Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) Broadway Malady (1985) User Reviews

From Hollywood to Broadway, treachery always follows.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 11 November 2017]

Rita Bristol is set to resurrect her career, a talented actress who worked in Hollywood, but forced into early retirement due to a drink problem. The stage show, put together by her son Barry, also features Patti, Rita's talented up and coming daughter. After a difficult rehearsal Barry accompanies Patti home, en route they're stopped by a mugger, who bizarrely opens fire.

It's a clever story, I like the idea of a once great Hollywood star trying to resurrect her career on Broadway, following a battle with the bottle. The identity of the villain is clever, not one I saw coming, as they seem to have no possible motive for the crime.

Excellent production values, it looks like some money went into the production of this episode. Vivian Blaine is delightful as Rita, adding belief to the character, sad that this was to be her last on screen performance.

The show almost doesn't go on

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 11 July 2017]

Nephew Grady Fletcher has found another job and Michael Horton invites Aunt Jessica to come to New York. He's the bookkeeper for Broadway producer Patrick O'Neal and the show is for former movie queen Vivian Blaine to make a comeback with. There's a nice part in it for her daughter Lorna Luft as well. For mother and daughter these two have a nasty rivalry. Son and brother Gregg Henry does all he can to keep peace.

Some mysterious accidents happen and then someone shoots Luft and that someone is then shot and killed by Henry. Later on there's an attack on Blaine.

Milton Berle is in it as well as an agent. He has one scene with Angela Lansbury, but he provides the critical evidence to crack the case. Also young Mr. Horton gets out from under a Springtime For Hitler type scheme as well.

Broadway and robbery with 'Murder She Wrote'

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 10 July 2017]

Have always been quite fond of 'Murder She Wrote'. It is a fun and relaxing watch that makes you think as you try to unwind in the evening. If one wants more complex, twisty mysteries with lots of tension and suspense 'Murder She Wrote' may not be for you, but if you want something light-hearted and entertaining but still provide good mysteries 'Murder She Wrote' fits the bill just fine.

"Broadway Malady" is a very good episode to Season 1 and of 'Murder She Wrote' in general, that nearly could have been one of the best and nearly was. While Grady's role is not a big one, the character is just in general so dead-weight dull and dim, and Michael Horton's acting is no better. For me, the final solution was not hard to figure out at all, actually suspected early on, and the way it all came out just happened too easily.

However, "Broadway Malady" is very slickly filmed with typically attractive locations and fashions. The music has presence but also not making the mistake of over-scoring, while it is hard to forget or resist the theme tune. The songs sung by Vivian Blaine and Lorna Luft (both of whom give wonderful performances here that give a real sense of pathos and nostalgia) are a lovely touch.

The writing is charmingly light-hearted, gently amiable and down to earth but provokes thought too. The line "But if someone shot my sister I'd pretty much kill them also. Then I'd pee all over their grave" is priceless.

Story is compelling and has a real warm charm and nostalgia.

Angela Lansbury is terrific in one of her best remembered roles (one of the roles that is most closely associated with me at any rate). She is very well supported, not just Luft and Blaine but also Robert Morse and Milton Berle's excellent cameo. Only Horton doesn't work.

Overall, very good episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox

"Dispel All the Gangsters at Forty-Second Street"

[WeatherViolet · 13 September 2009]

This episode marks the swan song appearance of 1940's film actress and singer Vivian Blaine, who continued her career in television during the 1950's and beyond.

Grady Fletcher (Michael Horton) has one of his less-visible among his twelve appearances in this series, as Bookkeeper to an upcoming Broadway show, "Always April." He insists upon his Aunt Jessica Fletcher's (Angela Lansbury) visiting the troupe at the request of its major star, Rita Bristol, an avid fan of J.B. Fletcher Mysteries. Grady introduces Aunt Jessica to Understudy Kate Metcalf (Sharee Gregory), for whom he harbors a special eye.

Mother and daughter performing team, Rita Bristol (Vivian Blaine) and Patti Bristol (Lorna Luft) reminisce over Rita's vintage film, as son/brother Barry Bristol (Gregg Henry) enters to announce their return to the theatre with the tentative "Always April."

The memory which Barry interrupts displays a televised clip by Miss Blaine, performing "Somewhere in the Night" from the 1946 Twentieth Century-Fox Film "Three Little Girls in Blue," which her character attributes to a fictional film, "Moon over Rio."

But at the theatre, Director Marc Faber (Robert Morse) continuously expresses disapproval of Rita and Patti's rehearsal displays, before an apologetic Patti, a disagreeable Rita, and a cast and crew expressing bewilderment over Marc's behavior.

A reception dinner, at which Rita Bristol and company meet Jessica, is also attended by Patti and Barry Bristol, Grady Fletcher, Kate Metcalf, Mark Faber, Investor Si Parrish (Patrick O'Neal), and playwrights Jimmy Finley (Bob Gorman) and Carlin Nash (Bert Hinchman).

Afterwards, outside the theatre, there is commotion leading to an incident with a "blind" performer, Monsignor Kelly (Ed Bakey), a card dealer, Taki (Roberto Roman) and a would-be mugger, Manny Farkus / Morley Farmer (Johnny Seven).

