153. Murder, She Wrote (CBS, 1984-96)

by Pierre de Plume

After its network premiere in 1984, the stylized crime drama Murder, She Wrote soon became a ratings hit, landing in the top 10 for 10 of its 12 seasons. The program showcased Broadway leading lady and veteran Hollywood actor Angela Lansbury as a retired New England school teacher who embarks on a career as a writer of mystery novels — only to find herself immersed in a steady spate of homicides occurring in curious proximity to her coastal New England home. The title of the series is a reference to Murder, She Said, a 1961 film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple novel titled 4:50 from Paddington.

After its network premiere in 1984, the stylized crime drama Murder, She Wrote soon became a ratings hit, landing in the top 10 for 10 of its 12 seasons. The program showcased Broadway leading lady and veteran Hollywood actor Angela Lansbury as a retired New England school teacher who embarks on a career as a writer of mystery novels — only to find herself immersed in a steady spate of homicides occurring in curious proximity to her coastal New England home. The title of the series is a reference to Murder, She Said, a 1961 film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple novel titled 4:50 from Paddington.

. FletDr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mystery Writer J. Bucher. At age 66 and currently living in a Midwestern city, I like to think I’m still sort of cool as long as we’re grading on the curve. In 1984, though — the year Murder, She Wrote premiered on network TV, my coolness factor was running fairly solid: I’d been living in San Francisco (a cool place) for a decade. I had a cool job (budding actor). I supported the cool social causes. To fortify my status I’d even cast my ballot for cool mayoral candidate Jello Biafra, lead vocalist for the punk band Dead Kennedys.

All this coolness came into question, however, when I found myself glued to the TV set Sundays at 8:00 pm to discover what kind of murderous soup was in store for a widowed English teacher-turned-mystery writer known by the pen name J. B. Fletcher. With an unfailing tendency to stumble upon — and singlehandedly solve — one real-life murder after another in her New England coastal town, this Miss Marple–like character soon made a name for herself well beyond the boundaries of quaint and scenic Cabot Cove, Maine.

Soon after Murder, She Wrote entered the public consciousness, the show and its star performer became the subject of lighthearted humor involving the unusually high murder rate within the show’s setting, Cabot Cove, Maine. Some theorists advanced the facetious notion that Jessica Fletcher herself was always the murderer and, therefore, a serial killer. Such attention helped spur the success of the show as well as several spin-off novels, a short-lived spin-off TV series (The Law & Harry MacGraw starring frequent guest star Jerry Orbach as a private investigator), a board game, a jigsaw puzzle and, after the series was cancelled, 4 TV movies.

Soon after Murder, She Wrote entered the public consciousness, the show and its star performer became the subject of lighthearted humor involving the unusually high murder rate within the show’s setting, Cabot Cove, Maine. Some theorists advanced the facetious notion that Jessica Fletcher herself was always the murderer and, therefore, a serial killer. Such attention helped spur the success of the show as well as several spin-off novels, a short-lived spin-off TV series (The Law & Harry MacGraw starring frequent guest star Jerry Orbach as a private investigator), a board game, a jigsaw puzzle and, after the series was cancelled, 4 TV movies.

From the outset, the appeal of this series rested largely with viewers over the age of 50, the majority of them female, as well as with single women a decade or two younger plus a devoted following of gay men. Somewhat surprisingly — because the program generally received only fair-to-middling critical regard — its fan base maintained viewer ratings in the top 15 for nearly all of its 12-year run.

The paradox accompanying the longlasting success of Murder, She Wrote was how on earth a series about a 60-something female lead — with no husband, no family and no romance in her life — would maintain such audience devotion week after week, year after year. With a dated premise, a highly stylized format, and stock characters, the episodes were consistently regarded by critics as not just formulaic and predictable but even old-fashioned and hackneyed.

