The Case of the Final Fade-Out 

Barry Conrad has become a major star with an oversized ego. At the last moment, he tells his producer, Jackson Sidemark, that he won't be signing a new contract. Conrad, then Sidemark, are killed giving Perry two clients back to back.

Director:

Jesse Hibbs

Writers:

Erle Stanley Gardner (characters created by), Ernest Frankel

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	...	Police 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 Winifred Glover who gave him his start, and the writer of Sidemark's show. There's little surprise when Conrad's murder occurs but nothing goes as expected after that. Conrad was killed in the midst of a scene with a last minute plot change in which guns are substituted for knives. There's perjury, dismissal of charges against Sidemark, and accusations from Burger of Perry's misconduct. After a second murder with Sidemark as the victim, Perry has a new client - the actress Winifred Glover, 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 as the final Judge.

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Plot Keywords:

prop gun | movie set | cutting room | backstabber | arrogant man | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Did You Know?

Trivia

In a TV interview Barbara Hale said this was her favorite Perry Mason episode.

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Goofs

Leif Early testified that he was not at the scene of the first murder. Right after the murder is committed, there is a shot of Early at the murder scene, standing in the foreground with several other people close by. Most of them would probably remember seeing him there, and so Early would realize he could not get away with lying about it on the witness stand.

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Quotes

[last lines]
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

Lt. Tragg, you are still missed, lo these 50+ years

A well-done series ending. The ensemble of Perry plus four was magic. All legal dramas since have been pale derivatives. But I have few quibbles about the final show:

* The actual crew appeared on screen, deservedly, but their dialog seemed a bit too amateurish.

* Lt. Tragg (Ray Collins) should have been mentioned somewhere, for old time's sake. He was my favorite actor in the series, and his wry wit was sorely missed after his death.

* Fred Steiner finally appeared in the credits as the composer of the Perry Mason theme, which is entitled Park Avenue Beat. (Incidentally, live performances of the full piece are on YouTube.)

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1966 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Television Network, Paisano Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1