SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: Approx. 45:00 Min.
Reviving his 1963-66 TV series, star Gene Barry appeared in twenty-seven new episodes over two seasons in 1994-95. During the opening credits, each episode’s glitzy roster of guest stars appears Love Boat-style off the grill of Burke’s chauffeured Bentley. Directed by Michael Lange, CBS first broadcast this second-season opener on March 21, 1995. Notably, Barry co-wrote this episode and includes for himself a pair of piano duets with Frankie Avalon for good measure.
Sleazy celebrity chef Christoph Kohl serves himself a birthday bash at his posh, self-named Los Angeles restaurant. He is suddenly shot dead in front of dozens of witnesses by a cowgirl-clad employee bursting out of his oversized birthday cake. Evidently, someone has switched one of two toy pistols with a real one loaded with ammo.
Contemplating a promotion to police commissioner, millionaire LAPD Chief of Detectives Amos Burke and his son, Peter, survey an array of suspects. Is the killer: a wacky rival chef? Or a snotty actor who’s the scorned ex-boy toy of Kohl’s wife? Or the embittered piano player? Maybe it’s a shifty film producer also cheating with Kohl’s wife? Or a vengeful kitchen employee? Or possibly it’s Kohl’s scheming widow? Burke and his team must work fast before somebody concocts a perfect recipe for murder.
LAPD Chief of Detectives Amos Burke: Gene Barry
LAPD Detective Peter Burke: Peter Barton
LAPD forensics lab technician Lily Morgan: Bever-Leigh Banfield
Henry: Dany Kamekona
Judge Marion Darrow: Barbara Rush
Vinny Piatte: Dom DeLuise
Alexandra Kohl: Melody Anderson
Charlie Stone: Shadoe Stevens
Johnny Fingers: Frankie Avalon
Chase Cobb: Doug Savant
Tracy Byrd: Kathleen Robertson
Christoph Kohl: Marty Ingels
Cobb’s Young Fan: Phillip Van Dyke
REVIEW:
From Aaron Spelling’s production factory, there’s no pretenses involved – especially considering this episode’s arsenal of groan-worthy one-liners. Working off formulaic whodunnit schlock for plots, Burke’s Law’s watchability relies upon its all-star guest casts, regardless of how lazy their paycheck acting is. There’s no mistaking that Burke’s Law is pure TV sleuthing escapism amongst L.A.’s rich-and-famous and nothing more. Even Diagnosis: Murder plays more realistic than this TV cop show equivalent of The Love Boat.
Among these particular guest stars, Melody Anderson and Doug Savant are at least halfway believable playing genre clichés that weren’t even fresh back in the era of Peter Gunn. Frankie Avalon and recurring castmate Dom DeLuise imbue “Chef” with tongue-in-cheek charm, for what it’s worth. Re: Barry’s piano duets with Avalon, it’s fair to say Barry is a decent crooner, but this scene is overindulgent filler. Worst of all, the episode’s camp value is oddly darkened by reference to an off-screen rape, which, in this context, comes off as a crass plot twist.
Ultimately, when compared to Murder, She Wrote, Matlock, and Diagnosis: Murder, Burke’s Law lands a distant fourth-place. “Chef” is undeniable proof that star power alone can’t disguise a mediocre TV whodunnit.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3½ Stars
IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE
