Who Killed J.B. Fletcher? 

A fan, posing as Jessica, is arrested and later murdered.

Director:

Walter Grauman

Writers:

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

Stars:

Angela Lansbury, Max Baer Jr., Janet Blair

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Angela Lansbury	...	Jessica Fletcher
Max Baer Jr.	...	St. Trooper Boone Willoughby (as Max Baer)
Janet Blair	...	Bertie
Betty Garrett	...	Kit Parkins
Earl Holliman	...	Sheriff J.T. Tanner
Terry Moore	...	Florence
Margaret O'Brien	...	Jane
Jamie Rose	...	Lisa McCauley
Tom Schanley	...	Rick
Lyman Ward	...	Mitchell Lawrence
Marie Windsor	...	Caroline
Jane Withers	...	Marge Allen
David Cowgill	...	Deputy
Jon Menick	...	Kennel Clerk
Mario Machado	...	Anchor

Storyline

Marge Allen gets arrested using her fake JB Fletcher identity card from a literary fan club while investigating the McCauley kennel. She makes bail but is found dead in her crashed car. Since the press reports both incidents, Jessica convinces Sheriff J.T. Tanner he arrested an impersonator, then accepts the club's help to investigate after kennel owner and dog trainer, Simon McCauley, is reported killed with his hunting rifle 'by his dog'. The sheriff initially dismisses either theories or help, but is won over. The widow, Lisa McCauley, is also killed, but Jessica solves all three murders at once from assorted clues.

---

Plot Keywords:

dog | jail | abbreviation in episode title | question mark in episode title | romance episode | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 1991 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

47 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The famous American television movie series, Columbo (1971) starring Peter Falk, was created by William Link and Peter S. Fischer. Murder, She Wrote (1984) was also created by William Link, Peter S. Fischer, and including Richard Levinson.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Kennel Clerk: Well, let's see, I should have the card right here under Spaniels. Well, here it is. Springer Spaniels. Larkin's Prince Regent, bred by Simon McCauley over in Bremerton. Here's the address. Can't imagine what kind of mystery you're gonna be writing about hunting dogs, but I hope I helped.

User Reviews

The Jessica Fletcher Fan Club

Reports of her arrest and later her death are greatly exaggerated. Posing as none other than JB Fletcher, Jane Withers is hot on a case exposing cheating at dog shows. But she walks into something bigger than that and Withers is one of three deaths in this episode of Murder She Wrote.

Good thing Angela Lansbury was doing a book tour in the general area of Texas where all this takes place. But in addition to this murder she also has to deal with identity theft as when the reports of her death reach the media, she's got all kinds of credit card problems.

But Jessica Fletcher gets lots of help and in this small town there's a small JB Fletcher Fan Club that Withers was a member. Some of the others include Marie Windsor, Terry Moore and several other contemporaries of Lansbury's back in the day of the studio system.

It takes a while but the main reason for the homicides is that most prosaic of motives, greed.

An episode for nostalgia lovers.