Murder by Appointment Only

While in New York visiting Grady, Jessica runs into an old student, Elizabeth Gordon, who has become the fiancée of Lila Lee cosmetics tycoon Norman Amberson. Strangely, Elizabeth seems distracted and unwilling to discuss her life. When she turns up dead in her room, the apparent victim of a robbery, Jessica resolves to bring her student's killer to justice.

The shady world of cosmetics gets a look in and it's suitably colourful and dramatic with some fine performances from Robert Culp. Grady is his usual clever self and is out for an accounting job for the company. There's a revealing look at the cosmetics world in the 80's - how Jessica nabs the killer is good.

Todd Amberson (Leigh McCloskey) invites his old college buddy Grady Fletcher (Michael Horton) to apply for an accounting position with the cosmetics company owned by Todd's Aunt Lila Lee Amberson (Jayne Meadows) and operated by Todd's father, Norman Amberson (Robert Culp).

Lila Lee Cosmetics Convention is being held this week, at Castleton Hotel in New York City, while Grady's Aunt Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) visits him and is not only welcomed to the convention, but encouraged by the perpetually-lavender-clad-from-pillbox-hat-to-hem-line Lila Lee herself, for Jessica to become a cosmetics consultant and vendor, and handed a lavender sales kit At the convention, Jessica observes an altercation between a Photographer (Robert Stoneman) and the management, Lila Lee confiscating a tube of the discontinues Tangerine Twist lipstick #9854321 from his person.

Norman's Administrative Assistant, Glenda Vandevere (Millie Perkins), is handed the task of setting up an appointment for Norman to interview Grady, which becomes continually postponed. While Glenda receives high marks for her effectiveness with her responsibilities, she is reprimanded by Lila Lee for Glenda's attempting to capture Norman's eye to attempt to fulfill her unrequited romantic notions.

Lila Lee and Todd each objects to Norman's involvement with his new fiancée, Elizabeth Gordon (Ann Dusenberry), soon after Todd's mother passes. While Norman and Todd exchange words, Lila Lee attempts to hand Elizabeth $50,000 to disappear from Norman's life.

Elizabeth has a past of her own. She had been employed by Fiona Keeler (Christine Belford) in a risqué business venture. Elizabeth had also gone steady with theatre actor Roger Adiano (Robert Desiderio). And long before either association, Elizabeth had been an exceptional pupil in the twelfth grade English course instructed by Mrs. Fletcher, back in Cabot Cove.

(Often, any former pupil will recall Jessica as "Freshman English teacher," but in this case, Mrs. Fletcher taught "Senior English.") But because of her in-between past after leaving Cabot Cove and before her engagement to Norman, Elizabeth tries to avoid reuniting with Jessica, but encounters her in the hotel lobby for a pleasant reminiscence.

Later that evening, when one member of their dinner party doesn't show at the restaurant, Jessica and her host check in at the apartment to discover it ransacked and a portrait defaced, while the body lies in the bedroom, a victim of strangulation.

Lieutenant Varick (Herb Edelman) enters the case, accepting Jessica's assistance in her capacity as an untrained investigator, who generally out-shows the professionals, by piecing together minute clues, which she uncovers through witnessing and discussing details.

The cast is rounded out by Actress #1 (Catherine Battistone) and Actress #2 (Cathy McAuley) in the dressing room at a theatre on Fourth Street, and Mr. Hillsdale (Fred Ponzlov), the chemist who invented Tangerine Twist lipstick ##9854321.

Whether or not Grady gets the accounting job remains to be seen for now is not the time for Lila Lee Cosmetics to schedule interviews, but "Murder By Appointment Only."

Definitely not one of the best episodes, in my opinion. The character who committed the crime just didn't seem to have the personality to fit it, and the victim was pretty bland as well. The most redeeming factor of this episode was the flamboyancy of the Lila Lee character.

The setting for this episode is at a Lila Lee convention, which is obviously based on the Mary Kay cosmetic company. Instead of all the salesladies wearing pink, they wear light purple and the company gives away purple Cadillacs instead of pink ones.

Lila (Jayne Meadows) is a god-awful woman and martinet. However, oddly, she is NOT the murder victim. Instead, her brother (Robert Culp) is planning on getting married...and his fiancee is found murdered. Oddly, whoever did it was probably the one who scribbled all over a painting of the dead woman with lipstick. So, Jessica makes it a point to try to locate that lipstick as well as discover a bill paid by the dead woman. Both end up leading to the discovery that the lady had an interesting career to say the least!

This is a good episode and seeing Mary Kay parodied was fun. I just think the ending was VERY weak, as yet another suspect breaks down and confesses to Jessica even though the evidence was far from convincing. Still, it is entertaining.

The Lila Lee cosmetics company is holding its annual awards ceremony. Grady is once again out of work and hoping to land a job with them, Aunt Jessica is on hand once again to help out. Lila Lee is the figurehead of the brand, demanding and pretty rude, her brother Norman, runs the company, and is engaged to one of Jessica's ex students, Elizabeth. To get reacquainted, Norman organises a dinner for himself, Jessica and Elizabeth, but when Elizabeth doesn't turn up, they visit her apartment, discovering a body on the floor.

I loved this episode, it's so cleverly written, the neat mapping of the characters is really well done. Jessica's intimate knowledge of the victim adds a different dimension, allowing her to know fully how she would have behaved. On the surface the story is shiny and glitzy, underneath it's more complex, darker. A great job was done in masking a rather sinister murder in all that glitz.

The production team did a particularly good job with this one, they created a perfectly believable brand, with fantastic uniforms and props.

Jayne Meadows is an absolute joy as Lila Lee, so wonderfully theatrical, beautifully suited to the part. That 'Cabbage Cove' line is possibly my favourite from the show.