Show189
Location (1): The bridge about 25 minutes into the episode is the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro. Submitted by Eric Cooper 25 June 10.
+ This bridge is also seen in #202, TCOT Arrogant Arsonist. Some pictures and more information can be found here. Submitted by daveb, 1/25/11.
++ Insofar as the setting is supposed to be San Francisco, this might be considered a goof, although perhaps the producers felt it looked enough like the Bay Bridge that viewers would be fooled. Submitted by Notcom, 033017.
+++ And at 23:00 The Golden Gate Bridge is suddenly cut in. Submitted by catyron, May 22nd, 2018
++++ After watching the episode last night, I feel sure that both the bridges shown were SF ones. The earlier views were of the Bay Bridge -- Vincent Thomas isn't very long and the shots I saw showed the concrete buttress(??) between the two suspension sections of the Bay Bridge. The studio used a lot of stock footage in this episode; the scene of Paul and the Customs officer with the Bay Bridge in the background was shot in a rear projection studio. Later, another stock shot, this time of the Golden Gate Bridge with SF in the background, is used to indicate the ship entering the Bay after its trans-Pacific voyage. OLEF641 6/18/21
Location (2): The opening scene at 01:21 is titled "Hong Kong" and features a night street with neon signs in Chinese characters and Latin alphabet letters. The ones in Latin alphabet letters are:
- Lung Hwa Lou / Restaurant
- Mido / Sun Ya Huye
Submitted by catyron, May 22nd, 2018
Uncredited Actors: The customs official inspecting Mr. Tyrell’s baggage is none other than Don Anderson. He looks like he really wants to say something to him, but can’t. Submitted by gracenote, 2/22/2011.
+ As Iverson leaves the ship’s lounge, we can Bert Stevens sitting at a back table with some friends. Submitted by gracenote, 7/29/2011.
Sightings: Several favorite frequent faces appear in the courtroom gallery: Quiet Old Man #1, “Miss Carmody”, Pencil Mustache Man (in the far the corner), and the beloved Little Old Lady #1. And who are they, you may well ask. Submitted by gracenote, 2/22/2011.
+ Look closely. In a wide shot of the inspections area, a bespectacled man holding a brunette woman’s arm walks past a sign pointing to the information booth. That man is Distinguished Gentleman #1.
++ Little Old Lady not only made the trip to San Francisco, she treated herself to a new hat. DOD 01/21/20
+++ It is my fond hope that eventually all of the Perry Mason appearances by Rudolph "Rudy" Salinger a.k.a. D.G. #1 will be compiled and submitted as "Uncredited" roles at IMDb. Submitted by catyron, August 13th, 2021.
Character Names: Lorraine's last name is "Iverson"; Wendel's title is "Customs Inspector" [unsigned]
TCOT Curious Coffee Set: Mr. Iverson, Ms. Culpepper, and Ms. Eng drink from the Curious Coffee Set on board the S.S. Ione. Then magically, the Set reappears at the Iversons’ home. How curious! Submitted by gracenote, 2/22/2011.
Lt. Tragg (Ray Collins) does not appear despite being billed. Submitted by gracenote, 2/22/2011.
CARS. As Lorraine & Ralph Iverson leave the Steam Ship terminal at 24:57, they're about to board Car(1) when Ralph sees Cars (2) and (a):
- (1) a yellow 1963 Ford Galaxie 4-Door Sedan TAXI. The '63 Galaxie grill fills the bottom of the screen.
- (2) a black 1963 Buick LeSabre 4-Door Sedan Lic No QCV 007 with cornering lamp option. Frank Chowen is passenger with another shady character driving. This was Lt Anderson's cruiser in episodes 185 & 187.
Background Cars. Parked behind Car (2):
- (a) a medium-color 1963 Buick Electra 225 4-Door HardTop.
Setting location for the court scenes, at 32:37 we see San Francisco's HALL OF JUSTICE with
- (b) a 1959 Plymouth Savoy 4-Door Sedan Yellow Cab Co taxi #140(?) waiting, parked at roadside beneath the City & County Seal.
At 25:01 compare Cars (2) & (a) to reveal the differences. The models they could be are listed here under "LeSabre" and "Electra 225". Car(2) has three venti-ports (=LeSabre), a definite B-pillar (so it's a Sedan) and the upper-aft corner of the rear window is curved. Car(a) has more venti-ports [four, so it's an Electra 225] and the upper-aft corner of the rear window has a definite notch or sharp bend (=HardTop). The buicks.net link notes that almost 65,000 copies of Car(2) were made, yet today there are few internet photos of it. Is the car too boring to photograph or did they all get driven into the ground? Added by Gary Woloski, 3/2/14.
