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, Carrie and her friend, his son-in-law and ambitious professional rival. Armed only with a glass of champagne, Jessica startles and chases Baretta-wielding illegal Cambodian textile sweetshop 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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

paris france | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-PG

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title "Murder a la mode" is french for "Murder in Fashion"

User Reviews

More Desperation along the Paris Runway

This episode begins with a pre-title Prologue, containing footage of a clothing factory's destruction by fire by dark of night, in Paris, France, with Cambodian Kim Huan (Yuji Okumoto) vowing to Kim Huan's Wife (Candace Kita) to avenge the injuries and mistreatment of the factory's exploited employees.

Later in the week, Publisher's Press Agent Dan Morgan (David Garrison) welcome Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) on her second visit into Paris, to promote a French language version of her latest Murder Mystery, while she revisits Hotel Inter-Continental, and again attends a fashion show, and again must deal with a manipulative, philandering mogul who strings along a chain of overlapping romances.

Jessica's dear young American friend Carrie Quinn (Ellia Thompson) models for Faragere Fashions, and for some reason has dumped her still-devoted-to-her-for-another-reason Photographer, Rick Evans (Daniel Markel), while he was shooting in Milan, for her overbearing, underhanded, jewel-smuggling employer, Edmond Faragere (François Guétary), of whom she relates as her "true love" in conversation with Mrs. Fletcher.

Faragere's also employs Fashion Designing spouses Paul Vaughn (James Sutorius) and Thea Vaughn (Maureen Mueller), but while Paul conducts his operation, Thea professes her devotion to her true love, Edmond Faragere and plays both ends against the middle, as she intends to join his new operation.

Denise Naveau (Natalia Nogulich) assists in designing and tailoring at Faragere's even though she and Edmond have been an item of the past. Still, Edmond strings Denise along to control her career and affections, as he does with Thea and Carrie.

Claude Faragere (Clifford David), the step-father of Edmond, and a veteran Fashion mogul, who founded Faragere's, befriends Jessica and confides his disappointment with Edmond's behavior toward his employees, as well as to his step-son's operating the now-gutted factory, at which several lives have been lost earlier in the week as a result of conditions too poor to withstand the ravage of flames.

Invitation Checker (Bettina Spier) welcomes Jessica and Dan to the fashion reception, as they arrive behind Kim Huan, who enters the gathering to enact his revenge against fashion industry powers-that-be.

But when Kim Huan aims a pistol at the crowd, the nearby Jessica douses him with her goblet of champagne, causing him to reverse direction, and to dart through the factory, dropping his pistol, while being pursued.

Inspector Marc Gautier (François-Eric Gendron) responds to the thwarted attack, with Detective (Frank Bruynbroek) on hand for a minute, and applauds Jessica's reaction, as do others around her, including Dan, who suggests this quick response as a good publicity stunt to promote Jessica's book, a notion to which Jessica objects modestly.

Jessica then discovers Kim Huan inside her Hotel Inter-Continental room later that night. After he expresses his gratitude for preventing him from shooting anyone, she, subsequently, believe his story, especially when Inspector Gautier arrests Kim Huan after a body is discovered in an automobile, a victim of Kim Huan's pistol.

And then, after secrets come to light, various individuals involved with the fashion show make resolutions of their own, while Jessica, watching Carrie's modeling her sleek teal gown, suddenly realizes the motive behind "Murder a la Mode."

This episode represents the second of two "MSW" guest roles each for Maureen Mueller, Natalia Nogulich and Ellia Thompson, and the fifth of five "MSW's" for James Sutorius.

(Extra points for the performances by Natalia Nogulich with her plausible French accent, Maureen Mueller with her understated Noir Fem Fatale behavior, and Yuji Okumoto for his avenger-with-a-heart delivery, and also for the presences of David Garrison, Daniel Markel, Frank Bruynbroek and James Sutorius for fitting in nicely into five very different "MSW" predicaments.)