Show5
CARS: 1957 Ford Skyliner retractable, black (Mason), 1957 Thunderbird, black, top down (Drake), 1957 Mercury 4dr hardtop, 2-tone (Burger)*, 1957 Imperial convertible, white, top down, 1957 Lincoln, 4dr sedan, black. From The Cars by Greg Cockerill.
+ Check out the long fender skirts on that 4 door hardtop Turnpike Cruiser with the Breezeway power rear window and the twin jet air intakes! This episode also featured two 1957 Lincoln Premiere 4 door sedans, one driven by Judge Purley and one used in Burger's "exact conditions" test. Submitted by oldgray on 2/27/2014.
++ Is this the ONLY Perry in which we see BURGER's Car?
"The fullsize Mercury was redesigned for 1957 and grew considerably larger as well, riding on an exclusive 122 in wheelbase. A new frame design allowed a lower floor which made the car look lower & longer. Interior features included a front seat track stop (to keep the front seat from breaking loose), a new design for the safety steering wheel, a new radio & memory power front seats" observes
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_Monterey. Mike Bedard 8.11.2017
+ We also see BURGER's Car in ep#83 TCOT Prudent Prosecutor (a '59 Buick LeSabre 2dr Sedan). You can get a partial list of episodes in which Burger (or Della) are seen driving a car by entering "burger drives" into the Wiki Search box in the Left SideBar (or same for Della, with the quotes but not case sensitive). This trick is dependent on the author of the item remembering to write it using those exact words. For another rarely-seen happening try "Perry walks" (it doesn't work quite as well as Burger or Della driving). Added by Gary Woloski, 8/11/17.
Perry's car is back to the Skyliner in this episode enforcing the fact others on this site mention that these beginning episodes were filmed in a different order than shown chronologically. Submitted by HamBurger, 9/13/2020
Perry's hat: When Perry leaves the Norton house, he's handed his hat; he doesn't put it on, he simply carries it in his hand. IMHO his hair is too attractive to obscure with a hat. jfh 20Apr2017.
In the scene where Crinston and Judge Purley pull up to Norton's house at 11:06 PM, it seems to be daylight. In fact several of the trees are casting shadows. Submitted by PaulDrake33, 6/17/2008.
+ A lot of programs frequently shot "day for night," using a filter to darken a daylight scene rather than spending the extra money on the lighting and crew overtime needed for a night shoot. The shadows are a giveaway, though. Submitted by VladimirEstragon, 9 Sept 2020.
We see Paul's office. On the desk there is a framed caricature of Dick Tracy. Written on the caricature are the words “Paul Drake — With our best wishes” The caricature is signed by Chester Gould, the creator of Dick Tracy. A much better shot of the caricature can be viewed in episode #62, “TCOT Howling Dog.” Submitted by PaulDrake33, 6/17/2008.
+ The Dick Tracy caricature can also be seen 17 minutes in Episode #33. Submitted by Eric Cooper, 12 January 2011.
++ Also in #20 Lonely Heiress, in an early scene in Paul Drake's office (with Lacey and then Paul's secretary), you can see a framed drawing of Dick Tracy on his desk. Submitted by mesave31, 04/16/15.
Location: PaulDrake33 notes that the house seen in #37, “TCOT Black Eyed Blonde,” is the same house used in this episode. Posted by daveb, 6/17/2008. Pictures here.
Location: There's a nice establishing shot of Parker Center, the LAPD headquarters. Picture here.
+ There is no way a police headquarters--or any government building--would be built like that today. What a tempting target for a truck bomber. Submitted by 65tosspowertrap, 3-11-2014.
The (shooting?) script for this episode was dated 16 May 1957. At least 6 other scripts were dated earlier. This episode was probably no earlier than the 7th filmed. There was about a 5-month lag between filming and broadcast. Submitted by billp, 3 November 2009.
+ One clue of this is stated in the "CARS" section above that I made with regard to Perry's car bouncing between the Skyliner and the Cadillac. Submitted by HamBurger, 9/13/2020
Sightings: Blue Collar Guy appears as the gardener. More about him and other frequently-seen people here. Submitted by alan_sings, 9/26/2010.
+ Seen exiting the courtroom are both Distinguished Lady #2 and Distinguished Gentleman #1. They are later both seen sitting in the courtroom. Submitted by evelyn1, 2/5/2011.
