An Elementary Case of Murder

S01-E07 has Mac reuniting with an old flame, singer Lee Richards (Barbara McNair); she's in trouble when her estranged husband disappears just after a recording surfaces of the couple having an argument, ending with a gun shot and the sound of a body being dragged. Sally (a pregnant Susan Saint James) is bedbound, but she's quite wonderful here bristling at Mac's involvement with an ex-girlfriend, while the interracial detail is commendably never brought up (Rock Hudson and McNair even share a chaste kiss). One of the better early episodes, although when Mac puts the pieces of the mystery together, the details take a few minutes to sink in (something about a book of matches in the trash and frozen food that was thawed and then re-frozen!). The police commissioner never does find the body of the missing man (how well did the killer hide it?), but the interactions between the principals is well-accomplished. Writer Brad Radnitz ably rewrote a 1968 episode of his from "Ironside", titled "An Obvious Case of Guilt". Good show.

Rock Hudson gets a little too close for this one. An old girl friend, singer Barbara McNair is accused of murdering her husband whose body has not been found. But the District Attorney Martin E. Brooks is hot to trot to indict her. Nevertheless the old criminal attorney now Commissioner of San Francisco's police Stewart McMillan is aroused and the resources of the San Francisco Police Department are turned into use for the defense. Even Sergeant Enright follows orders, but he thinks his boss is putting his job in jeopardy.

A couple of vocals from Barbara McNair is an asset to this episode. I kind of saw where this was going, but it was still an enjoyable ride.

Barbara McNair played Lee Richards, a successful singer who has a terrible marriage to a husband. McNair deserved an Emmy for her performance. Lee's husband and his mistress goes missing. All eyes and fingers point to Lee's involvement. Mac does his best to defend his old friend. McNair also sings beautifully like Diana Ross. The surprise twist comes at the end o the episode.

We watched "McMillan and Wife", "Columbo", and "McCloud" as a family all the time and never questioned any episode, but one.

In season 1 episode 7(8) -"The Elementary Case of Murder" 1971 - Sally McMillan is pregnant. Entire scenes are devoted to that fact. And then....nothing. POOF!

The baby's GONE!

No birth. No explanation. No nothing! What?

How did this even get by anybody?? How?

Talk about your Television Mysteries....