Our History

The black judge in "Perry Mason" episode did not receive credit because he didn't have any lines! (Screen capture from show)

I religiously watch old episodes on the Perry Mason Channel and was amazed to see a female judge speaking from the bench on the show one night. Then, on Wednesday night, I was watching "The Case of the Skeleton's Closet" done in 1963 and was surprised that a black man was the judge, but he didn't have any lines and, therefore, no credits! 

The judge having no lines was very unusual because all the other episodes that I've seen had a talking judge, but some surmise that the producers didn't want to upset the audience by having a black man make decisions in the courtroom. That was during the height of the Civil Rights movement!

The man was Vincent Townsend, Jr., and he was an actor and a real judge, the first black judge in Los Angeles County, Calif. He was also a roommate of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, according to Internet sources. 

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