Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) When the Fat Lady Sings (1989) User Reviews

A middling episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 21 March 2021]

Jessica is in San Francisco with an old friend, the pair get caught up in a Theatrical Murder.

I am slightly baffled as to which Opera they were performing, maybe it was a crossover of three different plays?

I thought this was a fair episode, not a favourite, but a decent watch. It's great to see Keith Michell back as smooth talking Dennis, but even he couldn't transform this from an average episode to something better.

I thought one or two of the performances were a little over the top, but I suppose were in keeping with the style and tone of the story.

The music was slightly ill judged on a few occasions, one of the most dramatic, theatrical pieces of music ever to project from a stage, unfortunately it overtakes the events of the story.

It's ok, 6/10.

"Fall of the House of Opera"

[WeatherViolet · 6/10 · 6 April 2010]

San Francisco opera devotees receive more than they bargain for when the first wave of bodies begin to surface in an alley outside the theatre during a performance of Giacomo Puccini compositions.

This begins in the aftermath of an altercation with firearms, leading paramedics to transport one victim, while police investigate a lifeless body amid a crowd of witnesses, which includes Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) and Dennis Stanton (Keith Michell).

When Paramedic (David Elliott) informs Silvana Bertolucci (Carol Lawrence) that she may not climb into the ambulance, she does anyway, and so Jessica invites Teresa Mancini (Lila Kaye) to accompany Dennis and her on the trail of the ambulance to the hospital.

SFPD Lieutenant Birnbaum (Jerry Stiller) questions Doctor (Tom Tarpey) as to the condition of the victim of a coronary seizure, and then Lieutenant Birnbaum turns his attention to Jessica to listen to her account of the incident.

Jessica reveals that she had been breakfasting in a San Francisco hotel, where Dennis Stanton reacquaintes himself with her and invites her to a Puccini opera performance even though she had planned upon leaving San Francisco, but she couldn't resist the invitation.

Dennis introduces Jessica to Rosanno Bertolucci (Theodore Bikel), a Tenor in the company, who in turn, introduces the opera fans to his performing wife, Silvana, and his Aunt Teresa Mancini, who also performs in the opera company.

After Anna Martinelli had passed the year before, Maria Deschier (Kathleen Beller) had presented herself to Rosanno as Anna's daughter, and so Rosanno had inducted Maria into his company in fond memory of Anna.

But Rosanno has grown very protective of Maria and prohibits her old flame, Lou Faraday (James Short), from seeing her, Rosanno going as far as to ban Lou from the opera house.

Reporter Barry Sanderson (Mark Herrier), meanwhile, also tags along with Maria to protect her from Lou and others who attempt to assault her, as Barry spends his time around the opera house and its dressing rooms.

Dennis invites Jessica into the rehearsal quarters, where she claims never to have seen an opera house backstage before, and where they meet performer Howard (Walter Olkewicz), who rejects Giorgio Russo (Leo Damian) as a candidate for a role as Tenor, with Stage Manager (Tom Kendall) conducting the thwarted audition.

Special Agent Dixon (Tom Van Hoof) soon begins to trail Dennis around San Francisco, Dennis spotting his pursuer through his rear-view mirror, and leading him into an office, where Special Agent Dixon informs Dennis of an international emerald-smuggling ring, which may be linked to the opera company.

But after another altercation occurs, this between Rosanno Bertolucci and Guard (Chuck Hicks), Rosanno lifts Guard's uniform to disguise himself, before he sneaks into an apartment building, at which he discovers the results of yet another altercation, this leaving a ransacked apartment with someone lying upon the floor, and another body lying in the courtyard, after a victim is bludgeoned and pushed from a balcony. Apartment security guards, naturally, enter right behind Rosanno, to accuse him of the new murder and another attempted murder.

After discussing clues with Dennis and Lieutenant Birnbaum, Jessica figures the identity of the perpetrator of the crime wave, and she sets a trap to force a confession before more bodies may turn up because the opera's all over "When the Fat Lady Sings."

This episode represents the only acting credit to date by Tom Van Hoof, as well as the the second of two "MSW" appearances for Kathleen Beller, the second of three for David Elliott, the second of four for Theodore Bikel, the third of four for Carol Lawrence, and the second of nine "MSW's" for Keith Michell (each in his role as Dennis Stanton).

(Extra points for the fine performance by the multi-talented Carol Lawrence, who capably handles demanding roles and foreign accents with convincing portrayals in spite of an otherwise downbeat episode with a weak title.)

A great pleasure, but....

