Summertime Fun!

I was thinking: Since it’s summertime, what are some Perry episodes that largely take place in the great outdoors?

Choosing episodes for this sort of category is a bit difficult, since of course many episodes have outdoor scenes. It’s just a matter of picking ones that have the most. And it shouldn’t just be any kind of outdoor scenes, either; I’m thinking of ones with locations and activities specifically and often thought of for summer fun.

Of course, the majority of those are probably out-of-town episodes, but every now and then, there are a few that take place in Los Angeles County instead of outside of it.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it, but I think the very first out-of-town episode, The Drowning Duck, has a lot of outdoor scenes. And there’s the fair where the eventual defendant demonstrates the “drowning duck”. I think it may be the only Perry episode with a fair-type celebration.

If I’m thinking of activities for summer fun, though, I wonder if that would mean that any episode with a trailer should be included. That would plop The Sun-Bather’s Diary onto the list. And I remember a couple of others that featured trailers, all in the first season, I believe. (The Runaway Corpse, The Terrified Typist. . . .)

There’s season 3’s The Bashful Burro and the similar Drowsy Mosquito from season 7. Both involve small towns and mining.

The Accosted Accountant and The Tandem Target both feature extended and important scenes at lodges, albeit said lodges are not shown throughout the episodes.

Season 5’s The Crippled Cougar has some outdoors scenes and is at least a bit about hunting, although by including it, I wonder if I should also include The Mythical Monkeys, with its remote cabin.

A better choice is probably The Prudent Prosecutor, which revolves around the goings-on at a lodge and gun club. In any case, it’s probably my favorite choice.

Season 9 has The Scarlet Scandal, which takes place in a small town and features Perry and Paul continually trying to go fishing.

As far as fishing goes, The Traveling Treasure also has Perry and Paul in that dilemma. And there are lots of outdoor scenes, with the plot revolving around a boat. It’s not an episode that immediately came to mind when thinking of summer episodes, but since boating is a popular activity, I imagine it would qualify. (And of course, it’s just a great episode in general.)

The Frightened Fisherman is also about fishing, although I don’t think there’s as many actual outdoor scenes in it.

The Barefaced Witness is about a small town and a kooky festival, where anyone without a beard gets arrested (?!). The syndicated, cut version, however, eliminates most of the kookiness. I still need to see the uncut myself.

The Murderous Mermaid largely involves swimming, and a bizarre publicity stunt that goes completely wrong.

I suppose some of the episodes involving horses could qualify, perhaps particularly The Red Riding Boots, since there’s actual scenes of horseback riding.

One of the most interesting and unusual Perry episodes overall is The Feather Cloak, featuring Perry and Paul in the exotic locale of Hawaii! I’ll have to do an episode-centric post on it sometime.

There’s The Violent Village, but it’s up so high in the mountains that there’s snow everywhere! Same for The Fifty-Millionth Frenchman, which has a ski lodge as a central locale. But then again, when the heat waves come sweeping over the land, picturing something nice and cold like snow might be just the thing.