In March 1965 during the eighth season of a popular Perry Mason television series, episode #234 saw the fictional detective starred in an episode called The Case of the Murderous Mermaid.
In this episode, former swimming champion Victoria Dawn is overweight, out of shape, and the owner of a chain of failing health spas. Desperate to regain some of her former glory, she hires a beautiful young actress Reggie Lambert to impersonate her in a swim across the Catalina Channel to Los Angeles.
Reggie wants to get some recognition and make some money, but she runs into trouble along the way in her swim when her boat blows up. The boat captain Charlie Shaw is not seriously hurt in the intentional explosion, but when Victoria is found dead in her home, Reggie is arrested.
In a typical who-done-it episode of that era, Perry Mason tries to resolve the situation as the episode generated interest in the American marathon swimming community in the mid-1960s.
Jean Hale played Reggie during the episode, but who was the stand-in swimming model for Reggie in this episode?
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.