Author: Fiona May

Tending, minding, mending murdershewroteshewrote.com

We’re Off to Kill the Wizard

Don’t be afraid, my friends. Nothing frightening awaits you.
Oh, perhaps a moment or two of panic, but we did warn you.
Seat belts pulled tight? That’s good. And now, just sit back…

Welcome to Horatio’s House of Horrors!

This episode is a delightfully campy, deftly executed locked room mystery. If you want to make it dinner and a show, you can eat along with Jessica and the Donovans with this family-friendly menu. Guests who wish to avoid spoilers should watch the entirety of “We’re Off to Kill the Wizard” before proceeding. Thank you, and enjoy the ride!

Continue reading “We’re Off to Kill the Wizard”

Carol Donovan

Carol Donovan (Anne Kerry Ford)

Carol is Jessica’s Chicagoland niece, whom she visits in S1 E8: “We’re Off to Kill the Wizard.”

Whether Carol is the daughter of a sibling of Jessica or Frank is not specified; however, her husband Bert refers to Jessica as “your aunt” which at least rules out Bert as Jessica’s nephew. Admittedly, it would be unusual and awkward of Bert to refer to Jessica as “your uncle’s widow.” However, Carol calls Jessica “Jess” and not “Aunt Jess,” hinting at little distance in their connection. For this reason, I’m going to place Carol on Frank’s side of the Fletcher Family Tree.

Hit, Run and Homicide: Bonus Features

Hello, and welcome to the fourth and final installment of the episode guide for “Hit, Run and Homicide.”

  • Part 1 includes the setting, characters, and context of the episode.
  • Part 2 is a detailed timeline of the episode’s events.
  • Part 3 is my analysis of the episode.
  • This is Part 4, a collection of fun extras that I like to call Bonus Features.

Bonus Features!

Continue reading “Hit, Run and Homicide: Bonus Features”

An Iconic Victorian

Jessica Fletcher’s white Victorian is an iconic element of Murder, She Wrote. It’s a pivotal location for many episodes set in Cabot Cove. The Blair House in Mendocino, CA, was used for the exterior shots.

Many of the scenes in the Cabot Cove episodes are set in and around Jessica’s house. The floor plan below is a work in progress, and is based on the exterior and interior shots so far presented.

MSW did a very good job of marrying the layout of the set used for the interior with the shots of Blair House used for the exterior. This isn’t always the case. (I’m looking at you, Brady Bunch House.)

So far, the most noticeable departure is the elevated floor used for the front entry. While it’s not impossible that this is true to the original building, it’s almost certainly a change made for ease of staging. You often see elevated entries on interior sets during this era of television.

There are a few differences between the footprint of Blair House and the MSW set, mainly on the right side of the house. I’ve tried my best to find a happy blend.

The Kitchen

Jessica’s kitchen is truly the heart of her home in Cabot Cove. It’s far and away the room that appears most frequently, and it’s the room in which we see her typewriter, so we can imagine the many hours she spends in her kitchen writing.

  • A MSWSW Kitchen Floor Plan
  • Jessica’s beautiful antique range appears to be either a Magic Chef or Glenwood six-burner circa 1920-1940.
  • A wood burning stove sits in the back corner.
  • A 1975 edition of Joy of Cooking graces the top of the refrigerator.
  • “Hello, Letitia?” This avocado green telephone is an instrumental part of the kitchen.

The Dining Room

Jessica’s dining room is modest in size. It’s often used as a pass through from the kitchen to the parlor. A couple of Season 1 dinner parties offer a detailed look at the dining room:

The Parlor

Many dramatic scenes take place in Jessica’s parlor over the course of the series. Like the rest of the house, it is full of cozy maximalist details.

The Entry

Jessica’s elevated entry is an architectural feature well suited to staging scenes:

  • A dramatic scene in “Death Takes a Curtain Call” is aided by the risers the elevated entry provides.
  • The entry steps to the parlor are dramatically lit in “Deadly Lady.”
  • A glimpse of the exterior door’s french windows
  • A rare perspective on the entry from the hall
  • Jessica upon her elevated entry. Behind her we can see the staircase and a pocket door to a mysterious room.

Rare Nooks and Crannies

Some of the lesser-seen corners of Jessica’s home:

  • Jessica in her back hall
  • Jessica making use of her linen closet in the back hall
  • The dark and stormy night of “Deadly Lady” is, so far, the only glimpse of Jessica’s back porch.
  • A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it view of a sink in the WC across the hall from the kitchen.

Best Looks

One of the most fun (and underrated) aspects of MSW is Jessica’s sartorial choices. Here are, in my opinion, the best from each episode, thus far on our journey. I’ve ordered them by personal preference, favorites first.

S1 E4: “Hooray for Homicide”
S1 E1: “The Murder of Sherlock Holmes”
S1 E7: “Hit, Run and Homicide”
S1 E2: “Deadly Lady”
S1 E5: “It’s a Dog’s Life”
S1 E8: “We’re Off to Kill the Wizard”
S1 E6: “Lovers and Other Killers”
S1 E3: “Birds of a Feather”

A Rap Sheet

Here is Jessica Fletcher’s arrest record, up to and including S1 E7. I’ve also included a history of the crimes she has committed, which is remarkably unrelated to her arrests.

Arrests

Suspicion of Murder: October, 1984; Universal Studios, Los Angeles, CA; S1 E4: “Hooray for Homicide”

Crimes and Misdemeanors

Obstruction of Justice and Concealing People from Arrest: November 1984; Boston, MA and Cabot Cove, ME; S1 E9: “Death Takes a Curtain Call”

Trespass: October 1984; Universal Studios, Los Angeles, CA; S1 E4: “Hooray for Homicide”

Trespass and Attempted Larceny: October 11, 1984; The Potts farm, Greenville, VA; S1 E5: “It’s a Dog’s Life”

Reckless Endangerment: September 1984; Les Champignons Night Club, San Francisco, CA; S1 E3: “Birds of a Feather”

Wire Fraud: May-August 1984; Cabot Cove, ME; S1 E7: “Hit, Run and Homicide”

Trespass: May/June 1984; Warehouse 33, Seattle, WA; S1 E6: “Lovers and Other Killers”

Trespass: April 1984; The Offices of Cap’n Caleb’s Chowder Houses, New York, NY; S1 E1: “The Murder of Sherlock Holmes”