Murder, She Wrote: The Complete First Season

I have always enjoyed "Murder She Wrote" and I extremly happy to own it on DVD. THe quality of the picture, could be better, but keeping in mind the shows age, it looks fine. The outside case is really neat, but the DVDs did not contain ANY special feature ( interviews, commentarys etc). I think the average consumer would have liked to see this on the disc. Universal should invest more money into their DVDs.

Murder, She Wrote might be a set of comfortable cozies designed for the BarcaLounger crowd, but count me in. It also is a classy murder mystery series which, over 12 seasons with usually 22 one-hour shows per season, maintained a high level of consistency and viewer loyalty.

I think there are three reasons for this. First, the mysteries are solid. The writers mostly play fair with the audience. There are clues to be had if we're alert (although sometimes the clue may be so insignificant that expecting it to be noticed is optimistic). The mysteries often involve relationships among people with whom we're given the time to get to know. There seldom are out-and-out rotters. It's not always possible to spot the villain early, and when justice is done, thanks to Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), the conclusion is satisfying.

Second, Murder, She Wrote was shrewd in using the "So that's what happened to him (or her)" ploy in most of the programs. It can be immensely satisfying to a target audience of a certain age to come across once well known actors you haven't seen in quite a while. Lansbury and her producers almost always had strong character parts written for former marque names who still commanded affection and fans. In the Season 1 set, for instance, you'll encounter, among others, Howard Duff, Virginia Mayo, Martin Landau, Dan O'Herlihy, June Allyson, Van Johnson, Dane Clark, Jose Ferrer, Milton Berle, Stewart Granger, Eddie Bracken and Samantha Egger. These aren't stunt roles. The actors carry their weight. Angela Lansbury has always been a supremely confident and successful actor. She seems to thrive in having strong actors to play off of.

Third, and most importantly, is Angela Lansbury. Over the years her appeal and her successes in movies, on Broadway and on television have been extraordinary. She seems able to play anything with complete aplomb. Did a dance hall girl ever have a more suspicious mind or do a more generous act than Em in The Harvey Girls? Did a housemaid ever seem more sluttish than Nancy in Gaslight? Did a grandmother ever seem...odder...than Grannie in The Company of Wolves? Did a mother ever seem more like an ice-cold demon from hell than Mrs. Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate? Years ago I saw her on Broadway in Sweeney Todd as the deranged Mrs. Lovett. Whenever she was on stage she simply dominated the audience. The role of Jessica Fletcher, mystery writer and resident of Cabot Cove, is one she could have played with her eyes shut. It's to her credit as an actor that she didn't. She turned Fletcher into an immensely likable character, smart, experienced, shrewd and, above all else, sympathetic. The fact that we like Jessica Fletcher is due to Lansbury and is the reason the series lasted for 12 seasons.

The Season 1 set consists of three DVD's with the 21 programs on both sides of the discs. There are no extras. The quality of the video and audio transfers is just fine. The first four seasons are out on DVD with the other seasons to follow.

I remember watching "Murder, She Wrote" with my Dad when I was younger, while it was still on TV. I think it is wonderful that all the seasons are now available on DVD (as are countless other shows). The first season did not dissapoint! It is interesting seeing Jessica Fletcher's character from the very beginning, especially in the Pilot episode. If you watch later seasons it is very noticable how different her chacter had evolved and changed in the years following the first episode. I have grown up watching the later seasons, so watching the first season helped explain how she became a mystery writer and helped set the scene for the future episodes. I highly recommend watching all the seasons and look forward to buying Season Two!