"Murder, She Wrote" Frozen Stiff (1995)

Director:

Paul Lazarus

Writers:

Peter S. Fischer (creator) and
Richard Levinson (creator) ...
(more)

TV Series:

"Murder, She Wrote" (1984)

Original Air Date:

30 November 1995 (Season 12, Episode 10)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Gary & Larry's Frozen Stuff accountant Kyle is found dead, an apparent suicide. Shortly thereafter, $750,000 earmarked for Jessica's Literacy Fund is found missing. It's up to Jessica to prove that Kyle was murdered and find the killer.

Plot Keywords:

Blackmail | Ritual | Father Son Relationship | Embezzlement | Murder

Cast

Angela Lansbury	...	Jessica Fletcher
Dirk Benedict	...	Gary Harling
Christopher Curry	...	Sheriff Mike Chubb
Kristen Dalton	...	Carol Harling
Ann Hearn	...	Peggy Evans
Gregory Itzin	...	Ralph Brewer
Sarah Koskoff	...	Victoria
Christina Pickles	...	Susan McGregor
Bryan Travis Smith	...	Woodstock 'Woody' Seabrook
Bill Smitrovich	...	Larry Armstrong / Leonard Atkins
George Wyner	...	Jim Kenton
Fred Sanders	...	Coroner
Don Bovingloh	...	Kyle McGregor
Charles C. Stevenson Jr.	...	Priest (as Charles C.Stevenson Jr.)

Directed by
Paul Lazarus

Writing credits
Peter S. Fischer		(creator) and
Richard Levinson		(creator) &
William Link		(creator)
Mark A. Burley		(written by)

Produced by
Mark A. Burley	....	supervising producer
Laurence Heath	....	co-producer
Al Kraus	....	coordinating producer
Angela Lansbury	....	executive producer
Bruce Lansbury	....	supervising producer
Todd London	....	co-producer
Jerrold L. Ludwig	....	co-producer (as Jerry Ludwig)
Tom Sawyer	....	producer
David Shaw	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
Steve Dorff

Cinematography by
Ron Vargas		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ellen Ring Jacobson

Casting by
Ron Stephenson

Production Design by
Hub Braden

Art Direction by
Mary Dodson		(as Mary Weaver Dodson)

Set Decoration by
Bill Gregory
Lee Poll

Production Management
Al Kraus	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kelly Cantley	....	second assistant director
Joseph A. Ingraffia	....	first assistant director (as Joseph Ingraffia)
Michael Risner	....	dga trainee (uncredited)

Art Department
John P. Bruce	....	set designer
John Hathaway	....	assistant art director
John D. Jefferies Sr.	....	set designer
Robert 'Bob' Jillson	....	set designer
Deland 'Dee' Lyttle	....	construction coordinator
Steve Purdy	....	assistant art director
Bryan Rodgers	....	visual consultant
Doug Vlaming	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Cindy Rabideau	....	supervising sound editor
Don Sharpless	....	sound mixer

Stunts
Mary Albee	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Kositchek	....	director of photography: second unit
Lon Massey III	....	chief lighting technician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Shannon Litten	....	costume supervisor: women
Don Vargas	....	costume supervisor: men
Eilish Zebrasky	....	costume designer: Ms. Lansbury (as Eilish)

Music Department
John Addison	....	composer: theme
Laurie Higgins Tobias	....	supervising music editor

Transportation Department
Robert 'Bob' Routhieaux	....	driver: production designer

Other crew
Jim McClafferty	....	location manager
Desi Scarpone	....	production assistant

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Peter S. Fischer		creator
Richard Levinson		creator
William Link		creator

Produced by
Kevin Corcoran	....	assistant producer
Peter Shaw	....	producer

Art Direction by
Michael Friedman

Makeup Department
Teresa M. Austin	....	key makeup artist
Rita Bellissimo	....	hair stylist (as Rita Bellissimo Bordonaro)
Lori Benson	....	makeup artist
Dino Ganziano	....	hair stylist
Ronald W. Smith	....	hair stylist
Gerald Solomon	....	hair stylist
Robert L. Stevenson	....	hair department head
Ann Wadlington	....	hair stylist
Vera Yurtchuk	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Stephen Swofford	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Louis G. Friedman	....	assistant director
Elena Santaballa	....	dga trainee
Michael-McCloud Thompson	....	dga trainee

Art Department
Tom Margozewitz	....	assistant property master
Sebastian Milito	....	construction coordinator
Ted Wilson	....	carpenter

Sound Department
James L. Aicholtz	....	sound mixer
Gregg Barbanell	....	foley artist
Beau Biggart	....	adr mixer
Barney Cabral	....	adr editor
Joe Campana	....	assistant sound editor
Richard Coleman	....	sound recordist
Mark Kamps	....	assistant sound editor
Susan Kurtz	....	sound effects editor (1992-1994)
Richard LeGrand Jr.	....	sound editor
Anthony Milch	....	sound editor (as Tony Milch)
Linda Moss	....	sound editor
Cindy Rabideau	....	supervising sound editor (1993-1996)
Peter Reale	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dean St. John	....	adr mixer (various episodes)
Clancy T. Troutman	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
George Zamora	....	special effects coordinator

Stunts
Steven Burnett	....	stunts
Debbie Evans	....	stunts
Larry Holt	....	stunt performer
Terry James	....	stunts
Steve Kelso	....	stunts
Gene LeBell	....	stunts
Khristian Lupo	....	stunts
Buck McDancer	....	stunt coordinator
Sherry Peterson	....	stunts
Jimmy N. Roberts	....	stunts
Michael M. Vendrell	....	stunts
Greg Walker	....	stunts
Dick Warlock	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Ben Beaird	....	key grip
Owen Marsh	....	camera operator (1987)
Stan McClain	....	aerial camera operator
Keith H. Moore	....	assistant camera
Serge Poupis	....	first assistant camera
Matt Ramirez	....	first assistant camera
Matt Ramirez	....	photographer: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandra Henderson	....	head stylist

