Gay Hagan Movies
- 1985
The scene is the West Barrington Institute for Women, where warden Elizabeth Gates (Vera Miles) invites Jessica (Angela Lansbury) to lecture on creative writing. Of course, wherever Jessica goes, murder follows, and this time the victim is the prison's doctor Irene Matthews (Janet McLachlan). Believing that an innocent woman has been accused of the crime, the inmates stage a riot, taking several hostages--including Jessica--in the process. In order to save Warden Gates from being killed in the mistaken belief that she is the "real" culprit, Jessica races against time to solve the murder herself. This is the only Murder She Wrote episode to boast an all-female cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Jose Ferrer guest stars in this episode--but not for long!--as a famed hypnotist known as The Amazing Cagliostro. As a publicity stunt, Cagliostro shepherds a group of six journalists behind locked doors, then hypnotizes them en masse. The act comes to an abrupt conclusion when Cagliostro is stabbed to death in full view of the journalists--who, being hypnotized, can remember nothing about the crime! Jessica (Angela Lansbury) of course figures that at least one person in the room was sufficiently conscious to commit the murder, and she's determined to find out which one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
