A veteran reporter who suffered a heart attack says his best medicine would be the removal of his publisher. Jessica gets involved after the man ends up dead.

A veteran reporter who suffered a heart attack says his best medicine would be the removal of his publisher. Jessica gets involved after the man ends up dead.

Season 3, Episode 7: Deadline for Murder (November 16, 1985)

Reporter Haskell Drake (Harry Guardino) has a heart attack after his editor, Lamar Bennett (Peter Mark Richman), rewrites his interview with Jessica. He flips out, Bennett drops dead, and then the reporter asks Jessica to solve it. I mean, is it a heart attack or murder?

Who’s in it, outside of Angela Lansbury (and Jarry Guardino)?

Katherine Cannon is Eleanor Revere. She’s in The Hidden.

Lt. A. Caruso is played by Gretchen Corbett. She was in The Rockford Files TV movies.

Tim O’Connor plays Walter Revere, Dr. Elias on Buck Rogers.

Ken Olin from Thirtysomething is Perry Revere.

Eugene Roche is Billy Simms.

William Smith! He’s Clyde Thorson! William Smith makes everything better!

Glynn Turman plays Stan Lassiter.

In more minor roles, Sydney Walsh is Kay Garrett, Tom Henschel is Dr. Framer, Morgan Jones is Sergeant Tierney, Mary Wickliffe is Nurse Phillips, Lisa Nelson is a policewoman, Dorothy Meyer is Nurse O’Hanlon, Matt Roe is a guard, and Erwin Fuller is Harry. Barbara Allyne Bennet is a secretary. Party guests are played by Robert Buckingham, Fritz Ford, Robert Hitchcock, Ethelreda Leopold, Mike Paciorek, Anthony Pecoraro, George Sasaki, Walter Smith and Geoff Vanderstock. Frank Slaten is an assistant, Steve Hershon is a waiter, Donald Chaffin is a reporter, and Freeman Love and Len Felber are detectives.

What happens?

Lamar Bennett bought the Sentinel, a newspaper, and consistently mocks the individuals who miss the days when it wasn’t a tabloid. He’s done this to tons of other papers, and this demoralizes Drake so much that he doesn’t want to live until Bennett dies, and he gets the chance to investigate with Jessica doing the in-person snooping.

It could be any of the reporters who want him dead. But it looks like…

Who did it?

Bennett’s assistant, Billy Simms, who knew about his illegitimate daughter Kay, took care of her for her entire life, all before Billy informed his boss who she really is and demanded that he fire her. Billy has enough and…well, that’s how we get to this episode’s death.

Who made it?

This was directed by Seymour Robbie and written by John Kennedy, Michael McGough and Tom Sawyer.

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid? Does she get some?

No. She needs to find the right costume party that also has everyone put their keys out, if you know what I mean.

Was it any good?

Sure.

Any trivia?

This is the first of two appearances by Harry Guardino as Haskell Drake.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Haskell Drake: I have been offered a big overseas assignment in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok…

Jessica Fletcher: Oh. Haskell Drake: …by Newmonth, no less.

Jessica Fletcher: Haskell, that’s marvelous. When?

Haskell Drake: Oh, well, um, a-as soon as you hand me my trousers. And by the way, you can tag along if you want to. I figure that, uh, a couple of years of, uh, hard work, who knows, you may turn into a half-decent newspaperman.

What’s next?

YES! YES! YES! Jessica comes to the assistance of Thomas Magnum when he’s framed for two murders that occurred during her vacation in Hawaii!