[tadimaggio · 8/10 · 16 August 2020]

Any chance to spend an hour, not only with our old friend Jessica, but with Carol Lawrence, Keith Michel, and especially the late, great Theodore Bikel is a welcome treat; but I have one question. Exactly WHICH Puccini opera are Rossano and his company performing? Rossano is costumed as a king, Maria as a Colorful Peasant Girl with a basket of fruit, and the kvetch as a cardinal. This means that it certainly isn't any of Puccini's "Big Five": "Tosca", "Turandot", "La Boheme", "Madama Butterfly", and "The Girl of the Golden West". Nor can I find any other Puccini work with a cast which contains these character elements. Just curious.

The high and low Cs

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 19 January 2018]

This story of Murder She Wrote has Jessica Fletcher in San Francisco where she runs into Dennis Stanton who has a pair of tickets for the opera. There's quite a lot going on at the opera that has little to do with singing.

Star Theodore Bikel is encouraging a new singer Kathleen Beller and she does not have the chops to make it in grand opera. It's the opinion of just about everybody in the company including Bikel's wife Carol Lawrence. But when you're the star your word is law.

Of course rumors abound and they really reach a fever pitch when a murder occurs and Bikel is accused of same. He also suffered a cardiac incident at the same time. Between them Angela Lansbury and Keith Michell it all gets sorted out and police lieutenant Jerry Stiller makes an arrest.

Scenes between Lansbury and Michell are precious indeed. He was the best of all the characters that Lansbury kept running into circling the globe as she did.

Somehow I could never see Dennis Stanton settling down in Cabot Cove.

One of the show's best fun episodes

[GaryLThompson · 9/10 · 16 August 2017]

When the culprit sees a confession immediately followed by Jessica Fletcher, Dennis Stanton and the cop working the case filing into the room, it's pretty clear the, ah, fat lady has sung on this murder plot. It's one of the nice classic scenes of the season, but it's only the pinnacle of an episode in which the creators and cast must have had quite a bit of fun with.

This Murder She Wrote episode wasn't filled with soap opera plot developments--it's pure opera itself, with suitable musical score and Italian-opera style twists and complications in the plotting. When Jessica tries to solve this one even she admits that she's beginning to lose track of the developments swirling about the opera company, the Puccini-hating cop is experiencing culture shock, and Dennis seems to have stumbled across the development that the opera company seems to be mixed up with a jewel-smuggling racket. Of course it proves out in the end that Jessica is the only one who can read all the right clues correctly, and expose the culprit. And as bonus, the viewer also is treated to some of the sounds and sights of San Francisco.

A good episode...despite a LOT of exposition at the end.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 6 December 2022]

"When the Fat Lady Sings", not surprisingly, is set at an opera company. The story is good, though the end of the show was a tad weak, as the police detective needed to explain what ACTUALLY happened to both Jessica and the audience.

The story begins with an opera star (Theodore Bikel) apparently shooting a man...and then suffering a heart attack. In the next scene, a police detective (Jerry Stiller) is interviewing Jessica about what she knew about the shooting...which at this point isn't much. Little do either know that another corpse will soon turn up AND the case will revolve around $7,000,000 in smuggled emeralds!

The story is pretty good and it was nice seeing Jessica's very larcenous friend from season 5 once again....and he's apparently learned to walk the straight and narrow! Worth your time.

A Night at the Opera

[lucyrfisher · 9/10 · 21 May 2023]

The episode opens with a couple of bodies lying in an alley while a cast crowd round them, adopting attitudes of shock, sadness, etc and grouping themselves picturesquely while Puccini's music plays...

Jessica (in the audience with Dennis) begins to narrate the flashback. The story began when... Yes, the plot is operatic and the cast of opera singers are MELOdramatic. Nothing is what it seems.

Thedore Bikel gives a solid performance but I felt Jerry Stiller stood out as the local cop, sending up operatic conventions with jokes about "Count Fettucine".

As someone else comments, though Tosca underscores the action throughout, the cast are dressed in terrible hand-me-down costumes as kings and peasant girls! Maria can't possibly be playing Tosca and there are no other female roles. The tenor role is a revolutionary leader and the time is about 1810. How come Bikel is dressed as a king?

Never mind, enjoy it, and then skip to the one with Kate Mulgrew as a soap opera queen.

We don't see enough of Dennis's SF flat with its view of the bay and decorative elephants' tusks.

Opera, San Francisco, Italian accents, paternity, beef szechuan, oh my!

