SUMMARY: APPROX. RUNNING TIME: 47:00 Min.
First broadcast by CBS-TV, on September 20, 1987, this fourth season opener is written by the program’s story editor, Donald Ross, and directed by Nick Havinga.
Jessica Fletcher (Lansbury) jets to Paris to visit her old friend, designer Eva Taylor (Rush), as a celebrity guest for her high-profile fashion show. Meanwhile, Eva’s unsavory business partner, Maxim Soury (Bergere), coerces some new demands, the least of which is appointing the daughter of his sultry mistress (Prowse) as Eva’s new guest model (Briesbois) for the evening’s show.
Before the night is over, one of Maxim’s enemies fatally strikes. It’s up to Jessica to aid the Parisian police in resolving this homicide, as her friend is, of course, the prime suspect. Hence, who might have slipped out of the show to go upstairs (in disguise, perhaps?) to kill Maxim in his posh hotel suite?
Jessica Fletcher: Angela Lansbury
Eva Taylor: Barbara Rush
Police Inspector Hugues Panassié: Fritz Weaver
Claudia Soury: Taina Elg
Maxim Soury: Lee Bergere
Valerie Bechet: Juliet Prowse
Kim Bechet: Danielle Brisebois
Lu Watters: Randi Brooks
Peter Appleyard: Bill Beyers
Marie: Karen Hensel
Yvette: Bonnie Ebsen
Margo: Jules Hart (aka Julie Silliman)
Dede: Louise Dorsey
REVIEW:
It’s inexplicable why this disappointment was chosen as a season opener. Some exterior shots depicting Paris are included for ambiance’s sake, but the blue-screen effect behind Angela Lansbury and Barbara Rush is so plainly obvious. That’s a minor quibble, as compared to an uninspired whodunnit that ranks up among the worst snooze-fests this series ever concocted.
More to the point – dressing up (pardon the expression) the plot with supposed Parisian glamour doesn’t hide this episode’s exceedingly blah mystery. Though one pivotal clue is fair game, the homicide’s mediocre revelations, otherwise, wastes a viewer’s patience. Maybe the screenwriter deemed the crime’s eye-rolling twist finish as clever, but it comes off as ridiculously feeble – even by dubious ‘80s TV murder-mystery standards.
A decent cast muddles through the necessary motions; frankly, Juliet Prowse’s welcome presence as a French chanteuse seems wasted here. Far too often, the air becomes so clogged by phony French accents (i.e. Fritz Weaver’s police inspector) that distracted viewers are left gagging.
The good news is that Season 4’s episode selection has some satisfying options after skipping past “A Fashionable Way to Die.”
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3 Stars
