Jessica uncovers the ugly side of sportsmanship when she inherits part-ownership of a football team.

Season 1, Episode 16: Sudden Death (March 3, 1985)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

Jessica knows nothing about football but everything about murder. Guess what happens when she gets to own part of a team?

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

Potential new owner Web McCord is played by John Beck, Moonpie from Rollerball.

The coach, Pat Patillo, is Warren Berlinger. He was in everything from The World According to Garp to Thunder Alley and The Girl Most Likely To…

Dick Butkus is defensive captain Tank Mason. After a career playing for the Chicago Bears, Butkus has been in many movies and TV shows.

Brad Lockwood is David Doyle, who was Bosley on Charlie’s Angels.

Zak Farrell is played by Bruce — now Caitlyn — Jenner.

Hey! Gary Lockwood from The Farmer! He’s Harris Talmadge!

James McEachin plays Groundskeeper Grover Dillon. He was Lt. Brock on the new Perry Mason TV movies and appeared in Fuzz and Play Misty for Me.

Kathy Farrell is Jan Smithers, Bailey from WKRP In Cincinnati.

Phil Kreuger? That’s Allan Miller from Cruising, the chief of detectives. His wife in this, Mavis, is played by Elizabeth Savage.

Lt. Clyde Pitts is the cop this time, and he’s Tim Thomerson! Yes, Jack Deth! Did you know he used to do stand-up?

In minor roles, we have George Golden, David Lewman, Eric Mansker, Arthur Tovey, Ralph Clift, Albert Lord, Marcianne Warman and Arnold F. Turner.

What happens?

Jessica’s Uncle Cyrus has died, and she’s told by Bradford Lockwood that she’s the part-owner of the Leopards, a football team that seemingly plays in a stadium the size of a high school field. She’s nearly killed by one of those giant helmet vehicles before she even gets to learn more. It’s driven by Jill, the deaf daughter of Zak, a pre-transition Bruce Jenner. We meet them and Zak’s wife, Cathy.

Then we learn that the football team is in trouble. Are you surprised? Morale is low, and people are threatened if they keep losing. Jessica’s co-owner, Phil Kreuger, tries to buy her out for 30 grand. For an NFL team? Sure. Coach Pattillo then offers her 60, and she finds out that a group of investors owns 48%, Kreuger owns 48%, and she just has 4%.

Then Krueger offers her $150,000 and makes a threat on her life.

After a party, of course, Krueger is the one dead in the training room hot tub. Because the last time someone saw the victim was at the party, where Zak was yelling at him, he’s the suspect. After all, someone was making crank calls to Zak’s house, and he blamed Krueger.

When Jessica starts getting too close to the truth, giallo-gloved hands lock her in the steam room and nearly kill her. Grover saves her and then tells a lot of exposition, like how he used to be a player before he got hurt because of Krueger and how if Zak goes to jail, he won’t be on the team, and there will be more money for everyone.

Jessica calls home and talks to Amos. Are they a couple? Well, I have some thoughts on that. Stay tuned…

Who did it?

Web, who wanted to buy the team and killed Krueger. His blazer was wet in a photo, and that’s how Jessica figures it out.

Who made it?

Director Edward M. Abroms worked extensively as an editor—Blue Thunder, Street Fighter, Cherry 2000—and also directed TV shows like Nero Wolf, Man from Atlantis and “Something In The Woodwork” on Night Gallery.

Does Jessica get some?

Oh man, does she. I have photo evidence.

This is where it started, with her dancing with Tank…

And this is how it ends up, with her staring at him nude for an extended period.

One imagines they did some bump and run. She was his ball carrier all the way to completion. And there was plenty of unnecessary roughness.

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid?

No.

Was it any good?

Other than the fact that no NFL team would have facilities this poor, yes.

Any trivia?

When Jessica tells how she caught the murderer, she tells the police that she gave him a false clue involving a brass button, saying, “This really wasn’t an original idea. When I was in Los Angeles, a button actually did trip up a killer.” That comes from another episode this season, “Hooray for Homicide.”  That’s funny, because she’s staying at the same hotel in this episode, the Sheraton Universal Hotel, which is on the studio backlot.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Coach Pat Patillo: Mrs. Fletcher, I think you just put my defensive captain on the injured reserve.

Jessica Fletcher: Does that mean that he’s not dead?

Coach Pat Patillo: Not quite.

What’s next?

One of Jessica’s friends is the suspect in a murder.