Jessica is left in shock by the news of her cousin Emma’s untimely passing. However, her world is turned upside down when she discovers that Emma’s death was a ruse, a clever ploy to escape the clutches of a dangerous threat.

Season 2, Episode 5: Sing a Song of Murder (October 27, 1985)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

Jessica receives a call about the death of her cousin Emma. When she gets to London, she learns that she has inherited the Mayhew Theater and that her cousin is alive. 

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

Violet Weems is Sarah Douglas, who kicked off my fascination with bad girls when she was Ursa in the Superman movies.

Olivia Hussey — from Black Christmas! — is Kitty Trumbull

Barrie Ingham from Dr. Who and the Daleks is Inspector Roger Crimmins.

Bridget O’Hara is played by Glynis Johns, Mrs. Banks from Mary Poppins.

Patrick Macnee is Oliver Trumbull. Yes, from The Avengers and tons of horror movies.

Danny Briggs is played by Gregory Paul Martin.

Don Siegel’s son, Kristoffer Tabori, is Ernest Fielding.

More minor roles include Kenneth Danziger as Acrhie Weems; Gillian Eaton as a landlady; Terrence Scammell as a director; Richard Davies and Neal Hunt as toughs, John Straightley; David Grant Hayward and Ron Southart as police officers; Larry Carr, Farrell Mayer, Tony Regan, Walter Spear, William Ward and Kathryn Janssen as theater audience members, Freeman Love as a bartender and Paul LeClair as a theatre executive.

What happens?

Emma, who faked her own death, is revealed to be none other than Angela Lansbury herself. This unexpected twist adds a whole new layer of intrigue to the episode, especially when she takes on a new persona and performs a musical number. And you know how much I love when Lansbury gets to do an accent, sing or dress like a moron.

Jessica finds Bridget going through Emma’s house to steal something. She gets her fur coat and wears it, only to be hit by a car that is out to kill Emma. She’s just in the way, or more to the point, they don’t know who they killed. It all seems like Oliver has to be the person who is trying to kill Emma and who killed Bridget.

Who did it?

Oliver’s lover, Kitty, felt that Emma was holding him back from being the star that he deserved to be.

Who made it?

It was directed by TV movie master John Llewellyn Moxey and written by series creator Peter S. Fischer.

Does Jessica get some?

This is one of only three episodes where Jessica gets an on-the-lips kiss with one of her male guest stars. This time, it’s Oliver Trumbull, the boyfriend of her cousin Emma, and it’s a case of mistaken identity. This rare occurrence adds a layer of complexity to the plot and Jessica’s character. She also gets kissed in S1, E0, “The Murder of Sherlock Holmes“, and S3, E6, “Dead Man’s Gold.”

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid?

It starts with Emma — close enough, it’s still Angela — singing  “Good-bye, Little Yellow Bird,” the same song she sang in The Portrait of Dorian Gray.

Was it any good?

Good cast, not a bad episode.

Any trivia?

Angela Lansbury and Olivia Hussey were mother and daughter in Death on the Nile. 

The last name MacGill is used several times for Jessica Fletcher’s ancestors or relatives. It’s taken from her real-life mother’s stage name, Moyna MacGill.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Bridget O’Hara: Danny Briggs! As poor an excuse of a human being as God ever made! This quote captures the intense emotions and drama of the episode, highlighting the tension between the characters.

What’s next?

When a phone call from Francesca’s supposedly dead first husband precedes a fatal incident, Jessica must unravel the truth from hysteria to find a killer. Wings Hauser is in it!