This lands a patient into the hospital, under the care of Doctor Peter Weber (Edson Stroll), and an investigation by NYPD Detective Sergeatn Moreno (Gregory Sierra) with NYPD Detective Captain (Dante D'Andre) on hand, but Jessica questions Moreno's dismissal of the case and the fact that he has no time to question obvious witnesses from the streets.

So, Jessica then undertakes an ambitious investigation of her own, to question card dealer Veronica (Irma García), to locate Taki, to discover the dual identity of Manny Farkus / Morley Farmer, to track down his former associate Lew Feldman (Milton Berle), and his landlady Gretchen Pashko (Barbara Whinnery) for additional information.

In the meantime, Director Marc Faber hires Hollywood actress Lonnie Valerian (Elaine Giftos) to add life to the faltering rehearsals, to the dismay of several cast members, amid two shootings, an alcohol-induced overdose and a natural gas leak, creating a "Broadway Malady" for certain.

Broadway malady

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 22 August 2023]

Celebrated Broadway musical star Vivian Blaine is cast as--what else?--a celebrated Broadway musical star, named Rita Bristol. Headling a new production costarring her daughter Patti (Lorna Luft) and produced by her son Barry (Gregg Henry), Rita is among those expressing concern when an aspiring actress is seriously wounded by an apparent mugger. Likewise on the scene is Jessica (Angela Lansbury), who suspects that the mugging is a set-up job--and who ends up going into her sleuth act when a murder occurs. Also on the call-sheet in this episode are a couple of show-biz newcomers named Milton Berle and Robert Morse.

The stage theatre, a celebrated Broadway star and murder - a rather entertaining entry, with a great performance by Vivian Blame. The murderer came as a surprise.

Script problems make this one of the series weakest episodes

[FlushingCaps · 4/10 · 6 December 2022]

We open with an old movie star Rita Bristol (Vivian Blaine) enjoying one of her old films from, it appears, the 1940s. She is joined by her daughter Patti (Lorna Luft) and moments later, Rita's son, Barry joins them with good news-he has found a backer for a musical show titled Always April and they are going to be able to put the play on Broadway. Rita and Patti will play the leads.

By coincidence, they've hired Grady Fletcher to be bookkeeper for the show, so of course he gets his Aunt Jess to come down from Maine, where she can watch rehearsals and go to a special dinner with the cast and others. Grady is also excited for Jessica to meet his new girlfriend.

At rehearsal, we all see how poorly the director, Marc Faber (Robert Morse) treats his stars, causing harsh feelings.

There is an incident that will delay, or cancel the show, with someone dying and someone else being seriously injured. Not long after, a different character has to be rushed to the hospital.

Jessica is sure about one element related to the first incident, but overworked NY police sergeant Moreno (played by Gregory Sierra, who earlier was a detective in New York on Barney Miller) basically ignores what Jessica tells him, is delighted to have one case he can mark "closed" quickly, to move on to a fistful of other important cases. I was thinking he didn't learn too much from Barney when he had the chance.

So Jessica has to work on her own to find the clues that will lead her to the killer. When she does, she sets up a confrontation to try for a confession. She puts herself in harm's way with the way she did it and is lucky the person didn't cause her harm-or worse.

One big difference between this episode and most in this excellent series is that we had very few suspects in this case. Even with more, I thought the identity of the murderer was really obvious due to actions at the time that were all wrong for what should have been the reactions of people.

One highlight was a one-scene guest role of an agent played by Milton Berle. Too bad he wasn't in more scenes. Former McHale's Navy seaman Virgil (Edson Stroll) was also featured briefly.

I think the set-up was too obvious and the solution dangerously arranged by Jessica. This wasn't nearly the quality script we usually get. I have to give this one a 4. Sorry, I could not find a way to explain my major problems without giving away too much of the plot.

Ouch...the first truly bad episode of "Murder, She Wrote"!

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 20 October 2022]

Sgt is an idiot dumb confrontation scene.

"Broadway Malady" has the distinction of being the first episode of "Murder, She Wrote" that was really bad. The writing is seriously suspect here and it's just not a particularly good episode.

The story is set in New York City and mostly occurs at rehearsals for some Broadway play. Following one rehearsal, a guy comes up to the star (Lorna Luft) and says he wants her money and jewels...but then instantly shoots her. It's obvious that the guy really just wanted to kill her...and the victim's brother just happens to have a gun on him and he kills the attacker. But, oddly, the investigating detective sergeant doesn't think this is odd at all. Later, Jessica is able to show the detective that the attacker was really an out of work actor...but this make no difference to the cop...which makes no sense.

The woman, though shot, will survive. However, shortly after this, her co-star in the play, her own mother, apparently tries to kill herself. This leads to a ridiculous confrontation scene between the real killer and Jessica.

There are so many problems with the script...logical problems. So much of the story just doesn't make sense, the real killer is OBVIOUS and the story just seemed rushed and poorly made. While I have liked all the previous episodes, this one left me frustrated due to the sloppy writing.