Double Exposure (30 Apr. 1989)

Jessica encounters a man in Boston whom she is convinced is her neighbor from years back, but when the man denies it--and his wife claims the man is dead--Jessica recruits Harry McGraw to dig to the bottom of the mystery.

Director:

Anthony Pullen Shaw

Writers:

Peter S. Fischer (creator), Richard Levinson (creator),

Stars:

Angela Lansbury, Christine Belford, Earl Boen

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Angela Lansbury	...	Jessica Fletcher
Christine Belford	...	Maude Paulson Winslow
Earl Boen	...	Sgt. Howard Sternhagen
Jon Cypher	...	Nathan Swarthmore
Robert Hogan	...	FBI Agt. Guilfoyle
William Lucking	...	Lt. Roy Quinlan
Karen Morrow	...	Gladys
Jerry Orbach	...	Harry McGraw
Andrew Stevens	...	Dr. Adam Paulson
Robert Alan Browne	...	Frank Coyle
Marty Davis	...	Cookie
John Furlong	...	John Winslow / John Wilson
E. Danny Murphy	...	Sloane
Melanie Noble	...	Receptionist
Jack Jozefson	...	Taxi Driver

Storyline

When Jessica bumps into acquaintance John Winslow in Boston, he pretends to be a stranger. His Chicago wife Maud and her brother Dr. Adam Paulson pretend John recently died from a heart attack, fearing she would upset some scam. Jessica hires suspended P.I. Harry McGraw, who finds out he uses the alias John Wilson. Jessica now investigates the fake John's cremation. She soon notices being followed by a certain Sloane and hears him call attorney Nathan Swarthmore, who denies everything too.

---

Plot Keywords:

false identity | handcuffs

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 1989 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 29, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Cookie the bartender shows Jessica the newspaper about Harry, the headline has the word Homicide misspelled as "homocide".

User Reviews

Please Come to Boston for the Slay Time

Jerry Orbach makes his fourth of six "MSW" appearance as Private Investigator Harry McGraw in this episode. Since his third appearance here, he has starred in the only "MSW" spin-off series, "The Law and Harry McGraw," this lasting one season (16 episodes).

During an afternoon outing in Boston, Massachusetts, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) encounters former Cabot Cove neighbor John Winslow "Wilson" (John Furlong), who emerges from Boston Integrity Bank, makes believe not to recognize her, and maintains that she has him mistaken for someone else.

Jessica briefly returns to Cabot Cove to search through a scrapbook to locate a newspaper clipping and photograph of John Winslow. She then telephones his wife, who resides in Chicago, Maude Paulson Winslow (Christine Belford), who informs Jessica that John has suddenly passed, two weeks prior.

But Jessica has recognized a glimmer of recognition in John's eyes, and hastily returns to Boston to enlist her hapless Private Investigator friend Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach) for assistance in tracking down John Winslow.

While Harry delivers a sob story to Integrity Bank employee Gladys (Karen Morrow), Jessica flies to Chicago, to visit with Maude, who presents her brother Doctor Adam Paulson (Andrew Stevens) to collaborate the account of John's demise.

En route from the Winslows' apartment building, Taxi Driver (Jack Jozefson) informs Jessica that they're being followed, by Sloane (E. Danny Murphy), and so it is up to Jessica to outsmart him, and to discover for whom he's working.

Her investigation takes her to the office of Nathan Swarthmore (Jon Cypher), whose receptionist, Receptionist (Melanie Noble) receives her on the basis of her Mystery author fame.

Meanwhile, Harry McGraw convinces Sergeant Howard Sternhagen (Earl Boen) to trace any connection between John Winslow and John Wilson, nearly getting caught by the brutish Lieutenant Roy Quinlan (William Lucking), who harbors a grudge with Harry.

While Jessica is busy making a connection between Danford Industries, the former employer of John Winslow, and the syndicate, Harry stumbles across a body in the shady side of town, with Lieutenant Quinlan and Officer Frank Coyle (Robert Alan Browne) emerging from the shadows to arrest him.

FBI Agt. Guilfoyle (Robert Hogan) questions Jessica upon her return to Boston, while Cookie Gilhooly (Marty Davis) prepares a meal for Harry and Gladys, whom he promised to treat, with her four rambunctious sons (Joshua Peevyhouse, Justin Darby, Scotty Williams, Barry O'Neill), but Harry is missing, and Jessica must act quickly lest another murder of "Double Exposure" occur.

Louis Herthum marks his first guest appearance in this series, as Wilber, a billiards player, before beginning his roles as deputies, including his Cabot Cove run as Andy Broom.

This is the episode which erroneously claims a two-hour time difference between Boston and Chicago.