Category: Movies & Television (Videos)

SUMMARY:             APPROX. RUNNING TIME: 47:00 Min.

First broadcast by CBS-TV on January 3, 1988, John Llewellyn Moxey directed this episode from Robert Von Scoyk’s script. 

Sheriff Tupper (Bosley) is bewildered when his distraught sister, Winnie (Meara), shows up in Cabot Cove, with her ornery husband (Stockwell) and mooching in-laws (Gibson & Lewis) not far behind from their rural small town. 

Seeking solace, Winnie innocently flirts with Seth (Windom) while staying at Jessica’s (Lansbury) home.  Attempting to deescalate the Tuppers’ estranged family relations with a dinner invitation, Jessica’s homemade chowder is evidently poisoned with an extra fatal ingredient. 

Further complicating the subsequent homicide investigation is a shifty private detective (Rhodes) and Tupper’s exceedingly new gung-ho deputy (Camp).  Yet, Jessica senses the crime’s motive is indeed close to home.  

Jessica Fletcher: Angela Lansbury

Sheriff Amos Tupper: Tom Bosley

Dr. Seth Hazlitt: Wiliam Windom

Winnie Tupper Banner: Anne Meara

Henry Banner: Henry Gibson

Deputy Marigold Feeney: Colleen Camp

Deputy Grover: Dennis Bailey

Elmo Banner: Guy Stockwell

Kenny & Flo Oakes: Geoffrey Lewis & Barbara Rhoades

Ed Bellamy: Donnelly Rhodes

Ralph: Joseph V. Perry

Deputy: Uncredited.

REVIEW:

Despite depicting a dull mystery, this episode is still enjoyable.  Curiously, given several reliable comedians on hand, the tinges of humor do not necessarily fit the serious-minded script (i.e. inferences of domestic abuse). 

For instance, Colleen Camp’s presence supplies welcome comedic relief, but her scenes don’t contribute much to the plot itself.  Had she been phased into a recurring role (vs. this mere one-shot), Camp likely would have had some delightful chemistry with Bosley as his character’s self-appointed second-in-command. 

Generally, the chemistry Lansbury and her regular co-stars share with this guest cast (particularly, Meara and Camp) share make up for the story’s sluggish storytelling. Without much of a whodunnit to unravel, this episode wins primarily on Jessica Fletcher’s charm and the guest cast’s classiness.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      5 Stars

SUMMARY:             APPROX. RUNNING TIME: 47:00 Min.

First broadcast by CBS-TV, on March 27, 1988, Walter Grauman directed this episode off Philip Gerson’s script. 

Urged by her recently engaged nephew, Grady (Horton), new investor Jessica Fletcher (Lansbury) visits the trendy Alice’s Farm restaurant in downtown New York City where Grady now works.  Yet, the corpse of the restaurant’s brusque host (Gautier) is discovered the next morning in the freezer.  Jessica & Grady (as the restaurant’s lead accountant) soon realize financial skullduggery at Alice’s Farm extends to the kitchen. 

Among the homicide suspects are the restaurant’s namesake (Landsburg); an unscrupulous rival entrepreneur (Bono); a snarky food critic (Vacarro); and even Grady’s meek fiancée/assistant accountant, Donna (Zipp).  Meanwhile, Jessica lovingly tries to play mediator to save Grady’s jeopardized engagement to her potential niece-in-law.  

Jessica Fletcher: Angela Lansbury

Grady Fletcher: Michael Horton

Donna Mayberry: Debbie Zipp

NYPD Lt. Ralph Rupp: Norman Fell

Chaz Crewe: Dick Gautier

Valentino Reggiore: Sonny Bono

Harry Finlay: Jack Carter

Mimi Harcourt: Brenda Vaccaro

Alice Brooke: Valerie Landsburg

Doug Brooke: James Carroll Jordan

Nerissa: Dallas Cole

Cook: Zane Kessler

Waiter: Duane Edwards

Cabbie: Richard Molinare

Medical Examiner: Elkanah Burns

NYC Yuppie: Jack Tate

Football Player: Clint Carmichael

Miscellaneous Cops: Uncredited Extras

Miscellaneous Restaurant Customers: Uncredited Extras.

Note: Horton & Zipp are a real-life married couple. 

REVIEW:

Though populated by reliable guest stars, this episode’s blah scripting is just as generic as its title implies.  Suffice to say, Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher is stuck in a mediocre murder-mystery only worsened by its lame ‘big reveal’ flashback.  The nicely played scenes Lansbury shares with Horton and/or Zipp, unfortunately, won’t bolster viewer interest much. 

“Just Another Fish Story” serves up some watchable pap, but it’s then instantly forgettable. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                    3½ Stars

SUMMARY:             APPROX. RUNNING TIME: 47:00 Min.

First broadcast by CBS-TV on February 7, 1988, Walter Grauman directed this episode off Chris Manheim’s script.  

While in Washington, D.C., Jessica Fletcher (Lansbury) and Dr. Seth Hazlitt (Windom) accept an invitation to a polo match and then a cocktail party hosted by a Maryland power couple (Bradford & Windsor).  As it turns out, the husband is Seth’s long-estranged brother, Richard. 

At the party, fellow guest Vikram Singh (Bedi) makes ominous allusions to reclaiming the infamous Danaav ruby that Richard had purchased for his wife, Alice.  Specifically, ownership of the priceless ruby allegedly leads to imminent death for those who aren’t pure of heart.  For instance, Alice survives a very close call that same evening. Having essentially reconciled, brothers Richard and Seth share a private drink before bedtime. 

Yet, Richard’s corpse is later found inside his locked study.  Skeptical of the missing ruby’s supernatural powers, Jessica must look to Richard’s belligerent adult children (Badler & Barr), his far younger widow, and her fellow guests, Singh and Richard’s father-in-law (Revill), among them, for a potential culprit. 

The question becomes: who is willing to kill to acquire the ruby by seemingly any means necessary?      

Jessica Fletcher: Angela Lansbury

Dr. Seth Hazlitt: William Windom

Richard Hazlitt: Richard Bradford

Alice Davies Hazlitt: Jane Windsor

Police Lt. Steven Ames: Larry Linville

Carolyn Hazlitt: Jane Badler

Mark Hazlitt: Doug Barr

Vikram Singh: Kabir Bedi

Bert Davies: Clive Revill

Cops: Kres Mersky & Michael McNab

Explorer (Flashback): Michael Blue

Party Guests: Larry Carr, Robert Buckingham, Cindy Cavallero, Ken Clayton, & Dotty Ertel

Miscellaneous Party Guests: Uncredited Extras.

REVIEW:

Deliberately exuding an Agatha Christie-style vibe, this episode is readily watchable.  Supporting Lansbury and Windom is a game assortment of guest stars, who pitch the plot’s formulaic twists well enough. 

The one significant flaw is that the culprit’s identity is practically telegraphed throughout the episode.  There isn’t any single element revealing this tip-off, but the killer’s unmasking in the mystery’s climatic ‘big reveal’ shouldn’t surprise anyone.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   6 Stars