 7/05/12.
Not sure of the exact technology of the day, but I assume the main cast had a standard card that was used to create the credits (no need to re-create it for every episode), and the one for the writers, directors and cast had to be created for each episode. Some typesetter didn't check and put the writer's names in all caps. --yelocab 29OCT19
Other cast appearances: Joe Mell appeared in the first Star Trek pilot (in a scene with Jeffrey Hunter as Capt. Christopher Pike) and also in The Twilight Zone episode "Dead Man's Shoes." Barry Atwater got to wear pointy ears on Star Trek playing Vulcan Surak in "The Savage Curtain" and also appeared on The Twilight Zone in "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street." He also played a vampire in the original The Night Stalker TV-Movie. Christine White played William Shatner's wife on The Twilight Zone in "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 7/05/12.
+ "Joseph Mell had an Uncredited role as a Trader in TOS: 'The Cage.' He filmed his scenes on Dec. 4, 1964 at Desilu Culver Stage 15," en.memory-alpha.org/wiki states. Mike Bedard 4.10.15
++ The person in the Twilight Zone episode "What You Need" was Ernest Truex, and *not* Joseph Mell. However, Joseph Mell portrayed Dave the florist on the Father Knows Best episode "Betty Hates Carter".
According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (circa 1969), the product saccharin is spelled without an e at the end. Saccharine, an adjective, means "Of, relating to, or of the nature of sugar or saccharin; sweet" or "Having a cloyingly sweet attitute, tone or character." Saccharine is pronounced the same as saccharin or with a long i sound in the last syllable. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 7/06/12.
Syndication cuts: Nadine in the hospital taping her confession; Lt. Tragg waiting at Mason's and taking the tape and recorder from Della [Gertie is completely cut out of this episode]; Mason throwing stones into a pond [a fact referrenced by Paul later], offering a boy and girl $5 to find a bottle, buying a hot dog and being recognized by the stand owner; Perry wiping his brow on the drive to Logan City [see Double Duty above]; Burger's remarks to the jury. Additional Hallmark cuts: The conversation between Marion and Lester after she says "Please, Lester, I just can't take anymore."; Dr. Locke's entire testimony; the judge warning the jury not to discuss the case and the jury leaving [in the original, the judge's line "The jury will be excused while the court considers this objection" is shown with a close-up on the judge; in the Hallmark version, the line is dubbed over a long shot showing the jury and the scene ends and fades out.] Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 7/06/12.
This is the second episode (so far) that features a young woman butting heads with her evil uncle over marriage. The first was Ep#5. Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 3/27/14.
"TCOT Demure Defendant" Bookcover appears in the "Perry Mason Wikipedia" article. Mike Bedard 4.11.15 (it's hanging on my wall beneath my Perry Mason switchplate).
Right after Lester and Marian are talking with Uncle Martin upstairs they come down to the kitchen. Marian is shown next to the stove, fiddling with/sniffing the two bottles (saccharine & cyanide). To the viewer this is a strong "set-up" making it look as if she is planning to poison Uncle Martin. In the final court-room scene Marian screams, "I didn't do it -- I didn't do it" (poison Martin). The kitchen/court-room scene is central to this episode and is very well presented.
When Arthur dives in to find the bottle he puts his goggles on. But soon as he hits the water they fall down around his neck. He swims on like a trooper, though. Submitted by Kilo 3/6/2018.
Without goggles, it's hard to see clearly underwater--even in a crystal-clear pool. With googles, in a pool, I can see clearly several lanes over. Without googles, everything is blurry. It would be hard to find a bottle in a lake without goggles. --yelocab 29OCT19
+ This reminds me of the drown-proofing class I took in college. One of the tests was to read a word written on the bottom of the pool without benefit of a mask. The trick was to place a bubble in the corner of your eye as you were looking down at the word. The bubble acted as a lens making the word clearly legible. Kilo 8/22/2022.
> Or even with them: sub-surface vision in the clear, filtered water of a light colored pool is one thing, in the murky water of a mud-bottomed lake is quiet another; much of the searching would be by feel rather than sight and I submit that without a more precise idea of the location, finding a small plastic bottle would be virtually impossible. Notcom, 102020.
+++ A petty quibble, but in 1958 the bottle almost certainly would have been glass. Also, in the scene where the boy and Susie are bobbing up and down after the bottle his goggles are back where they belong. OLEF641 10/20/2020
This is the first of two PM appearances for Fay Baker, who made the LA Times bestseller list with a novel under the pen name Beth Holmes. Using her own name, Baker wrote a memoir describing her battle with breast cancer...MikeM. 5/11/2018