SUMMARY: APPROX. RUNNING TIME: 47:00 Min.
First broadcast by CBS-TV, on December 9, 1984, Walter Grauman directed this early episode. Visiting relatives in Kansas, Jessica Fletcher (Lansbury) is approached by theme park impresario Horatio Baldwin (Coco) to license a macabre new attraction based off her books. Declining his offer, Jessica isn’t too surprised by Baldwin’s fake public civility, as compared to his cold-fish personality behind closed doors.
When a nasty Baldwin is later found dead inside his locked and heavily-secured private office, Jessica helps her nephew-in-law (Stephens) probe this baffling homicide case.
Jessica Fletcher: Angela Lansbury
Police Detective Lt. Bert Donovan: James Stephens
Carol Donovan: Anne Kerry Ford
Billy Donovan: Joaquin Phoenix
Cindy Donovan: Summer Phoenix
Erica Baldwin: Christine Belford
Michael Gardner: George DiCenzo
Laurie Bascomb: Kim Darby
Arnold Megrim: Richard Sanders
Capt. Davis: John Schuck
Horatio Baldwin: James Coco
Nils Highlander: Gene Evans
Skycap: Henry G. Sanders
Guard: Vince Howard
Clerk: Laura Leyva
REVIEW:
Including a young Joaquin Phoenix, this roster of familiar TV faces is an impressive catch. Most of them perform well, but James Coco clearly phones in his performance as the disposable Baldwin. As for the plot, it’s strictly a locked-room mystery formula lacking any memorable twists. Still, Angela Lansbury’s reliable chemistry with her co-stars makes this routine episode worth viewing once.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
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