Jump to content

Murder, She Wrote


Franko

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 319
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

Rockabye was the first of the CBS Sunday Movies that followed MSW.

Crazy Like A Fox and Trapper John were not holding the 60Min/MSW leadin and being beaten by movies on NBC and ABC so CBS decided to get into the act. 

That week MSW was 3rd 28.5/40 and Rockabye 4th 25.3/38.

Love how those promos tried to jazz up the show by showing fights, bodies falling from windows etc with cuts to Jessica showing various expressions. The only action bit they called find for her was rushing to answer the phone! I was probably her hairdresser cancelling an appointment..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

It would be interesting to go back and understand what the expectations and media coverage were for this show before it debuted. Everything I've seen points to it being an "unexpected" and "surprise" hit. I guess that's to be expected about a show starring a senior citizen that's a non-professional sleuth. 

This promo for a TV Guide cover story on the show and Angela Lansbury certainly spins it as a surprise hit:

Please register in order to view this content

Barbara Walters does as well in her 1985 Special interview with Angela Lansbury:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Well CBS did place it Sunday @8 so they must have had some faith in it. Probably feeling that it would flow nicely from 60 Minutes.

The competition was kid oriented action/adventure Hardcastle & McCormick (ABC) and Knight Rider (NBC)

In Wk 1, MSW ranked 9th, Knight Rider was 10th and Hardcastle was 32nd.

The following week MSW was 10th but Knight rider fell to 32nd.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Still, even on Sunday nights, and following an older-skewing show like "60 Minutes," there were no guarantees that audiences would have wanted to tune into a "cozy" mystery series -- remember, we're talking about the era of "Magnum, P.I." and "The A-Team" -- and one starring someone who had no cache beyond Broadway and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks."  Everyone at CBS flipped for it, but would the rest of America feel the same way?  It was probably a relief, then, when they found out that the rest of America did.

I guess that (promos designed to make the show look more action-oriented) was to be expected.  After all, CBS had to hook the younger audiences somehow.  But, man, imagine how disappointed some must've felt to tune into the actual show after seeing one of THOSE commercials, lol.

It still burns me up how the network (and specifically Les Moonves) wouldn't allow Angela Lansbury to end the series on her terms.  I mean, MSW (and "60 Minutes") essentially pulled the rest of the network through some very dark times in the '80's and '90's, and that's the thanks she gets?  A move to a Thursday night time slot she didn't have a chance of succeeding in?

If a show like MSW no longer fits within your long-range plans for your network, fine.  Sit down with all parties and work out the best way to close out the show with some dignity.  Tell 'em they have one more year and then advertise the hell out of it so the show can go out on top.  But to relegate it to a different night after America has spent over a decade making it a go-to destination for Sunday nights....

MSW wasn't just cancelled.  It was murdered.

Edited by Khan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Angela tells Donahue at the beginning of this interview that they weren’t sure they had a hit on their hands in the beginning and that the show found it’s audience via repeats - but the data we have seems to contradict that. Angela herself said she didn’t expect it to last more than a year as well.

Please register in order to view this content

 

Edited by BetterForgotten
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Odd Angela would say that as the show was a hit right out of the gate.

Sometimes,on air talent are several steps removed from ratings and such so she may be  misremembering or not properly informed.

Apart from MSW CBS only launched Charles in Charge (which went on to be a syndication hit) Dreams (with John Stamos) and the ill fated Cover Up (Jon Erik Hexum shot himself on set).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Who could blame Angela - Patty Duke stole her Oscar for The Manchurian Candidate.

I always found it odd that for as many MGM actors who appeared, and who Angela delighted in giving great paying guest shots that maintained their SAG insurance, major MGM people like Ann Miller or Arlene Dahl never did.

I always wondered if those glamour girls treated Angela like sh*t on the MGM backlot and when she finally had some power she exercised it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
In the 1986-87 TV season, CBS came up with the idea of a crossover between 'Magnum, p.i.' and 'Murder, She Wrote'. Michael Eisenberg of CBS told 'Newsday', "'Magnum' has more viewers who are male, teens and children, while 55% of 'Murder, She Wrote's' audience is women. This could bring more women to 'Magnum'. If this works, you'll see more such crossovers." 
 
