Murder in White

This MSW story has Angela Lansbury off to London where one of her books has been adopted as a play. But no one is really crazy about Anne Meara's adaption.

With great tact Lansbury makes some needed changes and the production starts to gel. But there are a lot of folks not happy with bullying producer Martin Sachs. He winds up stabbed to death.

True to form in these MSW stories it's always JB Fletcher's friend in this case leading lady Jean Marsh who the police suspect.

Best in the cast is Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Pauline Brailsford who is new on the job and tying to prove herself. Angela Lansbury provides the usual invaluable assistance.

Fans will approve.

Jessica is summoned to London to help with the stage adaptation of one of her novels starring her old friend, an elegant grande dame of the British stage. When the show's producer is murdered, Jessica must clear her friend of the crime, but in doing so she uncovers the actress's long-buried secret.

A good cast and the setting of the theatre gives this episode a nice boost. As usual, you have Robin Sachs playing a nasty theatre producer, who gets it. He's knifed by unknown assailant. Jessica is on the case.

Jessica is called to London to help out with the script on a stage play, which has been adapted for one or her books. Jessica finds herself having to help her friend Glenda, who's implicated in a murder.

It's a pretty good episode, The London setting makes it feel a little different, and it's a good mystery, I like the way the stage play's red herrings are used in the actual murder.

Credit where it's due, they actually did a good job of giving this a British feel, sometimes in the past, it's perhaps looked a little dubious, here though, with the use of footage and costumes, it's quite convincing.

Some of the accents are a little questionable, I think it isn't hard to spot The Brits, and The Americans doing a British accent, it wasn't always convincing on either side.

Jean Marsh was great, but it's Ian Ogilvy that steals the show, he was perfect, nice to see him playing a part like this.

It's a pretty good episode.

7/10.

While we often notice a "MSW" guest star in the swan song appearance of his/her career, this episode in the middle of Season Ten marks a few debut performances, as the first television role for Gale Van Cott, and first acting credit for Nick Meaney, Sean Howse and G.W. Stevens, as well as the second of two roles thus far for Jonathan Wood.

Several cast members of this London-based episode actually hail from the States, while the few British performers among them include Jean Marsh, Pauline Brailsford, Ian Ogilvy and Jim Piddock.

Actress Glenda Highsmith (Jean Marsh) headlines a theatrical troupe, preparing to present a stage adaptation based upon a mystery written by her dear old friend Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), entitled "Murder in White."

Glenda confides her secrets and apprehensions about returning to the stage with her confidante, Edward St. Cloud (Norman Lloyd), who's also aware that Glenda shares her living quarters with her young adult male companion, Brett Dillon (Tim Ransom), whom Jessica proudly meets upon her arrival to London, England, UK, during play rehearsals.

Scenist Mae Shaughnessy (Anne Meara) contributes to the company more than her script-writing proclivity. She also assists with wardrobe, as well as running interference between the cast and crew its overbearing producer, Martin Kramer (Robin Sachs), who seems to enjoy cutting everyone down to size.

Director Peter Drew (Davis Gaines), Stage Manager Oliver Hopkins (G.W. Stevens), and two who are fond of each other's company, Actress Sally Briggs (Dedee Pfeiffer) and Actor Franklin Smith (Michael Palance), all experience put-downs as they attempt to deliver attempts to act professionally.

Actor Lawson Childress (Ian Ogilvy, in an atypical unglamorous role from his usual suave "MSW" persona), meanwhile, drinks away his problems, carrying a flask to the set, seeming to waste away in the stairwell, after being slated for the leading man role, and then dropped from the play.

Malcolm Brooker (Jim Piddock), under the guise of a reporter, confronts Glenda with the notion that he has uncovered the secret identity of Brett Dillon, as the unrecognized son of the now-ailing John Camden, the Seventeenth Earl of Glenhaven, thus creating additional frustration for Glenda on the eve of Jessica's arrival.

Lester Perth (Edmund L. Shaff) is one of the associates who meets with the troupe's cast and crew members at Binkie's Tavern, when a disagreement erupts after Jessica arrives, and Glenda asks to be excused from the evening's festivities. Jessica remains on hand to grow a bit familiar with some of those associated with her dear old friend in trouble.

"Murder in White" is costumed to present a lady wearing a trench-coat of this color, along with hat and sunglasses to conceal her identity as a perpetrator of murder. But that rainy night, after sightings of various ladies wearing trench-coats around the theatre, a body is discovered in the basement wardrobe storage room, with a trench-coat missing from its locked compartment.

Scotland Yard Detective Chief Inspector Ellen Jarvis (Pauline Brailsford) and Scotland Yard Inspector Ernest Martindale (Jonathan Wood) initially forbid Jessica's snooping about the basement, but soon welcome their assistance after arresting the wrong suspect, and finding themselves at a loss for clues, which Jessica begins to uncover once permitted to investigate at will.

The cast is rounded out by Gale Van Cott as Policewoman, Sean Howse as Policeman #1, and Nick Meaney as Waiter at Binkie's.

An old friend of Jessica's is starring in a play based on one of Jessica's books. However, during rehearsals it becomes obvious that there's something wrong with the script and Jessica agrees to come to London to work with the screenwriter to fix it. However, soon it's obvious that someone is going to die....the evil toad of a producer. And, when he does assume room temperature, Jessica goes into crime-solving mode because her friend is accused of the crime. Naturally, someone else did it!

This is a pretty good episode even though none of it was actually filmed in the UK. My only quibble is something my wife pointed out...that Jessica's logic is missing something and her figuring out the killing seemed a bit difficult to believe. Not a big problem...just a minor one.