SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 47 Min.
First broadcast by CBS-TV, on November 13, 1988, Vincent McEveety directed this episode from screenwriter/series co-creator Peter S. Fischer.
Awaiting nephew Grady’s arrival on the slopes of comfy Sable Mountain Ski Lodge, Jessica Fletcher (Lansbury) finds herself witnessing friction between probable members of the upcoming U.S. World Cup ski team.
Repeatedly drawing fire to himself is the squad’s ultra-arrogant superstar, Gunnar Tilstrom (Kramer). Just before a blizzard indefinitely strands the lodge’s guests, an isolated Tilstrom is quietly dispatched from long-distance with a crossbow. It’s up to Jessica and a retired NYPD cop (Newman) to identify an elusive serial killer before other skiers are ruthlessly targeted.
Notes: Although mentioned, Jessica’s nephew, Grady Fletcher (Michael Horton), doesn’t actually appear in this episode. Also, this particular episode is a bonus feature for the Season 4 DVD.
Jessica Fletcher: Angela Lansbury
ex-NYPD Lt. Ed McMasters: Barry Newman
Anne Lowery: Jamie Rose
Mike Lowery: John Laughlin
Pamela Leeds: Emma Samms
Sylvia McMasters: Ronnie Claire Edwards
Gunnar Tilstrom: Eric Allan Kramer
Karl Anderson: Bo Svenson
John Dowd: Cyril O’Reilly
Larry McIver: Tony O’Dell
Dr. Lewis: George Wyner
Parker: John Arndt
REVIEW:
For those who don’t mind fake TV snow, this Season 5 episode is very watchable. Both the scripting and direction deliver the necessary goods for a fun lodge-bound whodunnit. Aspects from Agatha Christie’s plots for Three Blind Mice, The Sittaford Mystery, and The ABC Murders come to mind, but Peter S. Fischer’s storytelling isn’t lazily formulaic. He pitches some plausible twists that are worth waiting for.
There’s just one grisly peculiarity, which occurs off-screen: why exactly a murder victim is then subsequently stripped and left lynched in a running shower stall isn’t explained. Suffice to say, it’s an unnecessary schlock slasher-film gimmick that doesn’t improve this episode’s plotting.
In terms of performance quality, Angela Lansbury gets reliable support from old pros Barry Newman, Bo Svenson, Ronnie Claire Edwards, and, for comic effect, George Wyner. Younger performers, like Jamie Rose, John Laughlin, Cyril O’Reilly, and General Hospital’s Emma Samms are solid enough, as is Eric Allan Kramer as the egomaniacal first victim. There’s sufficient depth by this cast to keep viewers guessing re: the culprit’s identity up to the end.
Hence, even for non-Murder, She Wrote fans, “Snow White, Blood Red” makes for some enjoyable Late ‘80s TV entertainment.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