Robert Swanson of 'Murder, She Wrote' and Jay Huguely of 'Magnum, p.i.' "worked very closely together. Obviously, the tough part for Jay Huguely was to put together the first part, the 'Magnum' episode, so it looked like a 'Magnum' and, at the same time, to bring in Angela as Jessica so that she looked good. I had the easier job. I had to make sure with the 'Murder' episode that we had four or five characters, as always one of whom would turn out to be the murderer, while doing justice to Tom Selleck as Magnum." 
 
Jay Huguely mentioned, "All along, adjustments were being made to suit the two lead characters. 'Magnum' is pretty much straight action-adventure regularly, with a big climax. In this case, because of Jessica Fletcher, our show had to be somewhat more complex and cerebral even with all the action." 'Newsday' reported, "When their scripts were finished, Swanson and Huguely found they still had more to do. Since the shows won't be sold together when they're sold into syndication as reruns, each hour episode had to be complete in and of itself." B. Donald Grant of CBS told 'Knight-Ridder Newspapers', "The key to these things is to create a certain amount of linkage between these shows in the minds of the viewers." 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

IIRC, there were also plans for an MSW/"Simon & Simon" crossover, but those never came to fruition.

Truthfully, I haven't seen the "Magnum" episode w/ Angela Lansbury, because "Magnum" just isn't my kind of show.  But I have seen the MSW one w/ Tom Selleck and I thought it was well-done.

Edited by Khan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Well, when you put it that way, lol.

Just imagine, for the moment, Jessica popping up and solving mysteries on various CBS shows.  Heck, she could have even put in an appearance as one of Murphy Brown's short-lived secretaries, lol!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • Lol is that like an AI type of thing that popped up?

