Jessica narrates the story of an ex-football player turned private eye who investigates the murder of his old teammate with the help of a savvy pooch.Jessica narrates the story of an ex-football player turned private eye who investigates the murder of his old teammate with the help of a savvy pooch.Jessica narrates the story of an ex-football player turned private eye who investigates the murder of his old teammate with the help of a savvy pooch.
Photos
- Johnny Wheeler
- (as Max Baer)
- Lt. Lou Brickman
- (as Pat Harrington)
- Heavy #1
- (as Carlos Cervantes)
- Sportscaster
- (as Lisa Donaldson Bowman)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was one of several episodes intended as pilots for spin-off series that were never made.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Jessica Fletcher: Hello. Welcome again to Cabot Cove. You know, seeing that little dog reminded me that I owe a letter to a very dear friend, Bill Boyle. I'm sure you know him. He used to play linebacker for one of those teams in the "black and blue division" of the NFL. For 35 years, football was all that Bill knew, and he did it very well until his knees let him down. Then, like so many talented athletes, he found himself jobless and with very limited prospects. I'm not sure how he fell into the private eye business, but the truth is, despite the $800 suits and the facade of success, Bill wasn't all that good at it. Of course, that was before he met Jack. Now, Jack was... But I'm getting ahead of myself.
- SoundtracksMurder She Wrote Theme
Written by John Addison
Of the bookends up to this point in 'Murder She Wrote's' run, "Jack and Bill" is the best yet and generally is one of the less dreary ones, thanks to the cast. With this being said, it really is not one of the best 'Murder She Wrote' episodes and fares much better in the cast and the chemistry between Jack and Bill than it does the mystery. Jessica appears only at the start to introduce the episode and then make some concluding remarks, so she isn't on screen for long, but Angela Lansbury, the great actress she is, makes the most of what she has.
"Jack and Bill" does have plenty going for it. Ken Howard could always be relied upon and he gives a strong performance that is one of the better lead performances for any of the bookend episodes. The rest of the cast add hugely. Pat Harrington was also one of those reliable actors and matches Howard well. Susan Anton, Ellen Travolta and Glynn Turman give the episode some gusto too. The titular dog Jack is adorable and remarkably astute, his chemistry with Howard was crucial in whether the episode would work or not and it actually is one of its charms.
Production values as ever are slick and stylish. The music has energy and has presence but also not making the mistake of over-scoring, while it is hard to forget or resist the theme tune. Some of the writing provokes thought and doesn't lay it on too thickly.
Which is why it was a pity that "Jack and Bill's" mystery wasn't better than it turned out to be. It doesn't ever quite fire on all cylinders and even with too much going on (which complicates and bloats a mystery that doesn't have a huge amount to it under the surface) it could have been more compelling and only just about makes sense.
Its pacing is not dreary as some of the other bookend episodes, it is generally the best paced of the bookends up to this point in 'Murder She Wrote', but parts could have done with more energy, it's the cast that stop it from being completely dull because they give it everything. The dialogue has moments but could have intrigued more.
Overall, one of the better non-Dennis Stanton bookends but still could have been much more. 6/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Sep 27, 2017