Stage Struck

John Astin appeared in several episodes of Murder She Wrote, but this is the only one he directed, and it's an absolute gem! Oh how I wish he would have directed more, his sly wit is 'very Gomez'. The pacing, the timing, the comedic sense, the wink, wink insider jokes are absolute treasures. But - John Schuck in his eyeliner makeup is comedic perfection! He absolutely charmingly steals the show. Angela's double-takes to Schuck are priceless.

The timing and sound effects in the Schuck dressing room scene is sheer perfection! The entire episode has a wonderful Agatha Christie movies of the 1970's -1980's feel. It's an absolute joyride leaving me grinning rerun after rerun again and again!

Former big name stage stars Edward Mulhare and Eleanor Parker are appearing in a play near Cabot Cove that Jessica Fletcher and her late husband did in community theater many years ago. Of course the cosmopolitan Jessica knows these two and also knows that they've been on the rocks so to speak as a couple. Kind of like Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford back in the day.

So when soap star Ann Turkel goes on in Parker's place after a quarrel and Turkel is found dead later of cyanide poisoning it's Parker looking good for it.

Stealing this particular episode is John Schuck who is the police chief and part of the community theater. Amos Tupper apparently has a lot more to do in Cabot Cove than Schuck ever did. In his first murder case the frustrated ham morphs into Hercule Poirot. Schuck really is funny in the part, more like Clouseau than Poirot.

In her younger days Jessica had helped out at a small theatre, there she met husband Frank and married actors Julian and Maggie. On the opening night of the play Maggie is spooked and pulls out of performing, leaving the way clear for her understudy Barbara Bennington. That night Barbara dies, of cyanide poisoning, fortunately a member of the cast Merton Drock is the chief of Police, trouble is he feels out of his depth, step in Jessica Fletcher.

I enjoyed this episode very much, a very entertaining story with a clever sub plot. We get to see a little bit of Jessica's youth, plus the origins of her meeting husband Frank. The characters are particularly strong, Eleanor Parker is wonderful as Maggie, as is John Schuck's eccentric detective. Plenty of suspects, and a victim I didn't really see coming.

Very good. 8/10

Two actor friends, Maggie and Julian (Eleanor Parker and Edward Mulhare), of Jessica's are due to appear in a revival of the play which launched their careers 30 years earlier, but Maggie finds threatening notes on stage, she stands down in favour of her understudy, who dies of cyanide poisoning. Jessica, as ever, decides to investigate.

Cyanide, theatre, stage actor getting threatening messages, an actress that would like to take the lime light and a detective who thinks he's Hercule Poriot - all this is classic murder mystery homage and done very well. There's some nice misdirection and some good humour from a detective who has illusions of being a golden age of mystery detective but gets it wrong. But Jessica gets it right.

"Stage Struck", not surprisingly, is set at a play which is about to debut. And, not surprisingly, Jessica Fletcher just happens to be there.

As rehearsals are occurring, again and again, someone seems to be tormenting the leading lady (Eleanor Parker)....driving her towards the brink of a breakdown. In fact, it eventually becomes so bad that the understudy is told she'll go on instead on opening night. This is tough, as the understudy is poisoned. But who did it? And, who was tormenting the original leading lady?

This is a decent episode but it has two minor problems. The sheriff (John Shuck) is absolutely too stupid and should have been toned down a bit. Additionally, the plot is a bit overly complicated and confusing....but still not bad.