An unpopular show-business personality discovers that elaborate security systems are no guarantee of safety.

Season 1, Episode 20: Murder at the Oasis (April 7, 1985)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

Jessica gets close to showbiz again, and someone dies.

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

Johnny Shannon is played by Ed Ames, a Ukranian Jewish person who ended up playing the Native American Mingo on Daniel Boone and the man who hit a cowboy in the cock with a tomahawk on Johnny Carson.

Speaking of Johnny Carson, Joey Bishop once tried to go up against him and lost. He plays Buster Bailey.

Mickey Shannon is Joseph Bottoms, who was in The Black Hole.

Vic LaRose is played by Joseph Cali, Joey from Saturday Night Fever and Vince La Costa in The Lonely Lady.

The cop in this episode, Detective Sergeant Barnes, is The White Shadow’s Ken Howard.

Peggy Shannon? That’s Piper Laurie! They’re all going to laugh at you!

Lou Ross is Jack O’Halloran, one of my favorite bad guys ever, as Phantom Zone monster Non in Superman 2. He was the illegitimate son of mafia hitman and crime boss Albert Anastasia, a former boxer. He often talks about how he nearly killed Christopher Reeve while making the Superman movies.

In the more minor roles, Terry Shannon is Linda Purl (who was married to Desi Arnaz, Jr. and played Pam’s mom on The Office), David Bowman (the producer of The Headless Eyes!) is Chico Miller, John Miranda is Gus, Mark Costello and Michael Griswold are cops, Fred Ponzlov is a waiter and Gary Greene is a cafe customer.

What happens?

Yes, JB is friends with Piper Laurie, and they go to a tennis match together, only to run into her friend’s ex-husband, Johnny Shannon, who is a total jerk. The daddy issues he’s caused have his daughter sleeping with every tennis player she can find, and it seems that everyone who comes near him hates every second of it. Yes, as you can tell, he’s going to die.

And die he does.

Lieutenant Barnes has just moved to this rich town from Chicago and appreciates Jessica’s the hica, even if she’s not always accurate in her books — or so he says. It’s a locked door mystery, as no one could have gotten in to kill Johnny, even if everyone wanted him dead.

Especially the mob. The mob!

Who did it?

The cop! ACAB! He even has the balls to point a gun at Jessica and say, “You’ve won a prize – a trip to oblivion!” She gets saved by Non, who looks super mean and has a gun. Way to go!

Who made it?

Arthur Allan Seidelman directed this. He also made one of my favorite TV movies, The People Across the Lake, a film where Valerie Harper and Gerald McRaney — hot sex! — are gaslit at a lake house. Also, he made one of the worst movies ever, Hercules in New York. This episode was written by executive story editor Robert Van Scoyk.

Does Jessica get some?

No. Come on!

Does Jessica dress stupidly or act drunk?

No. Come on!

Was it any good?

It’s fine!

Give me a reasonable quote:

Peggy Shannon: Oh, yes, Jess. Please. Anything you can do. I’m sure the sergeant would welcome some help.

Det. Sgt. Barnes: Why not? You’ve covered the subject fairly well in your books, even if you’re not always accurate.

Jessica Fletcher: Well, they are well researched, I assure you, but I have absolutely no intention of… Why do you think my books are inaccurate?

Det. Sgt. Barnes: I’ll tell you all about it on our way to the crime scene.

What’s next?

In the last episode of season 1, one of Jessica’s friends dies. Shocker? Well, there’s more! Show up next week!