Actor William Talman (1915-1968) is probably most familiar as Los Angeles District Attorney Hamilton Burger, from the long-running TV series Perry Mason.
Talman is less-known as a truly effective noir actor, especially in the title role in The Hitch-Hiker.
There, Talman–and his reptile eyes that don’t fully close at night–menace a driver and his passenger who simply were out for a fishing trip and made the mistake of helping a hitchhiker.
At only 71 minutes and with no substories, The Hitch-Hiker truly qualifies for that overused word applied to so many thrillers: taut.
Affable and well-liked, Talman also heroically put his name and face on an anti-smoking commercial filmed before his death–due to smoking. The effort was heroic because he was in the last few weeks of his life and doing poorly. The morning of the shoot, he’d been at the hospital for cobalt treatments.
In 1960, Talman engaged in a scandalous act that got him temporarily fired from his sweet TV D.A. job.
Raid on 1156 N. Curson Ave.
On March 12, 1960, Talman and seven others were arrested at 1156 N. Curson Ave., West Hollywood on narcotics charges after officers found marijuana.
It was a Saturday, so unlikely that Talman would be filming any of the Perry Mason shows that day. Talman lived over the hill in Sherman Oaks. at 15426 Valley Vista Blvd, a convenient place to hop onto the San Diego Freeway to the studios.
It wasn’t just any marijuana party but a “nude marijuana party,” according to the Los Angeles Mirror-News, March 14, 1960. Plus, officers found “dirty movies, spicy books, and lewd photos.”
The N. Curson apartment, part of a building supposedly built by Charlie Chaplin, was rented by ad exec Richard Reibold.
Besides Talman, the group consisted of Reibold, Talman’s friend, James H. (Jimmie) Baker, Peter and Suzanne Hespelt, and three women, in their twenties or thirties: a Mrs. Peggy Louise Flannigan, a Mrs. Willie Donovan, and all-around bad girl, Miss Lola DeWitt.
What Happened That Night
A sheriff’s deputy, Harry Stameisen, gained entry to the Reibold residence by making a phone call and pretending to be a prospective guest. Stameisen was also the arresting officer. Talman’s attorney would later claim that the deputy had made illegal entry.
One news account was very tabloid-ready, with Sheriff’s Capt. Richard B. Brooks stating:
We found seven people, all nude, in one bedroom. Some were on the floor and some were on the twin beds. When we saw the nudes we summoned the vice squad and officers from there helped us.
Knoxville News-Sentinel, March 14, 1960
According to the Mirror-News account, Mr. and Mrs. Hespelt were “fraternizing” with Miss DeWitt.
James H. Baker was “paired” with Mrs. Donovan. Talman was with Mrs. Flannigan.
Talman was fired from the Perry Mason show. But after lobbying from Mason producer Gail Patrick, he was eventually hired back.
Charges were dropped against the entire group.
James H. Baker
James Hollan Baker, 39, was Talman’s friend and companion. Known as Jimmie Baker, he was an Oklahoma-born producer of music-related documentaries.
Baker was big in the music scene and helped out with many charitable organizations, including the Hollywood Motion Picture and Television Museum, which was intended to be located on a 4-acre site behind the Hollywood Bowl but never got past the planning stage.
Baker died in 2003.
Richard Reibold
Host of the party and apartment renter, Richard Reibold, 31, was identified by papers as Director of Radio and Television for high-end Beverly Hills advertising agency, Lennen & Newell, which had accounts in the TV and film industry.
Mrs. Peggy Louise Flannigan
At the time of the arrest, William Talman was in the process of separating from Barbara Read. The divorce was granted on September 13, 1961.
Mrs. Peggy Louise Flannigan became William Talman’s next wife: Margaret Louise Larkin Flannigan Talman. Her divorce from her previous husband was granted on October 30, 1961.
On November 4, 1961, Talman and Flannigan married at the Flamingo Hotel, in Las Vegas.
Lola DeWitt Stewart
A colorful character with a shady past, Lola DeWitt was typically identified in the news as an actress. Lola DeWitt was a notorious stripper, model, prostitute, child murderer, and yes, also an actress and singer.
Peter Neil Hespelt and Suzanne Elizabeth Hespelt
A married couple was also arrested: Peter Neil Hespelt, 29, and Suzanne Elizabeth Hespelt, 24. Papers stated the name as “Hestelt” but it appears to actually be “Hespelt.”
Peter Neil Hespelt, 29, was identified as a finance company manager. At one point, Hespelt ran or was employed by Budget Finance Plan, in the L.A. area.
Peter and Suzanne Hespelt appear to have divorced. The Santa Cruz Sentinel on January 15, 1971, reported that Peter Neil Hespelt married Lisa Ann Saenz. The paper states that both are residents of “Toponga,” but likely this is a typo for Topanga, an area around Los Angeles.
Peter Neil Hespelt died in Mammoth Lakes, California, in 2011.
Suzanne Hespelt is still alive.
Mrs. Willie Donovan
All we know of Mrs. Willie Donovan is that her husband stuck by her, at least until the trial, because we have a news account that says that Mr. Donovan “shoved photographers” as he was “just trying to protect [his] wife.”
Harry L. Stameisen
The arresting deputy, Harry Stameisen, is still alive and is in his 90s.
