A popular nightclub hypnotist is discovered murdered during a private press conference.

Season 1, Episode 9: Death Casts a Spell (December 30, 1984)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

Hypnotist Cagliastro gets fired from the casino/hotel for sleeping with the owner’s wife. Then, he has an interview with six journalists, claiming that he can hypnotize any of them, but is killed, leaving them in a trance.

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

Cagliastro is played by José Ferrer, the father of Miguel, uncle of George Clooney, and the star of movies such as Stalag 17, Bloodtide, The Evil That Men Do, Battle Creek Brawl, The Being, Airport 79, Dracula’s Dog, The Swarm, The Sentinel, The Caine Mutiny, and many more.

Joan, Jessica’s assistant, is Diana Canova. She was on Soap and in The First Nudie Musical. She’d play two other roles on the show, but not the same character.

Murray Hamilton plays Bud, who we all know as Mayor Vaughn in Jaws and Jaws 2. Yet he was in 160 other movies and shows, including Too Scared to Scream, The Amityville Horror, Seconds and The Graduate.

The law in this, Lt. Bergkamp, is Robert Hogan, a vet of 158 roles, including three other Murder, She Wrote appearances.

Dr. Yambert is Conrad Janis, who directed and starred in the 2012 horror movie Bad Blood.

Elaine Joyce plays Sheri Diamond. She has quite the horror resume, showing up in Trick or Treat, Motel Hell and one sort of exploitation movie, The Christine Jorgensen Story.

Andy Townsend is played by Brian Kerwin, a TV vet who also shows up in King Kong Lives.

Joe Kellijian plays the owner of the hotel/casino, Robert Loggia. If I need to tell you who he is, you’re reading the wrong site.

Michelle Phillips plays his wife, Regina. Yes, from The Mamas and the Papas and Knots Landing. She’s also in some absolute junk that I love, including Bloodline, The Last Movie, and No One Would Tell, in which Fred Savage gets on steroids and abuses Candace Cameron.

Zack Bernard is Mayf Nutter, who was in Hunter’s Blood.

In the smaller roles, we have Elvia Allman as “elderly lady,” Rance Howard as Fillmore, Ritchie Montgomery as a busboy, Alex Rebar — THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN HIMSELF, as well as the writer of Demented, Terror On Tour and To All a Goodnight — as a hypnotist, Dianne Travis as Helsema, Marylou Kenworthy as Liz, Lee Duncan as a policeman, Kathy Karges, Gay Hagen, Joy Ellison, Hartley Silver, Bill Shick and Robert Balderson as hypnotized people and Bob Tzudiker as a clerk.

What happens?

Jessica is in Lake Tahoe, which is Vegas Lite. That’s where The Amazing Cagliostro performs, commanding audience members to act like animals. As he performs, we see Bud and Andy, two reporters, who bet the hypnotist is a phoney. Meanwhile, Joe, the hotel owner, is fighting with his wife, Regina, who is having an affair with Cagliostro, but claims that it’s because he’s using his powers on her. He fires Cagliostro, who still gets a million dollars. And then Joan pitches Jessica the idea of using the cucking wizard in her next book.

As Jessica sits in the bar and turns this down, Cagliostro gets into a fight with the reporters and sets up a demonstration of his abilities in his room. As he hypnotizes everyone, he reveals his past, just in time for him to get stabbed and leave everyone stuck in a hypnotized state.

They figure out that a tape of one of his shows will bring them back, and Jessica deals with all of this as only she can. She puts on her jogging suit and starts shuffling around. Also: a towel around her neck as if she were Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.

Nearly anyone could have killed the magician, as he was blackmailing everyone, even his assistant, who started her career as a naked trapeze star, which I did not know was a thing.

Who did it?

There’s a red herring that was the assistant, but then we learn that Andy had earplugs and wasn’t hypnotized. An article his father wrote about Cagliostro ruined his career, his dad killed himself, and now, he got his revenge.

Who made it?

Allen Reisner directed, and Steven Hensley and J. Miyoko Hensley wrote the screenplay. They also wrote the Remo Williams TV pilot.

Some facts…

José Ferrer played a hypnotist in Whirlpool. He was also in The Greatest Story Ever Told, where he played Herod and Lansberry played Claudia.

The story of this episode comes from a 1937 Bela Lugosi movie, The Thirteenth Chair.

Does Jessica get some?

No. I’m as upset as you.

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid?

Jessica also gets hypnotized and does impressions of Bette Davis and Mae West. Also, there’s no way Angela Lansberry is on the back of that motorcycle.

Was it any good?

Two shows with death in the name in a row, but hey — Jessica is a friend of the Grim Reaper.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Cagliostro: Ladies and gentlemen, observe the power of hypnosis! Now, volunteers, when I clap my hands, you will each become your favorite animal.

What’s next?

Jessica becomes a member of Congress. Yes. I wrote it. It happens.