[safenoe · 7/10 · 8 June 2020]

This is a fun-filled episode of Murder, She Wrote. The flashback sets the scene and we're kept guessing about the murder until the very end, and it was quite a twist indeed. Even though the opera stars were portrayed as Italians, there was nary an Italian actor in sight for some unknown reason. Would it have been too much to ask for Italian actors to be cast? Legendary actor Keith Michell makes his second appearance as Dennis Stanton (he makes many appearances in season 7). Dennis is a cultured companion of Jessica, and should have have his own-spin off series. Dennis mentions beef szhechuan at the end, probably the first time in primetime network a character mentioned beef szechuan.

Clever

[martin-intercultural · 10/10 · 8 December 2016]

It is funny to reflect on the earlier seasons of this show, when J.B. Fletcher was the darling of police investigators everywhere, and they had read all her books. A few years later - presumably with many more volumes to her name and investigative feathers in her cap - and we are treated to a very different paradigm, one of Jessica perpetually shooed away by inspectors who see her as both a rival and a meddlesome 'crazy lady'. That aside, this story is intriguing and complex, but without becoming confusing at any point. Italian characters are portrayed not without stereotyping. There are some lovely, subtle touches to the script in this opera- centered tale, such as a key protagonist getting mistaken for another one, much like it would be in many a classical Italian opera.

Choppy episode due to several flashbacks

[shrapp2002 · 6/10 · 30 January 2021]

This episode does not flow as others do. Stiller, phenomenal in Seinfeld & King of Queens, does not provide the foil to Jessica as the lieutenant as the local police usually do. It seemed like a problem with the writing or the directing.

A murderous night at the opera

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 29 September 2017]

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.

While not one of the classic 'Murder She Wrote' episodes, "When the Fat Lady Sings" has a lot to enjoy and very nearly is, while still in the better half certainly, one of the overall best episodes of Season 6. The only not so good things are the awfully bland performance of Kathleen Beller and the odd moment where silliness creeps in. The title of the episode alludes to the famous colloquialism/proverb that is commonly known as a stereotype in opera for overweight sopranos (a stereotype that is not really true when talking generally, of course there were huge women in opera and still are but certainly not all), with Brunnhilde in Wagner's 'Gotterdammerung' immediately coming to mind. It may sound like a weak, irrelevant title, but considering the episode is opera-centric and plays out like an operatic melodrama it was somewhat of a fitting one if slightly cheesy.

Admittedly, "When the Fat Lady Sings" is downbeat. It is melodramatic. Again, this was appropriate, with the opera house setting and there are some downbeat and melodramatic operas out there (speaking as an enormous fan). 'Tosca' is the queen of them all, which is why it seemed very effective for the music of the Act 2 safe conduct signing scene, the build up to one of the greatest murder scenes in all opera, to be used in the gripping and poignant opening scene that set the tone well.

Really liked the story here. It was a complex one, but never confusing and it all made sense at the end. This is already a huge improvement on the disappointing previous episode "Night of the Tarantula", which was full of excessive weirdness and failed to come together in terms of pacing or sense. The standout is the wickedly clever denouement, with the identity of the murderer, motive and how it was done being a genuine shock but very much plausible and boasts one of Carol Lawrence's best scenes in any of her appearances on 'Murder She Wrote', Lawrence single handedly comes close to stealing the show with that scene alone. Liked too how it played out like an operatic melodrama, and it was just a dream for opera and Italian culture aficionados. The stereotypes are there but not overplayed or offensive and the portrayal of the less than glamorous behind the scenes operatic life is not an inaccurate one, opera singing is an amazing profession but it's very competitive and egos have always been and still are big.

Production values as ever are slick and stylish, opera houses are always a welcome sight, even when not the big ones like La Scala, Covent Garden or The Met, and San Francisco look beautiful. The music has energy and has presence but also not making the mistake of over-scoring, while it is hard to forget or resist the theme tune. 'Tosca' works incredibly well here, atmospherically and emotionally. The writing is thought-provoking, light-hearted and amiable.

The cast, with the sole exception of Beller, are very good. Angela Lansbury is terrific as is Keith Michell. "When the Fat Lady Sings" relies on their chemistry to work, and it does brilliantly, so natural, breezy and charming.

Carol Lawrence is particularly good in support, especially in her aforementioned scene. Theodore Bickel is dignified and affecting, it's hard not to feel for his character, and Jerry Stiller has fun .

Overall, very good if just falling short of greatness. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Alleyway shootout, Puccini and murder

[coltras35 · 8/10 · 28 May 2022]

Jessica visits the opera and finds that amid the hysteria and emotion of the singing world, a murder has taken place that appears at first to be a matter of self-defence. Intricately-plotted, and as complicated as a Puccini opera, this episode is a winner. Solid from beginning to end with even Jessica saying she can't keep up with the confusion of the case. She's confused, until the end where she solves the case.