Bill Zuckert Judged 4 Perrys, Captained 2 Columbos, Sheriffed an OK Corral Star Trek & Police Commissionered a Quincy, M. E. [IMDb]. Mike Bedard 3.3.15.
+ Actor Bill Zuckert was also a judge in two cases outside of Los Angeles in his previous appearances. (see episodes 146 and 167). Added by H. Mason 3/4/15
Dialogue: I counted no less than TEN instances of a character saying “Excuse me” in this episode. (I am including Gilbert Tyrell’s “Excusez-moi, madame” when recognized by Agatha Culpepper, as he is first boarding the ship.) Submitted by Dan K., 1/27/16.
Another glimpse of Perry-at-home, although it's actually Perry-in-his-hotel-room. jfh 27Dec2017
This is the only PM directing credit for Don Weis, who directed numerous television shows including 57 episodes of Ironside...MikeM. 12/21/2016
The actress who played Juli Eng (which would have been spelled 'Ng' if she was from HK), Irene Tsu, played the lead in Flower Drum Song in 1961; later she played the mother of Harry Kim on ST:Voyager 50 years later (April 2001). Submitted by Lazarus0, 03/31/2016.
+ This is the only PM appearance for Irene Tsu, who also appeared in a single episode of Ironside...MikeM. 12/21/2016
She was 18 at the time. The final scene where she says, "You know something Miss Street? I'm really crazy about lawyers", then Perry's grin, really caps off a great episode. Joe B. 02/12/2020
++ Back in those less sophisticated days, a lot of people whose surname was properly "Ng" added the initial "E" to give "Eng" -- a lot easier to know how to pronounce for those they interacted with. We used to have a doctor's office nearby where the doctors were husband and wife, and so presumably had the same surname. He, in business longer, spelled their name Eng; she, having come later into the public eye, spelled it Ng. OLEF641 6/18/21
James Hong also appeared in "Flower Drum Song" in 1961; He is best known for playing the role of Khan, Evelyn's Butler, in "Chinatown" in 1974 and the role of David Lo Pan in "Big Trouble in Little China" in 1986. This is his second of 2 PM appearances; the first was as Dean Chang in TCOT Weary Watchdog, Episode 162. Submitted by catyron, May 22nd, 2018
This is the only PM appearance for prolific actor Richard Loo, who was born in Maui in 1903. Richard Loo, here playing "Mr. Eng," was the similarly-named "Mr. Heng" in Joseph Mankiewicz's 1958 version of The Quiet American, which starred Michael Redgrave, with Audie Murphy in the title role...MikeM. 4/18/2018
+ Richard Loo played several characters in 6 episodes of "Kung Fu," but did not have a regular recurring role. Submitted by catyron, May 22nd, 2018
Dale Ishimoto appeared in 3 episodes of "Kung Fu," but did not have a regular recurring role. Submitted by catyron, May 22nd, 2018
This is the third of four PM appearances for Gertrude Flynn, who started appearing on Broadway in 1929...MikeM. 3/29/2017
This is the 1st of 2 PM appearances for Joyce Jameson. One of Jameson's more memorable TV roles was in the recurring role of "Skippy", one of the 2 "Fun Girls" on "The Andy Griffith Show". The 2 Fun Girls would drop by Mayberry and double date Barney Fife and Andy Taylor. Skippy would frequently laugh at Barney, and excitedly exclaim "Oh, Bernie!". Per Wikipedia, Jameson was the longtime girlfriend of actor Robert Vaughn. Joyce Jameson tragically committed suicide at age 54 in 1987. ...Bob61571.. 18 April 2018
This episode originally aired on Thursday, 21 November 1963, the evening before JFK was killed in Dallas...MikeM. 12/21/2016
+ When Gilbert Tyrell is asked if he's an American he responds, "Nope. Texan." jfh 27Dec2017.
++ And what is wrong with that?! OLEF641 (whose mom was a proud Texan) 6/18/21
+++ Oh, let me add to my original comment, "Spoken like a true Texan!" jfh (who also is a proud Texan) 18Feb2022
TCOT Parallel Prosecutor I've offered comment here a number of times about the show's remarakable ability to find actors who looked alike, this episode offers a twist: actors who sound alike...close your eyes, adjust your ears and you may well think you're listening to William Talman. Whether Walter Brooke was making a conscious effort at imitation, or it just happened to be his normal manner of speaking, I can't say. Notcom 071823.