Footnote to Murder

Striving author Horace Lynchfield (Paul Sand) awaits his appointment at Lexington Avenue Diner on a rainy evening in New York City, to accompany Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) to attend a book awards reception.

Adrian Winslow (Robert Reed), a past award recipient, arrives, but cannot be bothered by novice short-story writer Debbie Delancey (Talia Balsam), who presents a copy of her project to the receptive Jessica.

Last year's winner, Lucinda Lark (Constance Forslund), author of the best-seller "Woman Unleashed," is also on hand to greet Horace and the others, as well as Hemsley Post (Kenneth Mars), who shrouds his new manuscript in secrecy, a definitive novel about the Vietnam War, as presented from a combat soldier's perspective.

Tiffany Harrow (Morgan Brittany), the awards' event Coordinator, attempts to convince Hemsley Post to allow her a preview of his manuscript, by planning a visit to his apartment after the evening's program.

Alexis Post (Diana Muldaur), Hemsley's ex-wife, owner of a fashion design company, visits Hemsley to demand $264,000 from his advance salary from his publisher.

Frank Lapinski (Vincent Baggetta), an impoverished unpublished writer, claims authorship the of the manuscript, as based upon his experience in the armed services in Vietnam.

After the less-than-amiable reception, at which, because of flying tempers, umbrellas are mixed up, and Jessica attempts to return one the next morning to its rightful owner.

But, upon her arrival at the residence of the umbrella owner, Jessica is greeted by a team of law enforcement officers, headed by Assistant District Attorney (A.D.A.) Mel Comstock (Pat Harrington Jr.) and Lieutenant Meyer (Ron Masak, in his first of many "MSW" appearances), who hover over a body stabbed by the sword within an umbrella handle.

When the police arrest an innocent suspect, Jessica attempts to prove them wrong, by picking up on a trail of clues, including lipstick on the linens, eyeglasses on the blanket, a hotel room key #2441, and a missing manuscript. A.D.A. Mel Comstock, believing the eyeglasses to belong to Jessica, slips them into her purse without her knowledge.

And when A.D.A. Mel Comstock hands the prisoner to Lieutenant Meyer, who escorts the suspect through the courthouse, he hands custody to Bailiff (Bill MacDonald), who is interrupted by another Assistant D.A. (Mark Harrison), who tells the Baliff that there are more pressing concerns than the prisoners, and allows the suspect to walk freely.

While Jessica attempts to advise the released suspect of correct protocol, she discovers the eyeglasses and consults an Optometrist (John C. Becher) to go along with her plans.

The cast is rounded out by Ernie (John Brandon), Clerk (Lana Schwab), Lady (Nancy Marlow), Cop (Biff Yeager) and Reporter (Michael Kearns), who reveals a "Footnote to Murder."

Have always been quite fond of 'Murder She Wrote'. It is a fun and relaxing watch that makes you think as you try to unwind in the evening. If one wants more complex, twisty mysteries with lots of tension and suspense 'Murder She Wrote' may not be for you, but if you want something light-hearted and entertaining but still provide good mysteries 'Murder She Wrote' fits the bill just fine.

"Footnote to Murder" is not one of Season 1's best, like "Lovers and Other Killers", "The Murder of Sherlock Holmes", "Paint Me a Murder" and "Murder Takes the Bus", but not one of its lesser ones, such as "Murder to a Jazz Beat", "Deadly Lady", "It's a Dog's Life" and "My Johnny Lies Over the Ocean" which are still not bad episodes at all, far from it (which is testament to how solid Season 1 is).

There is not really much wrong with "Footnote to Murder", it's just missing the extra special something to make it one of the best, occasionally is a little silly (though there are certainly far sillier 'Murder She Wrote' episodes) and lacks suspense. Otherwise, it is a hugely entertaining episode that does a good job showing the dark and less than glamorous side of being an author and being in the publishing industry. Not a new idea, pretty old actually even then, but an interesting one.

It's a good-looking episode as always. Nicely shot and attractive fashions that makes one nostalgic for the 80s period (even to those who weren't even alive yet). The music has presence but also not making the mistake of over-scoring, while it is hard to forget or resist the theme tune.

The script is often charming and amiable, while the story has some good conflict and is compelling mostly with a clever final solution that sees a not so common (for the show) case of feeling sorry for the murderer, it's actually the victim one hates from the start.

Angela Lansbury is terrific in one of her best remembered roles one of the roles that is most closely associated with me at any rate), with Robert Reed, Diana Muldaur, Pat Harrington, Morgan Brittany, Talia Balsa and particularly Kenneth Mars having a lot of fun.

Overall, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Hemsley Post (Kenneth Mars) is a combative writer who has suffered from writer's block for some years. Now he has a new manuscript about the Vietnam war. His estranged wife Alexis Post (Diana Muldaur) a fashion designer visits Hemsley to demand $264,000 from his advance. For all the years she bankrolled him.

Jessica Fletcher arrives at a New York awards ceremony with poet Horace Lynchfield (Paul Sand) who likes to drink a lot. He is just few of the writers that Hemsley gets into an argument with that evening. The other is the celebrated writer Adrian Winslow (Robert Reed) who Hemsley basically described for being camp.

When Hemsley is found dead, the New York ADA Mel Comstock smells television cameras and a fast track to the mayor's office. When Horace is arrested for murder, Jessica needs to find the real murderer.

She horns in on Frank Lapinski (Vincent Baggetta) a warehouse worker who sent threatening letters to Helmsley. Jessica thinks that this ex soldier was the actual writer of the Vietnam war manuscript.

A bit too much comedy here, especially as there was a dark reason that led to murder. As Lapinski tells Jessica when describing her books, light but enjoyable.

Hemsley Post would be loosely based on Norman Mailer while Adrian Winslow on Gore Vidal. In real life both writers had an abrasive relationship. When Vidal was punched by Mailer at a party. Vidal responded 'Norman, once again words have failed you.'

When Jessica attends an award ceremony for writers she becomes caught up in a real-life whodunnit after the abrasive host of the gala is found dead. Jessica's friend and striving poet is arrested initially, which prompts her to investigate, and there's a wide of interesting characters to prod in her polite but firm manner. This is a good mystery centred around the complex world of writers, but what I liked most about this one was the Assistant District Attorney, who, in my opinion is hilarious. He's useless in his job, and it was fun seeing Jessica point out at his oversights.

This episode of Murder She Wrote has Jessica Fletcher at a writer's convention where she runs into many of her literary colleagues, some of them a lot nicer than others. The one she practically has to be a nursemaid to is Paul Sand a perpetually drunk poet. It is he who is suspected of murdering arrogant one book wonder novelist Kenneth Mars, stabbing him with an umbrella that can turn into a sword for defense. Mars also has the draft of a second book in his possession and that too is stolen.

This MSW story is interesting however for two things. First Ron Masak shows up as a homicide detective four years before he became the sheriff of Cabot Cove. He has to follow however full of himself District Attorney Pat Harrington who no one can stand. Still Jessica with more patience than normal leads Harrington to a solution. Not liking it a bit, but justice is justice.