++ (Also Continuity Error:) What's more, the aforementioned Gentleman preforms an amazing feat of magic. On the very first shot of the courtroom, we see the back of his head the jury box. Then, hey presto, he's in the gallery. Two cuts later, back in the jury box. Submitted by gracenote, 8/24/2011.
Uncredited Actors: Don Anderson makes his fourth Mason appearance as the bailiff at the door of the courtroom, another frequent role. Submitted by FredK, 30 September 2010.
+ Lee Miller shows up as a courtroom spectator, sitting right behind Crinston. Submitted by gracenote, 8/24/2011.
Character Names: Norton's first name is Edward. Submitted by gracenote, 8/24/2011.
The license plate on Paul Drake's car was KGF 760. Lt. Tragg said it was LTZ 413. Submitted by H. Mason 9/24/14
Viewers will remember William Schallert as "Patty Duke's" dad on The Patty Duke Show. - Submitted by HamBurger 09/26/2014
+ William has 369 Actor credits (!), including FDR advisor Harry Hopkins in "War & Remembrance"; IMDB describes his father Edwin as "Drama Editor of the LA Times & Dean of the West Coast critics." Mike Bedard 3.25.15
++My wife and I always enjoy seeing Schallert in one of his myriad roles, but we always call out, “Patty Duke’s dad”, no matter what it is. It’s become a running joke between us. Submitted by Rickapolis 06/21/22
Lilian Bronson appeared in 4 Perrys: TCOT Sulky Girl ('57, Non-Judge) + Corresponding Corpse ('58), Shattered Dream ('59) & Clumsy Clown ('60) as Judges [IMDb]. Mike Bedard 3.7.15.
Brent Building: The first use of an establishing shot for the structure. Where are the balconies? Submitted by H. Mason 9/30/14
Fifth Time Lucky It took awhile - if you're counting on your hand you're up to the thumb by now - but we finally have an episode whose plot doesn't involve an unhappily married couple. And for those who are wondering: no, this disharmony doesn't reflect ESG's personal experience....his marriage lasted 56 years (happily, one assumes). Submitted by Notcom, Le Quatorze Juillet, Deux Mille Seize
+ Sadly, not so. ESG and his wife separated in the early 1930s, perhaps due to his interest in Jean Bethell, who became his secretary in 1930, and whom he married the same year his wife died, 1968. Presumably, someone in the triangle did not believe in divorce, but it explains his fascination with fictional divorces when it was not common in real life. Submitted by JazzBaby, 7/1/2019.
++ Interesting! One wonders if this didn't - perhaps subconsciously - shape his characterization of Della: a perfect (more than) secretary which he could never have; of course there was nothing, other than a sense of professionalism, preventing Perry and Della from becoming attached, but here art seemed to imitate life. Replied by Notcom, 070119.
ESG: "The Case of the Sulky Girl" is Perry Mason novel # 2, published in 1933. Submitted by catyron 11/4/2017
This is the only PM appearance for Olive Sturgis who, like Raymond Burr, was born in British Columbia, Canada. In every other role listed on Olive's IMDb Filmography, she was billed by her birth name of Olive STURGESS...MikeM. 4/26/2018
Kind of a shame she didn't get cast in more episodes...her performance is enjoyable! Especially when she enters Perry's office to tell him about a murder! Just the way she says it! ...MikeReese 11/6/2023
This is the 1st of 8 PM Judge appearances for Frank Wilcox. You most likely remember him from "The Beverly Hillbillies" as Mr. John Brewster, of Tulsa Oklahoma's OK Oil Company. Brewster's OK Oil purchased Jed Clampett's oil rights. Per Wikipedia, Wilcox was the best man for actor George Reeves(of Superman fame). They had known each other since they were struggling actors at the Pasadena Community Playhouse. ... Bob61571, 26 April 2018
There are a couple of factual howlers in the "Report on Edward Norton" shown about a quarter of the way in. The height of the Associated Oil Building is given as "fifteen stories". The height restriction effective in Downtown Los Angeles (to effectively 13 stories, due to concerns about earthquakes) had only been lifted the year this episode was made, so unless the building was brand new, this is a mistake, albeit a rather minor one. The bigger howler is the address given: 8977 Broadway. This is hardly in "the downtown business area of Los Angeles"; that address is nearly ten miles south of downtown. OLEF641 6/21/21
The $67,585 value of the securities sold for Edward Norton by Mr. Crinston would be over $650,000 in 2021 money. OLEF641 11/9/21