Show210
Uncredited Actors: Phillip Ober also appears uncredited as Adrian Hodge, Sumner’s brother. Posted by daveb, 7/3/2009.
+ Incidentally, Ober was the third husband of Vivian Vance (Ethel Mertz on I Love Lucy). Submitted by gracenote, 8/19/2011.
Ober had a brief but key role as Lester Townsend, whose assassination in “North by Northwest” triggers Cary Grant’s cross country dash. DOD 03/04/21
++ Double Duty: Mentioned above P. Ober also played the part of Adrian Hodge. This was at least the fourth time a credited actor played two completely different people in the same story. See episodes: 50 (Maurice Manson), 130 (Frank Cady) and 171 (Hugh O'Brian). Raymond Burr will get his chance to do the same in episode 267. Submitted by H. Mason 4/2/15
Character actor sighting: Note the character actor Tom Fadden (as Cooper). He helps an angry Sumner Hodge get his car. Fadden appeared in the Christmas movie classic "It's a Wonderful Life," as the bridge tollkeeper. Fadden reacts in amazement as Clarence the angel chats with a disbelieving George Bailey as both dry off from a dunking in the frigid river. Submitted by Traggster 2-22-18
Location: A shot of Malibou Lake appears in this episode. Reported by Charles Richmond, 7/3/2009. Read more about this lake at The Lakes.
+ The hair pin turns that do in Sumner Hodge at the 22-minute mark are on Mulholland Highway just a couple miles away from Malibou Lake as he approached Las Virgines Road. They are pretty tricky even when you do have brake fluid. And at the 35-minute mark Perry scores again with a one-in-a-millon parking spot at 111 N. Hill right in front of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Submitted by Eric Cooper, 9 August 2011.
++ Dramatic footage through the windshield of the car as it plummets over the precipice. jfh 19Jan2017.
Phone Numbers: The day of the murder Della Street reports with dismay that Sumner Hodge is unavailable because he is in seclusion at Lake Genado and his housekeeper will not release the phone number; yet a couple hours later Perry tells Della to call the cabin at Lake Genado, and she puts the call right through, without even looking it up. Submitted by cspoleta, 15 April 20116
+ IMHO Della calls the Hodge residence again, apparently successful this time in convincing the maid to divulge the number to the cabin. jfh 19Jan2017.
Pat Priest makes her first of two appearances on Perry here as Miss Young. This same year, Ms. Priest would replace Beverly Owen as Marilyn Munster, her most famous role, on the CBS sitcom The Munsters. Submitted by PaulDrake 33, 29 September 2009.
Sightings: In the back row of the courtroom gallery, Distinguished Gentleman #1 and Little Old Lady #1 sit together. She turns to him as if to whisper during a surprising moment. Pencil Mustache Man, in the front row, appears rather detached from the situation. Quiet Old Man #1 is there, too, but blurry. More here. Submitted by gracenote, 3/22/2011.
+ Earlier, While young Con sings to his love at the Lone Pine Club, the aforementioned Gentleman sits at a table in the background, engrossed in conversation. Submitted by gracenote, 8/18/2011.
Uncredited Actors: Guarding the house by the lake is a deputy sheriff played by Don Anderson. Interestingly, the camera lingers a long time on the deputy as he and Jack Talley (Lonny Chapman) eye each other. Anderson looks like he’s going to speak, but doesn’t. Later, Talley even barks an order at the deputy!! Submitted by gracenote, 3/22/2011.
That’s right, kids! Our singing, guitar-wielding defendant (Paul Carr) also appeared once (and only once) as Lt. Lee Kelso on Star Trek, in the so-called “second pilot” (but third broadcast episode) called “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Submitted by gracenote, 3/22/2011. More Trek Alumni can be found here.
+ The song our man Con sings is ”The Riddle Song“—an English folk song. Submitted by gracenote, 8/18/2011.
Called "I Gave My Love", "The Riddle Song" was sung by Disney's Davy Crockett, Fess Parker, and was the "B" side of "The Ballad of Davy Crockett from 1955 during the Davy Crockett craze. Joe B. 11/25/19
++ And at the end, Con sings "This Train," the version written by Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey and recorded on the first "Peter, Paul, and Mary" album in May 1962.- Submitted by 10yearoldfan, 28 September 2014.
+++ "This Train" was not "written by" Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey. Their version was a "cover," a 1950s-60s term to indicate a song recorded by White people to render acceptable to White audiences a song that was actually originated by a Black performer. One of Rosetta Tharp's live versions is here
++++Exactly! My personal fave version, from the album Louis Armstrong and the Good Book. https://youtu.be/gzxiroxqzbo Submitted by JazzBaby, 5/8/2019.
+++++If only John Belushi had been around to smash that guy's guitar as he did in "Animal House" to another pretentious folkie singing that same song. Submitted by VladEstragon, 5/13/20.
++++++Lots of hostility toward inauthentic folk singers here, it seems. My beef is not about his misappropriation. He’s just a bad singer and a worse guitarist. Submitted by Wick 3/21/2022.
Purloined Pocket: When Perry works his usual magic parking in front of the courthouse his suit coat holds a pocket square (30:15 on the DVD), but by the time of the hearing not only has the pocket square disappeared, but the pocket seems to be gone too. JohnK, 3 November 2015
Props: At approximately 5:00, Mona Hodge grinds her heel into a smashed photograph of Sumner Hodge (Philip Ober). This same photograph (then representing Ralph Davis and in a different frame) was smashed by Mary K. Davis earlier in the series, in Episode #30 TCOT Screaming Woman. Submitted by Dan K, 1/1/16.
This is the second of two PM appearances for Natalie Trundy who, according to Wikipedia, has been married five times...MikeM. 1/19/2017
This is the only PM appearance for prolific character actor Lonny Chapman, who was married to his wife Emma from 1944 until his death in 2007...MikeM. 1/25/2018
This is the fifth of seven PM appearances (all in judging roles) for Barney Biro, who was born Barnet Wolf Biro. In his final two PM appearances, Biro was credited as Frank Biro...MikeM. 5/31/2018