Murder a la Mode 

Jessica's excursion into the world of the fashion elite in Paris leads to murder, sweatshops and smugglers.

Director:

Jerry Jameson

Writers:

Peter S. Fischer (created by), Richard Levinson (created by)

Stars:

Angela Lansbury, Clifford David, David Garrison

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Angela Lansbury	...	Jessica Fletcher
Clifford David	...	Claude Faragere
David Garrison	...	Dan Morgan
François-Eric Gendron	...	Insp. Marc Gautier (as Francois Eric Gendron)
François Guétary	...	Edmond Faragere (as Francois Guetary)
Daniel Markel	...	Rick Evans
Maureen Mueller	...	Thea Vaughn
Natalija Nogulich	...	Denise Naveau
Yuji Okumoto	...	Kim Huan
James Sutorius	...	Paul Vaughn
Ellia Thompson	...	Carrie Quinn
Frank Bruynbroek	...	Detective
Bettina Spier	...	Invitation Checker

Storyline

Jessica is in Paris for a book promotion, and calls a friend, fashion model Carrie Quinn, who will be in the show that evening. She hears from famous designer Claude Faragere, he worries about his stepson Edmund, an ambitious professional rival. Armed only with a glass of champagne, Jessica startles and chases Baretta-wielding illegal Cambodian textile sweatshop worker Kim Huan who attacks Edmond Faragere's life in grief for his wife. Kim waits in her hotel-room, assuring he's glad she prevented his momentary hate to have irreversible consequences but doesn't dare take her advice to turn himself in. Jessica witnesses bickering at a competing fashion-house between designer Thea Vaughn, who cares for her label's name and quality, her husband Paul, who only wants to sell for profit, and assistant Denise Naveau who fixes the dispute. Afterward, Denise secretly calls Edmund the show can go on. Then Edmund is shot dead in his car. Huan calls and meets Jessica, telling his wife died in a ...

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Plot Keywords:

paris france | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although set in Paris, no actual filming took place there.

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Goofs

In her first scene in France, Jessica is reading a French newspaper, with the headline: "Quatre Mort Dans Incendie". It means that there was four deaths in a fire. However there's two mistakes, the correct French title should read: "Quatre Morts dans un Incendie".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Kim Huan: I will... I will avenge you. I swear.

User Reviews

Fashion and murder in Paris

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.

While a long way from being one of the best 'Murder She Wrote' episodes, and it does pale in comparison to the show's other Parisian fashion-themed episode, the Season 4 opener "A Fashionable Way to Die", "Murder a la Mode" is still decent. The murder crime and investigation are done very well and the identity of the killer was not obvious.

Angela Lansbury is terrific, and she has good support from Natalija Nogulich, James Sutorious, Maureen Mueller and Yuji Okumoto. Francois Guetary is makes it easy to see why anybody would want to do away with him.

Production values are slick and stylish with a very atmospheric foggy setting in places. The music has energy and has presence but also not making the mistake of over-scoring, while it is hard to forget or resist the theme tune. The writing is thoughtful and amiable mostly.

Not all the cast is good. Ellia Thompson looks and sounds awkward and uninterested throughout. The rest are pretty forgettable.

The whole stuff with the smuggling could have done with more clarity and the crimes could have been introduced earlier and with less talk and setting building (not all of it interesting) before it.

Overall, decent episode. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1995 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Corymore Productions, Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

47 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1