The Case of the Final Fade-Out (22 May 1966)

Producer Jackson Sidemark has a hit TV series. Unfortunately, his star Barry Conrad tells him he won't be doing another season, after Sidemark is already on the hook for numerous ... See full summary »

Director:

Jesse Hibbs

Writers:

Ernie Frankel, Erle Stanley Gardner (characters created by),

Stars:

Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Raymond Burr	...	Perry Mason
Barbara Hale	...	Della Street
William Hopper	...	Paul Drake
William Talman	...	Hamilton Burger
Richard Anderson	...	Lt. Steve Drumm
James Stacy	...	Barry Conrad
Estelle Winwood	...	Winifred Glover
Jackie Coogan	...	Pete Desmond
Denver Pyle	...	Jackson Sidemark
Dick Clark	...	Leif Early
Gerald Mohr	...	Andy Rubin
Marlyn Mason	...	Erna Landry
Kenneth MacDonald	...	Judge #1
William Tannen	...	Frank - Studio Guard
Margaret Shinn	...	Starlet #1

Storyline

Producer Jackson Sidemark has a hit TV series. Unfortunately, his star Barry Conrad tells him he won't be doing another season, after Sidemark is already on the hook for numerous contractual obligations. Conrad stabs others in the back too, like the former star who gave him his start, and the writer of Sidemark's show. There's little surprise when a murder occurs, but nothing goes as expected after that. There's perjury, dismissal of charges, and accusations from Burger of Perry's misconduct. After a second murder, Perry has a new client, and must solve both cases to get at the truth. He's helped and hindered by a cast of both familiar TV faces and members of the "Perry Mason" crew in bit parts, plus Perry's creator Erle Stanley Gardner.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1966 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 4, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paisano Productions, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The last episode, "The Case of the Final Fadeout", closes with Perry, Della, and Paul looking over their next case. Perry's last line is, "Now it seems to me the place to start is at the beginning".

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Quotes

Perry Mason: Now it seems to me the place to start is at the beginning.

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Connections

References Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

User Reviews

For the last episode of the series- Perry gives a two for one conviction

In this full episode there are two murders and two courtroom hearings that are as fascinating as nearly any in the series. With a cast full of stars, this last episode is an honor to the many years of enjoyment that the series gave us viewers.

In begins as a episode of a TV show is being filmed. The show is approaching the end of the season and new contracts are being signed by all the actors. But at the signing, the star of the show named Barry Conrad decides not to sign. This leaves the producer, Jackson Sidemark (Denver Pyle) is a terrible position. The prima-donna will cause the entire show to collapse and contracts go unpaid.

But during the next filmed scene that involves a fight scene with prop-guns, something goes wrong when Barry Conrad gets shot with actual bullets. And Jackson Sidemark is arrested for the murder for comments he made when Barry would not sign his contract.

During the trial, the prop-man Pete Desmond (Jackie Coogan) is caught in a out-and-out lie on the witness stand and the charges are dropped.

Later, Jackson Sidemark ends up dead. And for some reason the police believe that an elder actress, Winifred Glover (Estelle Winwood), that had been dropped from a guest-spot in the TV show, had killed Mr Sidemark (why anyone would believe that an elder lady weighing about 90 pounds could knock out and kill a large side man is somewhat unbelievable). Perry will again go to court a second time which may lead to the solving of both murderers.

Some nice actors in this show. With the ones already listed the episode contains Dick Clark and Gerald Mohr that only makes the show much better. We also get to see some heated comments by Hamilton Burger directed at Perry when he thinks they misrepresented justice. This episode will keep the viewer on the edge of the seat as this is a full episode with a lot going on. A nice show to finish the series.