Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Murder

S05-E21 of the eight-season crime-drama starring Raymond Burr in his second most-famous TV role. He's wheelchair-bound Robert T. Ironside, a San Francisco consultant to the police paralyzed after being shot, here investigating the case of a murdered apartment building owner who was killed soon after yelling at some kids playing down in the basement. We meet just two of the children involved: a mentally-challenged young man who helps out in the building with odd jobs and Jodie Foster as a pre-teen into witchcraft (!). Foster explains to "Uncle Bob" that she's a white witch, but that she wished the building owner dead after he yelled at her and now feels guilty for what happened. Other guests in this episode include veteran character actor Milton Selzer, John Schuck (doing fine work), and Rod Serling (with a mustache and Van Dyke beard) as the co-owner of a neighborhood occult shop. Written by Sy Salkowitz and directed by Christian I. Nyby II, this episode would be a complete miss were it not for the famous faces involved. Foster is so young she doesn't even sound like herself, but she's still as confident a child performer as ever (except for the finale when she kisses Burr on the lips--and then wipes her mouth!). The murder case isn't at all involving or surprising, though the basic witchcraft techniques (lighting candles, spreading salt, chanting spells) are bizarre with a little girl at the helm. Lee Paul--another acting veteran in his first of four "Ironside" appearances--plays backward Billy with care, but sleepy Burr is just rolling along, phoning his performance in. Paging Della Street!