MURDER, SHE WROTE: THE SOUND OF MURDER (TV)
Summary
One in this murder mystery series about an unassuming Maine mystery writer turned sleuth named Jessica B. Fletcher who uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases. In this episode, Jessica spends time with one of her writing students, Holly, who assists her in securing a studio in which to record one of her books on tape. At the RoJam Records studio, mogul Freddie Major attempts to sign a new band called Mirabilis, and when Jessica arrives, he chats with her about music and asks for advice on a song he is attempting to fix, also inviting her to a music video shoot. They also meet Richard Lefko, vice-president of an artists' group, and Charles George Drexler, Mirabilis' manager. Charles makes a deal with Freddie about the band, though Freddie and Rick argue about means of promotion. As Jessica prepares to record her book, another artist, Willi Piper, works on his music with Paul, his engineer, who is dating Holly's friend Julie. Freddie attempts to convince Willi to join RoJam, but he declines, remaining loyal to Paul and their label. Back at Holly's home, Jessica learns that Freddie is exploiting his past relationship with Julie to manipulate Willi into signing, and Holly reveals that she is interested in Willi when she asks for Jessica's opinion of him. Rick meet Charles privately and tells him that Freddie intends to sell the company and cut him out, advising Charles to hold off on signing Mirabilis in order to hurt Freddie's business.
At the music video dress rehearsal, Freddie continues pressing Willi to sign with him, and Holly receives a garbled call over her headset summoning Freddie to the VIP lounge. As the rehearsal gets underway, Jessica hears what sounds like a gunshot, but Holly tells her that it is just a special effect in the song. Everyone else then hears a second shot, however, and Freddie is found dead. Jessica tells Lieutenant Al Terwilliger about hearing the shots, concluding with Holly that multiple people had motive to kill him. Julie frets that the cops suspect Paul, and Jessica hunts for clues, inspecting Freddie's electric keyboard and reading the music of the video song. She then learns that a private investigator, Sellers, had been spying on someone in the studio, likely in relation to the secret buyout. Paul is arrested when the gun is found in his car, and Jessica meets with Sellers' boss and discovers his transcripts from his surveillance of Rick. She tells Holly that she doubts Rick's guilt, however, though she also does not believe Willi to be guilty, given his mild-mannered nature. When Holly mentions the "FACE" and "EGBDF" mnemonic devices for remembering musical notes, Jessica gets an idea.
She returns to Freddie's studio and inspects his keyboard again, and when Charles catches her there, she accuses him of the murder. He points out that he was standing beside her when the shot was heard during the song, but she states that she heard a gun fire before that, explaining how he rigged the second squib to distract everyone and make himself look innocent, then planting the murder weapon on Paul. She plays the recorded song that Freddie was working on seconds before his death, pointing out his seemingly random addition of three notes: "C-G-D," implicating Charles George Drexler. Charles pulls a gun on her, but she broadcasts his confession into the studio and Al arrives to arrest him. Later, during her writing class, the now-dating Holly and Willi chat with Jessica, revealing that Julie and Paul are to be married. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: January 3, 1993 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:47:17
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:46296
- GENRE: Drama, mystery/suspense
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, mystery/suspense
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1984-1996
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Angela Lansbury … Executive Producer
- Al Kraus … Coordinating Producer
- Mark A. Burley … Supervising Producer
- Bruce Lansbury … Supervising Producer, Writer
- Tom Sawyer … Producer
- Todd London … Co-Producer
- Anthony Shaw … Director
- Peter S. Fischer … Created by
- Richard Levinson … Created by
- William Link … Created by
- Steve Dorff … Music by
- John Addison … Theme Music by
- Angela Lansbury … Cast, Jessica Fletcher
- Richard Beymer … Cast, Richard Lefko
- Edd Byrnes … Cast, Freddie Major
- Mary Beth Evans … Cast, Julie Knight
- Robert Knepper … Cast, Charles George Drexler
- Miles O'Keeffe … Cast, Paul Atkins
- Alexia Robinson … Cast, Holly Chase
- Michael Tolan … Cast, Lt. Alan Terwilliger
- Jonathan Goldsmith … Cast, Mitch Randall
- Kevin Hicks … Cast, Willi Piper
- Keny Long … Cast, Video Director
- Danny Woodburn … Cast, Giorgi Pappavasilopoulos
- Meadow Williams … Cast, Michele
- Lori Hart … Cast, Mirabilis Duo
- Jeffrey Steele … Cast, Mirabilis Duo