Jessica Behind Bars

This episode of Murder She Wrote has Jessica Fletcher being a guest creative writer lecturer in a women's prison. She says several of the prisoners show some promise. But then a riot takes place after Janet MacLachlan the prison doctor's body is found led by the toughest woman in the joint Adrienne Barbeau.

There's a new warden Vera Miles who's trying to make some changes and she has opposition from staff and cons. Another death in the place and it looks like possibly we will have a distaff version of Attica.

Angela Lansbury has to get answers if nothing less than for her own life being caught up in the mayhem.

A few familiar faces from old and new Hollywood and some types as there were in the great classic Caged. The grandma of all women's prison pictures.

Jessica agrees to substitute when a teacher for a class in a women's prison takes an unexpected trip to the hospital. However, she finds her time more occupied with investigation than instruction when the prison locks down and the staff doctor turns up dead in her office. Jessica finds herself the middleman between the desperate inmates and the law, and struggles to find the truth before the already uneasy situation disintegrates into mayhem.

Brilliant episode that features some fine acting performances, especially by Adrienne Barbeau as a loose cannon of a prisoner, some tension and very baffling mystery. Obviously an innocent person gets accused - well, it's a prisoner. The twist in the finale stings real effectively. In between the mayhem, subjects such as prisoner treatment is touched upon.

Jessica stands in for a friend of hers to give a lecture at a women's prison. The prison is under the new stewardship of Warden Gates. Gates is seen having a heated argument with the Prison Doctor, Irene Matthews. Irene is killed. Tests show a convict's prints are on the vial, it leads to a riot.

I like the premise of the episode, and for the most part it's fun and entertaining, but in so many ways it's pretty silly. I know it's the eighties, but was it a Prison, or a hotel. Prisoners are wandering about, in and out of offices at will. I'm assuming each inmate had a private hair stylist, as in each scene, each prisoner appears beautifully coiffured.

It's well made, and nicely acted. I particularly liked Janet Maclachlan's Doctor, a shame she wasn't in it for very long. Vera Miles is excellent as the Warden too, a woman so strikingly beautiful in many films.

Good features, but a little unrealistic for the most part. 6/10

When I saw this was a 'women in prison' episode of "Murder, She Wrote", I assumed (wrongly) that it would be filled with 1001 stereotypes and would be predictable. Instead, it was intelligently written and different.

Jessica is filling in for a teacher at the women's prison. However, the timing sucks! This is because in the middle of her class, a riot takes place...and a murder! Jessica is worried the prisoners will run amok and go on a killing spree, so she tries hard to solve the crime AND keep the prisoners from letting their emotions get the best of them.

The story has a lot of neat twists. It also avoids many of the stereotypes you see in women in prison films...and for the good. Overall, an interesting show with a most unusual murder!

West Barrington Institute for Women (in an unidentified U.S. state) sets the stage for the one and only "MSW" episode containing an all-female cast.

In addition to its star, ten guest stars and ten supporting actresses supplying roles of prison staff, guards, inmates and delivery drivers, its state has a female Lieutenant Governor, addressed as "Mrs. Campbell" (uncredited actress), whose voice is heard in four telephone conversations. No males, therefore, appear in any scenes.

Warden Elizabeth Gates (Vera Miles) operates West Barrington, as she aspires to announce her candidacy for potential nomination and election to the state senate.

During Warden Gates' campaign absences, Deputy Warden Amanda Debs (Barbara Baxley), who has been serving at the Institution for twenty years, much longer than Warden Gates, handles the prison charge.

Doctor Irene Matthews (Janet MacLachlan) also has served in her position as prison physician for about twenty years, at which she has now been treating Warden Gates for fainting spells and, against her employer's requests, promises to report her condition to the press, thereby creating an obstacle toward her state senate campaign.

Miss Springer (Yvonne De Carlo) serves as head cook at the prison, at which she is often addressed as "Cookie." She also has been employed here for some twenty years and often conducts dealings with Mrs. Mims (Darlene Conley), a grocery delivery driver, as inmates complain about the poor quality of their meals.

Several principle inmate roles are performed by actresses also very familiar to television audiences of the day: Mary Stamm (Linda Kelsey), who assists the prison Infirmary in a nursing capacity; Kathryn (Adrienne Barbeau), who rules the roost as she calls the shots around the inmate populace; Louise (Susan Oliver), who assists in the prison library; and Tug (Eve Plumb), who's serving time for robbery.

Other inmates include Dixie (Margaret Avery), with the long dark hair; Bertha (Susan Peretz), with the short dark hair; Jamie (Donna Ponterotto), with the curly dark hair; and Susie (Aimée Eccles), also with dark hair, but Susie is confined to the Infirmary in dire medical condition, which Mary attempts to comfort, by sneaking into the pharmacy cabinet.

It is into this environment that Margaret (unseen character) arrives to instruct a writing course, but because of illness, Margaret sends stories which the inmates have written for their assignment, to her substitute instructor, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), who arrives at West Barrington Institute to conduct the lesson.

After meeting staff members, Jessica sets up her class with the lesson on the chalkboard, "How to create the perfect murder." (Why she would conduct such a project before a volatile audience would be anyone's guess, but the class is interrupted by murder anyway).

Brady the Infirmary Guard (Mary Woronov), attempting to enter the health care offices, becomes snagged in a lock-up as sirens peel, alarms glisten, and gates lower across the corridors, setting the stage for chaos, as she, the Warden and Deputy Warden, Miss Springer and Jessica discover Mary Stamm's hovering over the body.

Warden Gates accuses Mary of the murder, but Jessica has her doubts because even though Mary is already serving her sentence for murder, Mary is a good writer, in Jessica's estimation; plus it was probably committed in self-defense anyhow.

When Kathryn and her rowdy lot take over the prison, the much-nicer Louise suggests for Jessica to solve the crime, a challenge with Jessica reluctantly accepts on the condition that the inmates turn over the guilty party to authorities.

But, as inmates continue to hold the Institute hostage with their demands for justice and edibles, Jessica suddenly figures that there's going to be another murder, but she arrives at the location too late, as a second body is discovered, the victim of a stabbing.

Jessica convinces the reluctant inmates to give her time for the Lieutenant Governor to identify two sets of fingerprints this evening, and to analyze the Morphine and pharmaceuticals as watered down, and to determine that pilfering has also affected the food supply, as the evening proceeds with her crash course in "Jessica Behind Bars."

The cast is rounded out by Kristall Eklund as Prisoner, Diana Bellamy as Head Guard, Gay Hagen as Guard #1, Faith Minton as Guard #2, Linda L. Rand as Reception Guard, and Jan Stratton as Gate Guard.

This episode represents the only acting credit to date by Kristall Eklund, and the most recent acting credit to date by Aimée Eccles, as well as the first of two "MSW" appearances each for Adrienne Barbeau, Diana Bellamy and Janet MacLachlan, the second of two each for Gay Hagen and Susan Oliver, the first of three for Vera Miles, and the second of three "MSW's" for Linda Kelsey.

Yvonne De Carlo, acting in film and on television since 1941; Barbara Baxley, acting since 1952; Susan Oliver, acting since 1956; Darlene Conley, acting since 1963; Susan Peretz, acting since 1973; and Diana Bellamy, acting since 1982, have unfortunately since passed.