I have noticed when Perry and Della leave a room, Perry almost always grabs her arm snd escorts her as he walks. He also has done it with other women, but I notice it mainly with Della. Has anyone else noticed it? It took several binge watching episodes to catch it. Was this just what men did back then, or is a Perry thing? It is a gentlemanly thing yet an assertion of dominance at the same time.
shareOften as not, Perry and Paul offer their arm and wait for Della to take it.
shareI think if Della had taken Perry's arm, it would have been seen as too much of a girlfriend thing. Their relationship was always meant to be ambiguous.
Perry nearly always took Della by the underside of her wrist below the elbow. That was probably supposed to send a more platonic message regarding their relationship, but still signaled that they were more than just boss and secretary to each other.
Not to mention all of times they went to dinner after work.
shareThere's a scene in an early episode where Perry returns late at night, and Paul is waiting for him. They have a brief conversation, then leave. Della (whom we haven't seen) is present, and says "Hi, Perry" as they leave. Perry turns and grins broadly. "Hi, Della." This establishes their relationship (a friendship of near-equality) in a simple way. It's an outstanding example of "Show us, don't tell us."
shareAs a teenager back in the 60's I was always curious about the arm hold of Perry with Della. Was it romantic or not? Now I see it as courtly, not intimate, but certainly signified a personal relationship between the two -but in a more platonic business like manner .
shareI've noticed and now do it with my gf as a gentlemanly gesture.
RIP Gene Wilder. One of the funniest people of all time. RIP Robert Vaughn
It's obvious Perry has a lot of respect and admiration and genuine good feeling for Della, so his "arm grab" (not really a grab, which sounds aggressive) was a way of "helping" her, like putting down a coat over a mud puddle.
shareIn the books, it was implied that Perry and Della had a bit of a "thing" going on. This was toned down for the TV show, although, at times, we got just a little hint that there was more to their relationship than just employer/employee.
shareMore than a little hint. They're obviously good friends, and Perry consistently depends on Della for her insight. They are close to being equals; she's not just an employee.
Of course, 50 years later, it's comic knowing that Raymond Burr was gay.
Keep in mind that the arm grab (or hand on the shoulder) is a common blocking technique that keeps actors in close proximity to maintain lens width when transitioning to movement. That said, I think Burr was a hands-on sort in his acting style (see how often he touches the witness box with a non-confrontational witness) and the physical linking between Perry & Della was intentional.
shareEven without the arm grab or hand on the shoulder, notice how close everyone stands. Men don't usually stand that close. Sometimes men don't even look at each other even when they're having an intense conversation. But with the really small screen they had to do that sort of blocking.
sharePerry was always chivalrous with Della and not being overly romantic when they were out professionally with his arm hold. I think it Indicated that she was with him -belonged to him and they were to be seen as a couple. Remember ESG never wanted any romance to exist between P andD. But it existed thanks to Ray and Barbara's palpable chemistry.
shareSo how many times does a secretary breezily announce that ". . . tonight she deserves a steak," thereby indicating that they normally went to dinner after work.
sharePaul called her "Beautiful" as a nickname. Wonder if Perry secretly got mad at this or if they ever had any awkward moments over it. Did she ever go on a date on the show? I'm wondering how Perry and Paul handled it if she did.
shareRe: "arm grab". Perry also did this with Lt. Tragg (I've seen 2 episodes with his arm grab).
It just showed his admiration and friendship with Tragg. I always thought it was a nice subtle touch in the series.
I've also noticed how Mason grabs women and shoves them around to move them where he wants. it may have been acceptable in those days, but if he attempted that behavior nowadays, he'd be brought up on harrassment charges.
shareIn TCOT Barefaced Witness, at the end, hugs all around except that Raymond Burr does a stiff arm to avoid a hug.
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