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Upton introduced a slew of new characters which must have had viewers heads spinning. And then Jean Holloway wrote all of them out. No wonder viewers switched off. And now we return to Love of Life... Charles, after a long period of refusing to admit he’s paralyzed, has had to accept his new life in a wheelchair, but insists that only Felicia care for him. Despite her growing exhaustion, he refuses to consider hiring a nurse, and Felicia, under the weight of her self imposed guilt forfeits her art work to accede to Charles’s demands and devote herself entirely tohis needs. She tells herself that being a prisoner in this house is her punishment and refuses to allow her mind to drift to Eddie, who had opened her mind to new levels. Despite Dr. Cusack’s insistence on additional help after Felicia’s first collapse, Charles continues to insist that only she can administer to him. But Felicia collapses again, this time with viral pneumonia, and a nurse is brought in. Felicia’s condition worsens instead of improving, causing Joe to speculate that it’s due to Charles’s subtle encouragement of Felicia’s guilt feelings and her own self-punishment. Eddie visits her, even though they decided not to see each other any more because of the emotional pull between them. In the delirium of a spiking fever Felicia calls out for Eddie. Joe feels she has reached a crisis and wants her in the hospital, but Charles is still clinging to her. When Felicia finally passes the crisis point and recovers, Sara warns her that she called for Eddie and must be more careful in the future.  The district attorney charges Ben with fraud and conspiracy. Meg puts up his bail. As Arlene, terrified of jail, is taken into custody, Carrie has an attack of chest pain. Ben continues to try to prove to Betsy that he loves her and has grown up, but circumstances continue to make her question his motives, and she rejects his overtures. Arlene, questioned by the court officer preparing the court report, cynically states that the rich, like the Harpers, always get away with everything and she will take the rap. She accidentally slips and mentions the forged divorce papers, and the officer notes this.Carrie is hospitalized. Joe suspects a dangerous thoracic aneurism, but then, all heart involvements are dangerous. Arlene wants to stay, but has to go to court for the sentencing. Ben, at his own insistence, makes a statement absolving Arlene of all responsibility, saying her only crime was loving him too much. The judge takes this into consideration and sentences Arlene to six months probation. However, when sentencing Ben, he explains that new evidence has turned up—the forgeries—and Ben is sentenced to one to four years. Ben asks to begin serving his sentence immediately. As Ben tried to arrange financial aid for Betsy through Jamie, she visits him in jail, saying the offer was “decent” but this is her baby. When he insists the baby was conceived in love, Betsy claims he was only pretending love. When Ben tells her to tell the baby that “there was a father who would have really welcomed him into this world,” Betsy rushes out in tears, and Ben starts to cry. Jamie, having waited patiently for Diana to recover from her emotional depressionn,now tells her he can no longer live with her as brother and sister. Diana replies that they have good memories and have taught each other how deep a relationship can be, but now it is time for them to go their separate ways. Meg, learning that the child of an annulled marriage is legitimate and the father has rights, sets up a trust fund for Betsy’s baby. Betsy doesn’t want her child ruined by money. Arlene is having trouble holding a job, despite help from her parole officer, and is under the twin pressures of having to repay Ray’s bail loan and the stunning news that Carrie’s necessary surgery will cost over ten thousand dollars. Carrie, discovering this, checks herself out of the hospital. Joe and Dr. Tom Crawford explain to Arlene that the money end of the surgery can be handled through the free clinic, but Carrie must have the surgery now. But Carrie’s past due hospital bill has been turned over to a collection agency, and Arlene is out of work again, so she goes to Ray for help. He would like to turn her down, as he has discovered that she was informing Rick of Ray’s attempts to muscle in on Skylar Mountain, but when his influential customer, Mr. Ian Russell, tells Ray he wants to meet that girl, Ray lets Arlene know he has a job for her. Meg asks Rick if they can start over together, but Rick has had it and is clearing out his desk. Learning that Ray has withdrawn his backing offer to Rick and that Rick has no available cash, Meg calls his bluff. She sets a price on her share so high that Rick can’t touch it, and sets her price for buying him out so low that he would have nothing left. Rick and Cal decide to elope and tell everyone afterward. But Meg gets wind of the plans and confronts them in Rick’s office. She blurts out that Cal is not the only one who loves Rick and that she and Rick were lovers as recently as a month ago. Rick tries to explain to Cal, but she is revolted and takes off in her car. When she runs it off the road, she takes off on foot, and is found, exhausted, by a hunter, who calls the highway patrol. When Rick arrives with Joe,. she refuses to let Rick anywhere near her. Cal refuses to believe Rick’s assurances that he’s really through with Meg, and makes plans to go to San Francisco. Meg, learning from Jamie .that Rick is severing their partnership, informs her lawyer that she wants all monies in both Beaver Ridge and Skylar _ Mountain tied up, and she wants Rick ruined. Rick follows Cal to California and tells her he has given up everything to prove that Meg means nothing to him. Cal insists that she feels nothing, but relents when Betsy calls, confirming everything Rick has said. She then admits that she loves him but says it won’t work. But Meg has followed them and confronts them in Cal’s hotel room. She informs Rick she’s bringing a suit against him for breaking up their partnership and this will ruin him. Rick quickly points out that Meg just defeated herself rather than him, because Cal had refused to marry him, thinking her mother loved him. Seeing what Meg’s “love” is, there is no reason for Cal to deny her own love for him.  
    • fyi. there is some discussion of the views of the new Pope Leo on the "politics thread". (Link) 
    • The poster said "update", so they were likely following up on their own post on this thread about Pope Francis' funeral.   That is all.
    • This is probably an unfair generalization, but I do say it with affection: I've always thought of Felicia (and by extension, Linda Dano) as "your mother's fabulous but slightly insufferable friend." Sort of a Godmommie Mame, you know?
    • Pope Leo of Pine Valley

      Please register in order to view this content

    • I am loathe to gatekeep but why is the new pope being chosen posted here? RIP In Memoriam thread is for those who have died. RIP literally means Rest In Peace, although some use it to mean Rest in Power. Either way the issue is death.
    • Please register in order to view this content

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy