Fair Warning

Hello, and welcome to this installment of MSWSW.  What follows is a detailed, somewhat meandering look at “Hooray for Homicide.”  There will be spoilers.  I recommend watching the entire episode first, possibly with a light beverage and nosh, before proceeding.

Hooray?

This episode appears to have everything one could want in a great episode of MSW: a glamorous locale, plenty of camp, the oeuvre of J.B. Fletcher… and yet, perhaps much like Tinseltown itself, the allure quickly fades. 

Well, we’re here, so let’s do this thing.

Lights, Camera….

Oh no!  The Corpse Danced at Midnight is being turned into a cheap horror flick with pearl-clutching amounts of sex and gore!  Jessica flies to LA, determined to defend the integrity of her work.

Where in the World is…?

Hollywood! Here’s a map.

When Are We?

This is another episode that seems to be completely free of clues as to what time of year it is, especially since it’s warm and sunny year-round in southern California.  However, we know the events of this episode take place after Jessica’s “Birds of a Feather” trip to San Francisco, because at that time, the Corpse movie deal was still intact.  The initial air date of this episode was October 28, 1984, so I place these events in late October 1984.

The Players

In order of appearance:

J.B. Fletcher

A mystery writer of great renown, J.B. is prepared to do whatever is required to rein in the film version of The Corpse Danced at Midnight.

Captain Ethan Cragg

Ethan makes a brief, but notable, appearance in the opening scene, set in Cabot Cove.  He is the first gentleman, but not the last, to try to tackle Jessica’s plumbing.  Freud did say “Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.”  But that’s not the case here, friends.

Jerry Lydecker

Marta Quintessa

Eve Crystal

Allan Gebhart

Ross Haley

An earnest and seemingly competent director.

Scott Bennet

Norman Lester

Lieutenant Mike Hernandez

Repeat Offenders

If you’re a MSW fan (and if you’ve read this far, you are) I’m sure you’ve recognized a few actors who appear multiple times throughout the series, but in different roles.  Check out The Rogues’ Gallery for more details.  In this episode, one supporting character, Marty Strindberg, is played by an actor who we’ll see again in a future MSW, Lyle Waggoner.

The Timeline

Day 0

At home in Cabot Cove, Jessica sees a television interview with Jerry Lydecker about the slasher film he’s producing, J.B. Fletcher’s The Corpse Danced at Midnight.  Oh, the horror!

Day 1

Morning

Jessica flies out to Hollywood and meets with her attorney, Marty Strindberg.  He can’t, or won’t, intervene in the Corpse project, and instead suggests that Jessica should go:

• Visit Disneyland!
• See Farmers’ Market!
• Take a Hollywood Tour!
• Jump in La Brea Tar Pits! (I jest.)

But she’s a woman on a mission, so Jessica crashes the studio gates with the aid of the film’s costume designer, the glamorous Marta Quintessa.

Meanwhile, in her trailer, Eve is confronted by Jerry about his suspicions that there’s another man.

On the way to the set, Jerry and Allan argue about financial matters.  Marta, Allan, and Jessica all lament the quality of the screenplay.  Jerry and Marta discuss costume challenges.

Ross, Eve, and Scott meet on set to shoot the “nude scene.”  Jessica is discomposed.

Just after Lunch

Jerry and Jessica face off.  Jerry stands his ground, and our lady says, “Just because the Almighty gave people a taste for lobsters doesn’t mean that He gave lobsters a taste for being boiled alive.”  I think this line is a little too over the top to include in my Le Mot Juste, but it recalls David Foster Wallace’s excellent essay Consider the Lobster, which I highly recommend.

Later that Afternoon

Norman, a junior attorney from Carr, Strindberg and Roth, brings the Corpse contract to Jessica’s hotel suite. Legal eagle-eyed Jessica discovers that she is in the wrong and resolves to see Jerry to make amends.

Off camera, Jerry views rushes in the screening room, and then goes to the set. 

After pressing his secretary, Ms. Finch, Jessica follows Jerry to the set to apologize.  Instead, she finds his real body in his fake cemetery. Plus, a gold button!  It’s a clue!

After being aided/detained by security, Jessica meets Lieutenant Hernandez.  He’s a big fan of J.B. Fletcher, and we learn that the “B” is for Beatrice.

Ross and Marta arrive and voice their weak alibis and some even weaker lines.  Jessica is sent to Jerry’s beach house to break the news to Eve.

Cocktail Hour

At the beach house, Eve offers Jessica some scotch and (diet) soda. 

Here, the viewer might pause to contemplate the difference between purposeful bad acting and unintentional bad acting, and whether we should evaluate a play within a play by the same standards as the play itself.  Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

Jessica and Eve decide a cold shower plus a cup of tea is a recipe for sobriety, and then they have an important chat.

Night

Jessica returns to her hotel with Lt. Hernandez, who tells her she can’t fly home yet, because she’s a suspect.

Day 2

On the way to the set with Jessica, Allan explains how he, Ross, Marta, et al stand to benefit from Jerry’s death.

On set, we finally get to see Jerry’s vision for the film, and there’s a lot of… choices.

In another tête-à-tête with Jessica, Marta divulges the nature of her past relationship with Jerry, and alludes to a possible allergy or medical condition that Eve has when she drinks alcohol.

Lt. Hernandez halts production to publicly arrest Jessica as prime suspect.  Back at the precinct, instead of booking her, he leans on Jessica to solve the case for him.

Day 3

Morning

I deduce it’s morning, as Jessica’s wearing another bathrobe.   Does she travel with multiple robes?  Is one of them the hotel’s robe?  I need to know why there’s more than one. Also, I’ll note that Jessica does all her robe wearing with Norman. However, Jessica and younger men is a subject for a later episode.

Norman agrees to help Jessica solve the murder.   This includes researching the other four suspects and calling in a favor at the studio.

Midday

Since she’s been banned from the set, Jessica returns to the studio undercover as a tourist. 

She completes a studio tour of her own design:

• View Jerry’s rushes!
• Annoy Scott!
• Chat with the costume mistress! 
• Search Eve’s trailer! 

Egads, it’s Ross!  And he has the gold button!  It’s a clue!

Due to an irksome plot hole, Hernandez is immediately, inexplicably on the spot to arrest Ross.  As they watch the paddy wagon pull away, Norman provides Jessica with the final clues to the mystery:

• Ross is financially embarrassed.
• Allan is struggling to stay sober.
• Eve takes oral medication for diabetes mellitus.
• Marta once threatened to turn Jerry into shish kebob for cheating on her.

Cocktail Hour

It’s a party at Jerry’s beach house and Jessica, Marta, Allan, Scott, and Eve are there.  Norman is not in attendance; I imagine he’s having a long overdue dinner at his uncle’s house.

The champagne and diet soda flow.  After Jessica’s toast to the wrongfully accused Ross, each party goer takes their leave, until only the murderer remains.

Show Your Work

Fair Play Pause Point

Once Norman gives Jessica his report on all the other suspects, she has enough information to know who the killer is, and so do we.

Suspects

All the main characters should be considered as potential suspects, the one exception being Ethan, who only makes a brief appearance in the opening scene set in Cabot Cove.  The rest, in order of appearance:

• Jessica Fletcher
• Jerry Lydecker
• Marta Quintessa
• Eve Crystal
• Allan Gebhart
• Ross Haley
• Scott Bennet
• Norman Lester
• Lt. Mike Hernandez

Motive

Five suspects have motives to kill Jerry:

• Jessica despised his adaptation of her novel
• Marta was a bitter and jealous ex
• Eve was seeing another man
• Allan was shortchanged on his screenplay
• Ross wanted credit as the producer to revive his career

As for the rest of the main characters:

• Jerry was not suicidal, nor could he have self-inflicted the lethal blow 
• Scott didn’t like Jerry, but as far as he knew, did not stand to gain by Jerry’s death
• Norman and Lt. Hernandez have no motive because they had no relationship with Jerry

I’m on the fence about whether Scott had a motive.  Neither Jessica nor Lt. Hernandez consider him a serious suspect, but he didn’t like Jerry and was interested in Eve, which seems to me very nearly as much motive as Marta had.

Means and Opportunity

In this case, means and opportunity are inseparable.  All five main suspects had access to the set where Jerry was killed, and the weapon was a prop urn on that set.  None of the suspects have a particularly strong alibi for the time of the murder.  Eve was alone, as was Jessica.  Ross and Marta left separately from the costume department during the time of the murder, so they were alone, as well.  No alibi is given for Allan.  Or Scott, if you care to include him.

Clues!

Solving the murder comes down to a couple of clues that are presented to us during the scene in which Ross is arrested.

The gold button, first glimpsed beside Jerry’s body when Jessica discovers the murder, is missing for most of the episode.  When the button is found in Ross’s possession, Jessica suggests to Lt. Hernandez that it belonged to a costume.  The only costume of import throughout the episode is Eve’s original majorette costume.  Eve didn’t like it, and Jerry wanted Marta to redesign it.  It’s also missing from the costume department. 

The gold button beside the body indicates that the majorette costume was present at the time of the murder.  Of the five suspects with motives, only Marta, the costume designer, Eve, the costume wearer, and Ross, the director, would have had reason to interact with Jerry in the vicinity of the majorette costume.  Neither Allan nor Jessica (nor Scott) were concerned with the majorette costume.  Additionally, that Ross is found in possession of the gold button means that he was at the murder scene before the police arrived, and that he understood the significance of the button as evidence.

Eve’s Medication

At Jessica’s request, Norman confirms that Eve takes oral medication for diabetes.  If you’re fuzzy or even completely ignorant about the different kinds of medication available for diabetes, don’t worry, so am I.  We can still sort this out, because we know Jessica would not have asked Norman for this information unless it potentially pertained to the murder.

J’accuse!

This was another fair play episode, there was plenty of evidence that Eve was lying about her alibi.  The gold button was relevant, but also injected just enough chaos and uncertainty to keep the plot moving.

This was another early episode where the final scene felt a little clunky.  All the remaining suspects are called together, but instead of a Hercule Poiret-style dramatic denouement including the entire group, each character leaves one at a time, and just like a party breaking up, the final scene loses all its steam.  You can kind of see how the later episodes fell into the classic MSW end scene where Jessica confronts the killer alone, often at the risk of some sort of threat or violence.  It becomes a cliché, but at least it’s a reliable way of sustaining tension and energy until the conclusion.

Episode Rating

Bonus Features

Do crimes.

Murder!

• Culprit: Eve Crystal
• Motive: Fear, to protect Scott’s career
• Weapon: Blunt object (urn)
• Before Our Eyes: Murder portrayed on screen in flashback
• Crime Scene: Real body in a fake cemetery
• Discovery: 15:38, about 32% through

Other Crimes!

• Removing evidence from the scene of a crime: Ross Haley, for playing who’s got the button
• Trespass: Jessica, for sneaking back onto the studio after being banned
• Felonious assault: Ross again, for knocking down Jessica during a hasty escape

Psycho Killer

This is an easy one.  This is the first time in the series that law enforcement considers Jessica a suspect, and for good reason.  I award a gold button star to this episode for how deftly Jessica is framed, and how concisely Lt. Hernandez and Ms. Finch make a case against her.  If Jessica’s the killer, it went down just the way they said.

Tropes, Devices, and Other Conventions

Mystery Tropes

Despicable Victim

As often happens, this episode’s victim is so dastardly that almost everyone has a reason to kill him.

Love Triangle

This is the series’ first, but not last, love triangle that includes the murderer and the victim.

Oddly Located Corpse

Jessica finds a real body in a fake cemetery, which is clever.  Incidentally, it is the first time in the series that Jessica discovers the body.

Plot Devices

Flashback

We see a flashback during Eve’s confession, and it’s the first time in the series that the murder is portrayed on screen.

MSW Tropes

Nay, Tarry

This time, Jessica has to miss her flight home because she’s the prime suspect.

Confess Thyself

Jessica uses her superlative powers of persuasion to convince the killer to confess.

Law Enforcement

Lt. Mike Hernandez is the first law enforcement officer who is an unabashed fan of J.B. Fletcher, but he won’t be the last.

Le Mot Juste

This episode is riddled with terrible lines.  So many, I should have called this section Le Mot Injuste.  Here are the top three stinkers:

• Second runner up, Allan: “Just remember, the picture’s not over until the credits roll.”
• First runner up, Ross: “Will the suspects please form a double line?”
• Worst line of the episode, Marta: “Should someone tell our star that her star-maker has gone to his maker?”  Ugh.

To her credit, my favorite line this episode is also from Marta, regarding the majorette costume: “Darling, if I cut it any higher, there will be nothing left but a belt.”

Family Matters: A Tiny Plot Hole

Since the events of this episode come seemingly on the heels of Vicky and Howard’s wedding and their new start in Hollywood, why didn’t Jessica visit them while she was in LA?

What She Wore

Jessica’s Best Look

My favorite look from Jessica this episode is the blue striped blouse and white straight skirt she’s wearing when she finds the body.  It’s so timeless it could be worn today, maybe with an updated belt and shoes.  Plus, it could look great on a woman of any age.

Best Look

My favorite look this episode is Eve’s beach house casual. It’s colorful, but well composed. It looks like it belongs in an 80’s Esprit ad. It also looks super comfy.

Least Best Look

This is the second episode in a row I’ve had to come down hard on a jumpsuit.

The Rest of the Story

The world of MSW is one in which Eve Crystal is a very good, perhaps excellent, actor.  She was able to deceive Jessica the day of the murder.  It follows, then, that she was also able to deceive Jessica when she seemingly confessed all and agreed to turn herself in to the police. 

While the facts of the case were undeniable, Eve, with the help of the best criminal defense team her studio could buy, was able to convince judge and jury that she acted in self-defense.  Only Ross Haley, the lone eye witness to the murder, knew the truth, and it was in his personal and professional best interest to keep quiet. 

In addition to the best legal defense, Eve’s studio also invested in a stellar PR campaign.  Consequently, the publicity of her trial and acquittal actually boosted Eve’s career.  She went on to become a solid B-list actress, and, for a time in the late 80’s, a household name.  Whenever possible, she worked on Ross’s projects, helping him to quietly rebuild his career as a respected director and producer.  Though they worked closely together for many years, they never, ever discussed the circumstances of Jerry’s death. 

Eve purchased Jerry’s beach house from his estate.  She led a solitary life there until her death thirty years later.

Extra Credit

Looking for some more movie magic, plus a little murder?  Here are my recommendations:

• Thriller: Jerry Lydecker’s film adaptation of The Corpse Danced at Midnight is described as a combination of Halloween, Porky’s, and Flashdance, but it resembles to me nothing so much as a budget derivative of Michael Jackson’s iconic music video.
• Hollywood Hotel: This classic film originated the song “Hooray for Hollywood,” the inspiration for the name of this episode.
• “Requiem for a Falling Star:” An excellent episode of Columbo that features some of the same Universal Studios sites as this episode, plus a cameo by Edith Head!
• The King of Clubs: In the David Suchet adaptation of this Agatha Christie mystery, an actor is suspected of murdering her rapacious film producer.