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MURDER, SHE WROTE: BROADWAY MALADY (TV)

Summary

One in this murder mystery series about an unassuming Maine mystery writer turned sleuth named Jessica B. Fletcher who uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases. In this episode, aging silver screen star Rita Bristol is excited to learn that she will be returning to the stage alongside her two adult children, Barry and Patti. Grady, the bookkeeper, excitedly tells Jessica about the show, though Rita soon proves to be something of a diva, and the director, Faber, is particularly harsh with Patti as she rehearses her song. Jessica arrives and meets Kate, Patti's understudy and Grady's new squeeze, and he invites Jessica to dinner to meet Rita, who is a fan of her books, and Parrish, their financial backer. At the dinner, Barry announces that the show will open on Broadway in two weeks. When they leave the restaurant, Barry and Patti are suddenly attacked by a mugger, who shoots Patti, and Barry quickly returns fire and kills the man. Patti is taken to the hospital, and Barry talks to Detective Moreno, who warns him against carrying a concealed weapon, but Barry protests that he has been mugged multiple times. Jessica watches as a witness is interviewed on TV and muses that the so-called mugging seems illogical, wondering if it was in fact a planned killing. When she talks to Moreno, however, he seems uninterested and too busy to pursue her idea.

Jessica visits Rita, who tells her about Barry's recent career hardships and her own struggles with alcohol, from which she has now abstained for seventeen years. Jessica next seeks out a street gambler who also witnessed the shooting, and he points out that the mugger was an "amateur" who neglected to get Patti's valuables before firing, and Moreno confirms that the man, Manny, was "a nobody." Patti pulls through, but Faber then replaces her in the show with a Lonnie Valerian, who seems to know the part well. Patti gives her blessing for the show to continue, but Jessica wonders if Faber planned Patti's "mugging" to bring Lonnie in, and is then shocked to see the "mugger" on an old television show. She confirms that he was really an actor named Morley Farmer and tells Moreno, though he reiterates that the case is closed. Jessica seeks out Farmer's former agent, Lew Feldman, who explains that Farmer was largely untalented and had attempted to get a poorly-written script made, stating that he could not have known the Bristols.

Rita lectures Faber about increasing Lonnie's part and voices her suspicions, and Barry debates taking his mother out of the show, citing her stress level. He gets into a fight with Faber, and does not listen when Grady attempts to tell him that Parrish is cheating him, having oversold the show's interests in order to make money when it fails, á la "The Producers." Jessica and Grady then venture to Farmer's former home and learn that he had recently found an "angel" to produce his script, allowing him to direct and star in the movie. Realizing that Rita may be in danger, Jessica hurries to her home and finds that she has attempted suicide with alcohol, pills and the gas oven. At the hospital, Parrish seems concerned only about the show, as he will lose everything if it does not open, and as Jessica reads through Farmer's CV, they hear that Rita has died. Barry laments his loss back at home, but Jessica accuses him of drugging her and making it look like suicide to get her money, having first failed to kill his sister. She states that he hired Farmer to kill Patti in exchange for producing his movie, having worked as a production assistant on one of Farmer's old shows. Barry eventually admits it, ranting about the hardships of being the famous Rita's son, and then makes a move to kill Jessica when Rita suddenly enters the room, having faked her death and overheard everything. Later, the show finally goes on and Grady tells Jessica all about it over the phone, also adding that he has split up with Kate, but has a new love interest that he would like his aunt to meet. Commercials deleted.

Details

  • NETWORK: CBS
  • DATE: January 13, 1985 8:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: B:33880
  • GENRE: Drama, mystery/suspense
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, mystery/suspense
  • SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1984-1996
  • COMMERCIALS:
    • TV - Commercials - Pillsbury chocolate cake

CREDITS

  • Peter S. Fischer … Executive Producer, Created by
  • Robert F. O'Neill … Producer
  • Mike Stevens … Associate Producer
  • Richard Levinson … Created by
  • William Link … Created by
  • Hy Averback … Director
  • Tom Sawyer … Writer
  • Richard Markowitz … Music by
  • Miriam Nelson … Choreographer
  • John Addison … Theme Music by
  • Angela Lansbury … Cast, Jessica Fletcher
  • Milton Berle … Cast, Lew Feldman
  • Vivian Blaine … Cast, Rita Bristol
  • Elaine Giftos … Cast, Lonnie Valerian
  • Gregg Henry … Cast, Barry Bristol
  • Michael Horton … Cast, Grady Fletcher
  • Lorna Luft … Cast, Patti Bristol
  • Robert Morse … Cast, Marc Faber
  • Patrick O'Neal … Cast, Si Parrish
  • Gregory Sierra … Cast, NYPD Det. Sgt. Moreno
  • Barbara Whinnery … Cast, Gretchen Pashko
  • Sharee Gregory … Cast, Kate Metcalf
  • Ed Bakey … Cast, Monsignor Kelly
  • Roberto Roman … Cast, Taki
  • Johnny Seven … Cast, Man
  • Irma Garcia … Cast, Veronica
  • Edson Stroll … Cast, Dr. Peter Webber
  • Victoria Harned … Cast, Newscaster
  • Joe Nesnow … Cast, Doorman
  • Dante D'Andre … Cast, Captain
  • Bob Gorman … Cast, Jimmy Finley
  • Bert Hinchman … Cast, Carlin Nash