Editorial Department
Ken Latka	....	film transfer colorist
Ralph A. Riccoboni	....	assistant editor (1994-1996)

Music Department
Tim Boyle	....	score mixer
Joshua Winget	....	music editor (final season)

Other crew
Bundy Chanock	....	set medic (1994)
Fred Fein	....	stand-in
Betty Green	....	title designer
Carolyn Hayes	....	production auditor
Beth Humphreys	....	legal supervisor
Mary Kara	....	technical consultant (1995-1996)
Keith McNulty	....	cue cards
Rod Ripley	....	assistant to producers
Art Scholl	....	pilot (1985)
Susan Vercelli	....	production coordinator
Robert 'Bobby Z' Zajonc	....	aerial coordinator

Production Companies

• Corymore Productions (uncredited)
• Universal TV (in association with) (as Universal Television® An MCA Company)

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1995) (USA) (TV)

Other Companies

• Howard Anderson Company, The  titles & optical effects (as Howard Anderson Company)
• Universal City Studios  author: Berne Convention (as Universal City Studios, Inc.)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Corymore Productions

Who Puts the Con and the Sin in Wisconsin?

Do you ever see those word puzzles for which you're to guess a purportedly familiar phrase from the illustrated representation, such as "Pride Fall," and you suppose that this means, "Pride goeth before the fall," and then you turn the page upside down, to discover an answers such as "Falling out of the lion's den," causing you to wonder how the puzzle editor defines "Familiar phrase?"

Well, this time around, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) understands each and every clue as a series of mysteries unravels around the corporate headquarters of "Larry and Gary's Frozen Stuff," which she visits to receive their donation of $750,000 toward the Literary Foundation upon which she serves.

So, perhaps a nice-looking cast (extra points for this) veers the viewer's attention from an abundance of sub-plots, which seem to leave unanswered questions before the ultimate frozen frame of laughter.

Co-founder and CEO of the ice cream corporation, Larry Armstrong (Bill Smitrovich), hosts Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) at his Wisconsin residence during her stop-over to collect for the fund-raiser.

Although the community's name is unspecified, day trips are mentioned to cities as Green Bay, Milwaukee and Racine, which would most likely place the setting in southeastern Wisconsin's dairy country.

The Gary of "Larry and Gary's Frozen Stuff" would be Gary Harling (Dirk Benedict), who's good for a few wise-cracks to lighten the tension caused by a variety of sources, including his gold-digging wife, Carol Harling (Kristen Dalton), who demands of Gary to find new sources of revenue to furnish her lavish lifestyle.

Kyle McGregor (Don Bovingloh) has been working for the corporation for many years, but his request for advancement to the Board of Directors remains denied, while his wife, Susan McGregor (Christina Pickles), has yet to learn of Kyle's secret past.

Administrative Assistant Peggy Evans (Ann Hearn), Secretary Victoria (Sarah Koskoff), and Accountant Jim Kenton (George Wyner) also work for Jerry and Gary's, in the offices around the computers, of which files have been deleted to cover the trail of the $750,000, which has been embezzled, leaving the Literary Foundation contribution dry.

Ralph Brewer (Gregory Itzin) enters to charge false advertising practices of Larry and Gary's, for claiming to create their ice cream from natural ingredients, while he threatens to expose them for purchasing milk from hormone-treated cattle.

Woodstock 'Woody' Seabrook (Bryan Travis Smith) sneaks into the offices on the night of Jessica's arrival, to hack the computer system, when he overhears a conversation in the outer office, and stumbles across a body. He attempts to place a call to Larry, but hangs up after the clock signals "9:00" and not all is well.

Peggy Evans discovers the next body in the deep freezer, hence, "Frozen Stiff," after Jessica and Sheriff Mike Chubb (Christopher Curry) are busy investigating the first murder, of which Jessica neglects to remark, "I'm sure that the murders are connected somehow," and probably because there are a number of other subplots transpiring.

For one, the the now-orphaned Woodstock 'Woody' Seabrook harbors a secret from Larry, who also has a secret past under the name of Leonard Atkins, because he spent three years in prison after an ex-Marine-turned-judge sentenced him for protesting against the war. But Jessica figures this from the moment that she catches Woodstock's breaking into Larry's residence one night.

For another, Carol Harling joins forces with Ralph Brewer to sway corporate shareholders to vote her in as CEO.

For yet another, Kyle has been blackmailed for concealing his secret past from Susan. Plus there is that missing three-quarters-of-a-million.

And then there is young love for Jessica to try to patch up the differences between Victoria and Woodstock so that they might try to find the happiness which nobody else around town has ever known.

So, Jessica also must figure where the missing funds have gone, who's blackmailing whom, how to figure which shipment of ice cream has been contaminated, how to keep Sheriff Chubb from arresting the wrong suspect for one murder, how to set the trap for the other murder, and how to get the advertising campaign back on track, especially when clues would otherwise be "Frozen Stiff."

But somehow all of the publicity which these crimes generate translates into an increase in sales for "Larry and Gary's Frozen Stuff." Now, that probably really makes you wonder how and why.

The cast is rounded out by Fred Sanders as Coroner, and Charles C. Stevenson Jr. as Priest.

This episode represents the most recent acting credit to date for Bryan Travis Smith, the second of two "MSW" appearances each for Ann Hearn, Dirk Benedict, and Charles C. Stevenson Jr., and the third of three for George Wyner.