Two Soviet ballet dancers on tour in the States are wanted following the murder of a man backstage during their debut performance. Was Jessica in the audience? Oh, you know she was.

Season 1, Episode 8: Death Takes a Curtain Call (December 16, 1984)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

Leo Peterson invites Jessica to Boston to see a Russian ballet. What they don’t know is that Natalia and Alexander, two of the dancers, are planning to defect. Then, there is death.

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

Vicki Kriegler is Natalia. She was also in the TV movie Deadly Lessons.

Alexander is played by George De La Pena, once a soloist with the American Ballet Company.

Irina Katsa, another of the ballerinas, is Kerry Armstrong.

Claude Atkins and Tom Bosley are in this as Jessica’s local love interests, Captain Ethan Cragg and Sheriff Amos Tupper. Ethan is upset that Jessica is going to the big city and not serving him pie; I think we all know what he means. I don’t want to be crass and say these dudes wanted to make the author of The Umbrella Murders and The Stain on the Stairs airtight, but I guess I just did.

Dane Clark is FBI agent O’Farrell. He played the sheriff in Blood Song and has appeared in many TV shows.

Besides being in Bill Van Ryn’s dreams, William Conrad is best known for playing Cannon and Nero Wolfe. He’s Major Anatole Karzof. Conrad also narrated plenty of movies and TV series, including Chamber of Horrors, Zero Hour!, Hudson Hawk, Manimal, the Buck Rodgers TV series, Tales of the Unexpected, The Force of Evil, the famous “Crying Indian” TV commercial, The Fugitive TV series, Rocky and Bullwinkle. Also, he directed Two On a Guillotine, Side Show and several TV shows.

Hurd Hatfield is Leo. He was the lead in the 1945 film The Portrait of Dorian Gray, which also starred Angela Lansberry.

James Carroll Jordan, who is Skip Fleming, would be in three more episodes of the show.

In small roles, Palmer Eddington was Paul Rudd (no, not that one), a protestor named Velma was Jessica Nelson, Dewey was Patrick Thomas, Russian heavy Serge was Anthony De Longis (Blade from Masters of the Universe!), Nagy was played by Adam Gregor, Steve Arvin was a reporter, Read Morgan was a cop and Gary Bohn, Robert Cole, Camille Hagen, Paul LeClair, Farrell Mayer, Henry Noguch and Jeff Viola all had extra roles.

What happens?

Jess soon snoops and finds that Leo has a secret message in his program, and before you can “Jessica is sure around a lot of killing,” a KGB man is dead, and William Conrad is on the hunt for the murderer. When he finally meets Jessica, the Cold War heats up because he’s never met a detective woman like her in Russia. He’s also a big fan of her books and asks if she’ll help investigate who killed Berensky.

The Russian follows Mrs. Fletcher back to Cabot Cove, driving Ethan crazy and continuing to flirt with JB. At the same time, the defecting dancers- yes, that’s what Leo’s message was about- are also in town, so there are many sitcom moments. And breakfast between Jessica and Anatole.

Who did it?

Irina Katsa, the other Russian dancer, is upset that Alexander and Natalia are in love and hopes to force them to return to Russia.

Who made it?

Another episode was directed by TV vet Allen Reisner. It was written by Paul W. Cooper.

Some facts…

This is Ethan’s last appearance.

Does Jessica get some?

You tell me.

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid?

No.

Was it any good?

It’s fine. The show is still finding its way here. There would be another defection in season 3.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Major Anatole Karzof: So, farewell, my dear Jessica. I look forward to your next novel.

Jessica Fletcher: I’d like to send you a signed copy if it won’t compromise you in the Kremlin.

Major Anatole Karzof: Sometimes, a man likes to be compromised, eh?

Yeah, he got his belly on her.

What’s next?

A hypnotist is killed. Robert Loggia is in it!