Tough Guys Don't Die

Jerry Orbach appeared as Harry McGraw in quite a few episodes of "Murder, She Wrote" and his character was so popular that he received a spin-off series, "The Law and Harry McGraw". Alas, while he was reasonably popular on "Murder, She Wrote", he wasn't popular enough for his spinoff series to last more than 16 episodes.

Soon after the story begins, Jessica learns that a private investigator working for her was murdered. She naturally wonders if the case she had him working on had anything to do with it, so she contacts his partner, Harry McGraw, to find out more. As for McGraw, he's kind of a jerk and treats Jessica poorly...and in many ways he seem like an old film noir protagonist....hard boiled, cynical and in search of the man who killed his partner (much like Humphrey Bogart in "The Maltese Falcon"). Eventually, McGraw relents in his nastiness enough for him and Jessica to investigate the murder together.

While the mystery might not be one of the best ones on the show so far, it did have very interesting characters and never was dull. Well worth seeing and it makes you want to see more of old Harry.

I have to say, right off, that I really enjoy Jerry Orbach's character (Harry McGraw) througout his run on "Murder, She Wrote," but I do feel that this is the best of those. Part of it is the origin aspect of it - the meeting with Jessica, before we really know what to think of Harry. Is he a suspect? It's hard to remember if I ever even thought that since I've seen this episode so many times, but certainly he comes off as a rather shady character - the cops have even stated that they will look the other way if he finds, and executes, his partner's killer! Now that shadiness gets smoothed over a bit by the end of the episode (and certainly in subsequent appearances) because he's a really likable character and he has good chemistry with Jessica.

I always enjoy the Jerry Orbach (Harry McGraw) episodes. I'm not sure why his spin-off series ("The Law and Harry McGraw") didn't fly. I confess I never saw it so I can't speak to its quality. Maybe that character doesn't work as well without a counter-weight like Jessica to keep him grounded. But he works really well here.

Apart from Jerry Orbach, the episode has several other great guest stars, most notable (for me, anyway) being Barbara Babcock, who is always wonderful. I've been a fan since (as an adolescent) I first saw her appearances on Star Trek TOS and Cheers.

Good solid story. I liked how they had three potential story lines (corresponding to the three cases Archie was working on when he was killed) going at once. It kept things moving along at a quick pace. One of the best!

Archie Miles's widow was played by Rosanna Huffman, aka Mrs. Richard Levinson (one of at least seven MSW appearances)?

And in this same episode: Harry's motherly secretary was Margery Nelson, aka Mrs. William Link?

Stuff like this used to happen quite a bit on series like Murder, She Wrote; it was part of the fun back in the day.

Just for fun, while you're here, you might like to check out the bosses's wives credits here; both Rosanna Huffman and Margery Nelson were talented actresses, who worked whenever they wanted to, and commanded respect within the industry (as did their writer-producer husbands, come to that ...) Happy Hunting!

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.

Notable for introducing the character of Harry McGraw, who would become a re-occurring character and one of the best, "Tough Guys Don't Die" is not one of the season's very best episodes (not as good as the previous episode which was one of my favourites of the show, but better than the two episodes before that one). It's still quite a lot of fun, even if darker than most of the Harry McGraw 'Murder She Wrote'.

It's at times a little limp in the script and there was suspicion as to who the murderer was three quarters of the way through (the motive however was less guessable and how Jessica came to the solution was clever). The very ending is a little on the corny side, like it tended to be on 'Murder She Wrote'.

"Tough Guys Don't Die" still looks good in the production values, nicely shot with a suitable location (though it's no The Mediterranean). The music has presence but also not making the mistake of over-scoring, while it is hard to forget or resist the theme tune.

Despite some limp moments, the script is often charming and amiable if somewhat less light-hearted than before. The story is clever and compelling, with a refreshing noir-ish feel that was unusual for 'Murder She Wrote' but suited a story that was quite dark in the first place. What makes the episode is the chemistry between Jessica and Harry, which is a sheer delight. The same can be said about the performances.

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), and after adoring his Lennie Briscoe and Lumiere for many years Orbach doesn't disappoint. The supporting cast are more than reliable.

Overall, a good introduction to Harry McGraw and a fun episode in general. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Jessica had taken the unusual step of hiring a Private investigator, to look into a historic case, the Danbury murder. Having no luck with contacting Judge Lambert, Archie Miles seemed her only option. Unfortunately Archie is murdered, prompting his partner Harry McGraw to compete with Jessica to solve the case.

I see others consider this story quite highly, and while I like the story, I find the execution of it rather messy, it's a little muddled in parts, and a little paint by numbers at the conclusion, the ending was a tad silly.

Praise though for introducing the character of Harry McGraw, Jerry Orbach really did perform well, a great on screen chemistry with Lansbury. Harry apart, I found the characters rather bland, somewhat unappealing, as always Lansbury shines through. 6/10