Season Nine opens with this Anthony Pullen Shaw-directed Laurence Heath-penned episode which establishes Angela Lansbury as "Murder, She Wrote's" Executive Producer, a position which she maintains for the duration of the series. This also marks the final television appearance by Cesar Romero.
Scenes of Milan, Italy, precede the action centering around Milano Film Festival's awards ceremonies, at which Milan-filmed adaptation of J.B. Fletcher's "All the Murderers" has been nominated for a best picture award. Entertainment Reporter (Paul Ryan) interviews producers, directors, performers and guests arriving to join in festivities.
Catherine Wayne (Susan Blakely) has produced "All the Murderers," with Jim Randall (Gary Kroeger) as its Director. When rival Producer Steve Morrison (Paul Gleason) requests Jim's services for a tentative film project, on loan from Jim's contract (two years remaining) with Catherine, she objects and plans to punish Jim with mediocre projects for considering Steve's offer.
When others begin to side with Catherine or Jim, but primarily Jim, Paul Crenshaw (Robert Harper) has a different problem with Catherine, who cuts him down to size in an attempt to control his career.
Tom Hiller (Robert Desiderio) serves as Accountant for Catherine Wayne Productions, and he promises to handle financial difficulties for her benefit after she receives notices regarding missing funds and debts which her company couldn't have incurred.
Louise Thayer (Leah Pinsent) stars in "All the Murderers," along with Marcello Abruzzi (Cesar Romero), who gladly accepts an invitation to join cast and crew at a lavish reception hosted by Countess (Barbara Pilavin), at which altercations begin to erupt.
For one thing, Louise's widowed father, Andrew Thayer (George Coe), sides with Steve Morrison and Jim Randall, as does Louise because she and Jim plan to become engaged soon...unless maybe murder or something may interrupt their plans.
(In many, many cases throughout the "MSW" series, when the only daughter of a widowed father intends to marry her suitor, her widowed father strongly objects. But this time around, Andrew delights in his daughter's announcement, and goes as far to say that he loves both Louise and Jim. How's this for a switch from the expected? But he's very handsome, caring, attentive and probably too good for her selfishness anyway. And that eccentric Valentine's Day hat has to go.)
Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) arrives at Milano Film Festival amid much ceremony, but without delusion that her original-story-turned-film-adaptation deserves a best picture award, she commenting that it's a fine film, but another fine film may also deserve the honors. Nor does she side in the debate between Catherine and Jim, as she remarks that they each hold high professional standards.
After speaking with Press Agent (Mary Wickliffe) and noticing the antics of Giorgio the Photographer (Time Winters), Jessica returns to her hotel to hear the screams of Maid (Grace Kent), who stumbles across a body when the Chambermaid admits Louise Thayer to discover Jim Randall's kneeling over the victim bludgeoned with an ashtray.
Inspector Lombardo (George DiCenzo) arrives to investigate the slaying, figuring that the balance of the evidence points toward Jim as the culprit even though Jim denies any knowledge of the attack because he was in another room at the time.
Jessica and Louise each maintains Jim's innocence, thrusting Jessica to search for a series of clues amid a locked room situation once she notices Giorgio the Photographer upon the outdoor balcony in the aftermath of "Murder in Milan."
This episode represents the only acting credit to date by Grace Kent, the first of two "MSW" appearances for Time Winters, the second of two each for Mary Wickliffe, George Coe, Gary Kroeger and Cesar Romero, the third of three each for Paul Gleason and Paul Ryan, the third of four each for Susan Blakely and Robert Desiderio, and the fifth of six for George DiCenzo.
Cesar Romero, acting in film and on television since 1935, Paul Gleason, acting since 1962, and Barbara Pilavin, acting since 1967, have unfortunately since passed.
Scenes of Milan, Italy, precede the action centering around Milano Film Festival's awards ceremonies, at which Milan-filmed adaptation of J.B. Fletcher's "All the Murderers" has been nominated for a best picture award. Entertainment Reporter (Paul Ryan) interviews producers, directors, performers and guests arriving to join in festivities.
Catherine Wayne (Susan Blakely) has produced "All the Murderers," with Jim Randall (Gary Kroeger) as its Director. When rival Producer Steve Morrison (Paul Gleason) requests Jim's services for a tentative film project, on loan from Jim's contract (two years remaining) with Catherine, she objects and plans to punish Jim with mediocre projects for considering Steve's offer.
When others begin to side with Catherine or Jim, but primarily Jim, Paul Crenshaw (Robert Harper) has a different problem with Catherine, who cuts him down to size in an attempt to control his career.
Tom Hiller (Robert Desiderio) serves as Accountant for Catherine Wayne Productions, and he promises to handle financial difficulties for her benefit after she receives notices regarding missing funds and debts which her company couldn't have incurred.
Louise Thayer (Leah Pinsent) stars in "All the Murderers," along with Marcello Abruzzi (Cesar Romero), who gladly accepts an invitation to join cast and crew at a lavish reception hosted by Countess (Barbara Pilavin), at which altercations begin to erupt.
For one thing, Louise's widowed father, Andrew Thayer (George Coe), sides with Steve Morrison and Jim Randall, as does Louise because she and Jim plan to become engaged soon...unless maybe murder or something may interrupt their plans.
(In many, many cases throughout the "MSW" series, when the only daughter of a widowed father intends to marry her suitor, her widowed father strongly objects. But this time around, Andrew delights in his daughter's announcement, and goes as far to say that he loves both Louise and Jim. How's this for a switch from the expected? But he's very handsome, caring, attentive and probably too good for her selfishness anyway. And that eccentric Valentine's Day hat has to go.)
Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) arrives at Milano Film Festival amid much ceremony, but without delusion that her original-story-turned-film-adaptation deserves a best picture award, she commenting that it's a fine film, but another fine film may also deserve the honors. Nor does she side in the debate between Catherine and Jim, as she remarks that they each hold high professional standards.
After speaking with Press Agent (Mary Wickliffe) and noticing the antics of Giorgio the Photographer (Time Winters), Jessica returns to her hotel to hear the screams of Maid (Grace Kent), who stumbles across a body when the Chambermaid admits Louise Thayer to discover Jim Randall's kneeling over the victim bludgeoned with an ashtray.
Inspector Lombardo (George DiCenzo) arrives to investigate the slaying, figuring that the balance of the evidence points toward Jim as the culprit even though Jim denies any knowledge of the attack because he was in another room at the time.
Jessica and Louise each maintains Jim's innocence, thrusting Jessica to search for a series of clues amid a locked room situation once she notices Giorgio the Photographer upon the outdoor balcony in the aftermath of "Murder in Milan."
This episode represents the only acting credit to date by Grace Kent, the first of two "MSW" appearances for Time Winters, the second of two each for Mary Wickliffe, George Coe, Gary Kroeger and Cesar Romero, the third of three each for Paul Gleason and Paul Ryan, the third of four each for Susan Blakely and Robert Desiderio, and the fifth of six for George DiCenzo.
Cesar Romero, acting in film and on television since 1935, Paul Gleason, acting since 1962, and Barbara Pilavin, acting since 1967, have unfortunately since passed.