In my case, at least, the show’s program schedule fit perfectly with my own routine. I’d return home Sunday nights to wind down for the coming workweek by preparing dinner and would sit down to eat in front of the TV just as Angela Lansbury’s familiar voice proclaimed, “Tonight on Murder, She Wrote….” This routine became familiar and comfortable. When the show went into syndicated broadcasts of 5 days per week I was in heaven: I’d get off work, go to the gym, and head to my sofa with plate of food in hand just as the refrains of the show’s earwig theme song — and the image of Jessica’s vintage Royal Magic Margin typewriter — lulled me. In other words, Murder, She Wrote was my comfort food. I’m convinced a comparable ritual was the case for millions of other viewers.

The creators of Murder, She Wrote originally envisioned the Jessica Fletcher character to be a bit eccentric and dotty, similar to Margaret Rutherford’s earlier film interpretation of Miss Marple. Further evidence of this preference might be that Jean Stapleton, whose characterization of Edith Bunker (All in the Family) was well known, was the first choice to play Jessica. (Doris Day reportedly turned down the role, as well). Lansbury’s perception of the character indeed appears to be domestically adept and sweetly agreeable, especially during the program’s earlier seasons, but her Jessica is more gracious than bumbling.

The creators of Murder, She Wrote originally envisioned the Jessica Fletcher character to be a bit eccentric and dotty, similar to Margaret Rutherford’s earlier film interpretation of Miss Marple. Further evidence of this preference might be that Jean Stapleton, whose characterization of Edith Bunker (All in the Family) was well known, was the first choice to play Jessica. (Doris Day reportedly turned down the role, as well). Lansbury’s perception of the character indeed appears to be domestically adept and sweetly agreeable, especially during the program’s earlier seasons, but her Jessica is more gracious than bumbling.

Examining the Program’s Origins and Structure. Credit for the idea of a TV series to echo the style of British writer Dame Agatha Christie’s mystery novels belongs to writer/producers Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, who previously had been involved in the series Columbo, Mannix, and Ellery Queen. After these producers unsuccessfully offered the role of Jessica Fletcher to multiple Emmy award winner Jean Stapleton (All in the Family), Lansbury, who had been searching for a network series to expand her career, signed on eagerly.

The program’s premise and format were straightforward and simple: Jessica Fletcher, a widowed and childless resident of tiny Cabot Cove, Maine, has turned to writing mystery novels to fill the time after her recent retirement from teaching high school English. Her first effort, The Corpse Dances at Midnight, authored under the gender-neutral pen name J. B. Fletcher, has been well received so she continues her work in a similar vein. Jessica’s personal life, however, becomes interrupted on a regular basis when a string of apparently unrelated murders in the area pique her curiousity and spur her involvement. Like clockwork, she exercises her newly acquired skills as an amateur detective but frequently encounters skepticism from law enforcement professionals — invariably male — who condescendingly resist her lightweight theories as far-fetched.

In some of the episodes, because of Jessica’s proximity to the crime and her associations with so many of the relevant facts, she temporarily becomes a potential suspect. (In the 1985 episode “Jessica Behind Bars,” circumstances surrounding the murder result in Jessica’s being placed under arrest, thereby obliging her to conduct her investigation from a jail cell with outside assistance from trusted friends.) Reliably undeterred and always the nosy sleuth, Jessica listens to her instincts and inevitably undergoes an “Aha!” moment — connecting a previously irrelevant tidbit — upon which she solves the mystery, adroitly demonstrates the innocence of the wrongly accused suspect, and exposes the true murderer — usually an unlikable jerk — in a revelatory, climactic flashback of events that typically leads to a gushing confession from the killer. After commercial, the episode concludes with a moment of lighthearted humor between Jessica and one or two of the supporting characters.

As Murder, She Wrote evolved over time, so did Jessica’s character. Lansbury was instrumental in presenting a modern, feminist-minded woman who could stand toe to toe with men while at the same time being appealing and comfortable in professional circles. Lansbury’s efforts to mold a strong, older, and female protagonist, however, led to conflict between her and the show’s writer/producers — a conflict in which Lansbury would emerge victorious both creatively and financially.

As Murder, She Wrote evolved over time, so did Jessica’s character. Lansbury was instrumental in presenting a modern, feminist-minded woman who could stand toe to toe with men while at the same time being appealing and comfortable in professional circles. Lansbury’s efforts to mold a strong, older, and female protagonist, however, led to conflict between her and the show’s writer/producers — a conflict in which Lansbury would emerge victorious both creatively and financially.

The Primary Ingredient: Angela Lansbury. By the time Lansbury agreed in 1984 to take on a weekly TV series, her professional credentials and durability as a stage and film star were secure. Even though the quality of the Murder, She Wrote scripts failed to bring critical acclaim, Lansbury herself received positive reviews. With an upper middle class pedigree that included exposure since childhood to British politics as well as to the world of the London stage, Lansbury injected not just technique but gravitas into a role in which other performers may have fallen short. By 1989 she’d negotiated status as co-producer followed in 1993 by that of executive producer. These positions gave Lansbury the ability to modernize the show’s tone and substance. By extending the show’s setting and therefore budget beyond Cabot Cove to locales both domestic and foreign, Lansbury expanded the elegance, scope and depth of her character. As J. B. Fletcher’s career as a writer flourished, so did her reputation as an expert in the field of criminology. These vistas transported Lansbury’s character to international worlds such as opera, fashion, show business, politics and intrigue, as well as to the interim appointment of J. B. Fletcher as a sitting member of Congress. In 1993 the show moved to Manhattan, where J. B. taught university-level classes in criminology.

Jessica Fletcher’s strongest personal relationship throughout the series was with Cabot Cove physician Seth Hazlitt, played by Emmy award winner William Windom. The show’s writers were careful to maintain the portrayal of this duo as platonic, with nary a hint of romance. Rather, Jessica’s frequent encounters with this highly educated and respected male provided opportunities for them to commisserate on an intellectual as well as personal level.

Jessica Fletcher’s strongest personal relationship throughout the series was with Cabot Cove physician Seth Hazlitt, played by Emmy award winner William Windom. The show’s writers were careful to maintain the portrayal of this duo as platonic, with nary a hint of romance. Rather, Jessica’s frequent encounters with this highly educated and respected male provided opportunities for them to commisserate on an intellectual as well as personal level.

When Lansbury assumed the role of co-producer, she encouraged her writers to create opportunities to stretch her acting chops. In this episode from Season 5, Jessica goes undercover as a Cockney floozy so she can ply information from a shady barkeep (played by Stanley Kamel). A clip of the scene, during

which Jessica bums a cigarette and boogies to a jukebox, appears here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li0_uKx-NTo

Matters of Love and Sex. At Lansbury’s insistence, one direction the writers avoided for their lead character was the pursuit of romance. An abundant supply of potential male suitors appeared over the years, with some of them appropriately expressing an interest in more intimacy. Jessica, however, content with the memories of her first and only marriage, would have none of it. The closest the series came to venturing into romance began with the program’s premiere episode, in which the casting of Arthur Hill as Jessica’s first publisher suggested a potential for romance. Probably and fortunately for the sake of the series, Hill’s character turned out to be the episode’s killer and was residing in prison by Episode 2. Hill’s character was resurrected later in an episode during Season 7, but he was tragically murdered just when a renewed romance seemed possible.

The only other effort to bring romantic dimension into Jessica’s life also occurred during Season 1. This time, however, the potential suitor was a college-age male secretary (played by Andrew Stevens) whose bold advances were quickly quashed by Jessica even while other characters assumed — much to Jessica’s dismay — that the good-looking student in her employ was actually her boy toy.

Perhaps to portray Jessica’s ability to engage in “girl talk,” several episodes featured scenes set in the local hair salon. Pictured here is beautician Loretta Spiegel (Ruth Roman), who proves to be a reliable source of town gossip, some of which helps Jessica solve a case. Appearing in background is guest star Kathryn Grayson. Other veteran actresses who appeared as guest stars include Jane Greer, Patricia Neal, Carroll Baker, Beah Richards, Susan Strasberg, Gloria Stuart, Margaret O’Brien, Lynn Redgrave, Marian Seldes, Virginia Mayo, Piper Laurie, Christina Pickles, and Claire Trevor. (For a complete list of series guest stars see link below.)

Perhaps to portray Jessica’s ability to engage in “girl talk,” several episodes featured scenes set in the local hair salon. Pictured here is beautician Loretta Spiegel (Ruth Roman), who proves to be a reliable source of town gossip, some of which helps Jessica solve a case. Appearing in background is guest star Kathryn Grayson. Other veteran actresses who appeared as guest stars include Jane Greer, Patricia Neal, Carroll Baker, Beah Richards, Susan Strasberg, Gloria Stuart, Margaret O’Brien, Lynn Redgrave, Marian Seldes, Virginia Mayo, Piper Laurie, Christina Pickles, and Claire Trevor. (For a complete list of series guest stars see link below.)

In addition to its vast stable of veteran guest stars, Murder, She Wrote also employed young actors who worked for less money because they were at the beginning of their careers. Pictured here is Neil Patrick Harris at age 19 in a 1993 episode in which he plays a grocery store delivery boy who stumbles upon the scene of the crime.

In addition to its vast stable of veteran guest stars, Murder, She Wrote also employed young actors who worked for less money because they were at the beginning of their careers. Pictured here is Neil Patrick Harris at age 19 in a 1993 episode in which he plays a grocery store delivery boy who stumbles upon the scene of the crime.

George Clooney had been playing small parts in both film and television when he was cast, at age 26, in a 1987 episode titled “No Laughing Murder.” Other performers of younger generations who appeared on the show include Megan Mullalley, Jackie Earle Haley, Cynthia Nixon, Joaquin Phoenix, Bill Maher, Courtney Cox, Caitlyn Jenner (billed as Bruce Jenner), Andy Garcia, Linda Hamilton, Robert Forster, Linda Blair, George Takei, and 1982 Playboy Playmate of the Year Shannon Tweed. (For a complete list of series guest stars see link below.)

George Clooney had been playing small parts in both film and television when he was cast, at age 26, in a 1987 episode titled “No Laughing Murder.” Other performers of younger generations who appeared on the show include Megan Mullalley, Jackie Earle Haley, Cynthia Nixon, Joaquin Phoenix, Bill Maher, Courtney Cox, Caitlyn Jenner (billed as Bruce Jenner), Andy Garcia, Linda Hamilton, Robert Forster, Linda Blair, George Takei, and 1982 Playboy Playmate of the Year Shannon Tweed. (For a complete list of series guest stars see link below.)

Death by Demographics. Concurrent with Lansbury’s efforts to modernize the subject matter and appeal of Murder, She Wrote, the age of the program’s audience began to go downward. By 1991, one-third of the viewership was under the age of 50. Three years later, in an effort to appeal to larger young audiences, CBS moved the show to a Thursday night timeslot opposite the comedy sitcom Friends, which effectively spelled demise for Lansbury’s show and its company of more than 200 employees. Ratings plummeted and the show slipped from 8th place to 58th. Unable to compete with “Must See TV” and hampered by a Sunday-night audience that didn’t adjust to the new timeslot, Murder, She Wrote was cancelled at the end of its 12th season, with the final 4 episodes airing in the original Sunday night timeslot. The last, paradoxically titled, “Death by Demographics,” aired in August 1996.

Lansbury, however, left the show a considerably wealthier woman and with 12 Emmy nominations and 4 Golden Globe awards to show for her work.

For Further Reference:

LIST OF MURDER, SHE WROTE CHARACTERS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Murder,_She_Wrote_characters

COMPLETE LIST OF GUEST STARS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Murder,_She_Wrote_guest_stars

“WHY I MISS MURDER, SHE WROTE”

https://www.cinemablend.com/television/Why-I-Miss-Murder-She-Wrote-59642.html

“16 REASONS YOU MUST REVISIT ‘MURDER, SHE WROTE'”

https://www.buzzfeed.com/marcelle/16-reasons-you-must-revisit-murder-she-wrote-82mt?utm_term=.gvjdGJk45#.rw6n8jxYE

“The Jessica Fletcher House” (aka Blair House Inn)

https://hookedonhouses.net/2014/12/15/angela-lansburys-victorian-in-murder-she-wrote/