Jessica and the police are baffled when a car with no driver runs down a visitor to Cabot Cove who had fired local inventor Dan O’Brien.

Season 1, Episode 6: Hit, Run and Homicide (November 25, 1984)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

We go back to Cabot Cove just in time for a murder.

Who’s in it, outside of Angela Lansbury, and were they in any exploitation movies?

Claude Atkins is back as Captain Ethan Cragg. I wish he’d stuck around more than one season. He’s joined by Tom Bosley as Cabot Cove’s other lawman, Sheriff Amos Tupper.

Edward Albert, the son of Eddie Albert and Mexican dancer Margo, plays Tony Holiday. He has appeared in Sorceress, Ellie, The House Where Evil Dwells, Butterfly, Galaxy of Terror and The Fool Killer.

Kate Simmons is June Allyson, the wife of Dick Powell, who was Jo in 1949’s Little Women.

Leslie Ander is played by Patti D’Arbanville, who, in addition to being the subject of the song “Lady D’Arbanville” by Cat Stevens on his album Mona Bone Jakon, was once Don Johnson’s lover.

Daniel O’Brien is Van Johnson, the inventor in the middle of this mystery. He made three appearances on Murder, She Wrote. Still, he’s in movies like Delta Force Commando II: Priority Red One, Killer Crocodile, Taxi Killer, Concorde Affaire ’79 and 23 Paces to Baker Street.

Charles Woodley is Stuart Whitman, who some folks could tell you was in some big movies. Still, for me, he’s in some of my favorites: The Monster Club, Demonoid, Guyanna: Cult of the Damned, Ruby, The White Buffalo, Shadows In an Empty Room, Eaten Alive and Emanuelle – A Woman from a Hot Country AKA Fury. This is the first of four Murder, She Wrote rolls for Whitman.

Dean Merrill is played by Bruce Gray, the bride’s father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Eliza Bates is Lois Foraker, Nurse Merrin in Exorcist III and Sgt. Frazer in Child’s Play 3.

Lois Hoey? That’s Paddi Edwards, who, outside of voiceover work, is a secretary on Halloween 3.

In minor roles, Cora McIntyre is played by Dee Croxton, a gas attendant is played by Doug Stevenson (who shows up in The Prowler and Iced), Harry Stevens is in one of three small parts on the show, GR Smith plays a deputy, Roger Price was a local, Ed Morgan shows up (he was the first assistant director on The First Nudie Muscial), Juen Allyson’s wife David Ashrow has a minor part, Betty Jeanne Glennie was a passerby (one of her many crowd roles), Crystal Jenious is there, as is Paul LeClair (who shot second unit on Blood Diner and Night Patrol), Michael Rodgers and Steven Ameche.

What happens?

Charles Woodley came from Boston to Cabot Cove hoping to meet inventor Daniel O’Brian, who used to work for him. He’s nearly killed by a car with no driver—The Car? — and he’s not the last to get run over. There’s also Katie, who is trying to hire Daniel for a job and a couple named Tony and Leslie, who are in the middle of a new relationship.

Dean Merrill, Woodley’s partner, gets to town just in time to be the next victim of the car. Daniel is the main suspect, as he designed a car just like that in the past. So of course Jessica goes looking for the car while she jogs every morning and finds it almost immediately. Then she does a total Jessica move: she gets in the car and is nearly killed.

There’s also a moment when Ethan plays Spy Hunter and tries to get Jessica to leave him alone. Video games being in small neighborhood grocery stores is such a memory of when life was better. Jessica takes over his game and figures out the case, all while we get a POV shot from inside the machine, which is pretty good for an 80s network TV show.

Who did it?

Woodley, along with Leslie and Tony, because Daniel has designs which could keep the company in business. Woodley gets all the money without his partner, which he will share with his conspirators.

Who made it?

British director Alan Cooke worked a lot on TV in his homeland and America.

Writer Gerald K. Siegel wrote nine episodes of this show and episodes of Darkroom and Salvage 1.

Cinematographer Dennis Dalzell shot this (and 33 other episodes). He also worked on V, Vampire, and Bustin’ Loose and was the cameraman on Ginger In the Morning and Necromancy. His father, Archie R. Dalzell, also shot an episode of this show, as well as Cruise Into Terror, The Boy In the Plastic Bubble and The Trip.

Some facts…

Captain Joshua Wayne, the founder of Cabot Cove, was a pirate who fought for the British during the Revolutionary War.

At least when this episode happens, there are 3,560 people in Cabot Cove. Many of them will be murdered.

Lois Hoey is also in the pilot.

Jessica doesn’t have a driver’s license.

Does Jessica get some?

No, but the way she and Ethan argue, I can only imagine they have really rough sex. I mean, as rough as older people sex would be, which in my experience is going into it without taking aspirin before and using Mineral Ice after. I would go further and explain which position I think they’ll enjoy but I think we need to leave some of Jessica’s secrets secret.

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid?

No. She is dumb enough to get into a murder auto.

Was it any good?

This is a fun episode, but it’s strange that Elliot Silverstein, the director of The Car, did episodes of Murder, She Wrote but not this one with a killer car.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Captain Ethan Cragg: I’m sorry to eat and run, Jess, but they’re having a tournament on that arcade game, and since I am the current record holder, I feel obliged to defend my title.

Jessica Fletcher: Well, dishes can wait. Would you mind if I competed?

Captain Ethan Cragg: You? It really would be kind of a waste of a good quarter.

What’s next?

Jessica goes to the theme park. Someone dies. You knew that, right?