User reviews

Jessica visits a friend and his family at their wine estate. While the place is very successful and is something for which the family patriarch (Eli Wallach) is quite proud, there future of the place looks hazy. That is because his grandchildren are a sad lot...in particular the youngest (Billy Zane)...a guy who consorts with gamblers and mobsters. In fact, one of them has insinuated himself into the family and what exactly he has in store for them, well, you'll just have to find out for yourself.

The style of this one, particularly the ending, is quite atypical of "Murder, She Wrote". This is NOT a bad thing at all...and considering how similar episodes generally are, it's nice to see something a bit different. Well worth seeing and most unusual.

This episode marks one of the last appearances of, and final television performance by Ina Balin, who has acted in film and on television since 1958. Bibi Besch has also unfortunately since passed.

Sonoma County, California, north of San Francisco, lies within the state's Wine Country region of grape arbors, and contains more than 250 wineries, one of these operated by the Gambini family for generations.

Widower Salvatore Gambini (Eli Wallach) oversees winery production while planning for the future without his family's concern for the business. But now a crime syndicate organization attempts to purchase the winery, which Salvatore intends to keep within the family.

Dedicated daughter Stella Gambini (Ina Balin) efficiently manages domestic responsibilities and is usually seen creating homemade meals from scratch.

Son Marco Gambini (John Saxon) assists his father with the business, while he nor his wife, Fiona Gambini (Bibi Besch), nor Salvatore nor Stella has much influence over Marco and Fiona's three irresponsible young adult children.

Paul Gambini (Thomas Byrd) aspires to play football and often travels with his team although currently on injured reserve to recuperate at the Gambini estate. He secretly meets with Stephen Ridgely (Robert O'Reilly) to plot a course of action when it is determined that a crime syndicate may target him for not yielding to demands to fix a game.

Tony Gambini (Billy Zane) acts very irresponsibly with his family's finances by gambling away not only his funds, but running the winery into debt because of his uncontrollable addition. Now that he owes large gabling debts, the mob also threatens him unless he is able to borrow large amounts from his grandfather to pay back in Lake Tahoe. Before he leaves that morning, Tony falls from a broken basement step, but survives his resulting injury.

Michele Gambini (Kristian Alfonso) has a career position in a San Francisco advertising agency, at which she befriends Ben Skyler (Grant Goodeve), who also has ties to organized crime, which he keeps from Michele in order to accompany her as a guest to the Gambini estate, to the dismay of her family, which questions her willingness to accept a string of unsuitable suitors.

To mark the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the birth of Salvatore Gambini, the family hosts a lavish reception, the invitation list of which includes old friend Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) and Police Chief Thaddius Kyle (Arlen Dean Snyder), who, amid the festivities, discuss Tony's "accident" from the broken basement step.

But the next morning, when a body is discovered in the basement, Jessica and Police Chief Thaddius Kyle investigate the murder, under the notion that at least three members of the Gambini family are sitting ducks as potential mob targets during this, "A Very Good Year for Murder."

The cast is rounded out by Paul Lyell as Guest #1, Jeff Albert as Guest #2, Rob Zapple as Deputy, and John Mooney as Doctor.

Extra points for the performances by Eli Wallach, Ina Balin, Bibi Besch and John Saxon.

Watching this episode made me appreciate what very good actors Eli Wallach and John Saxon, the two best-known guest stars, were. They both add a lot of reality and intensity to whatever film or TV show they are in, and that is true here also. The other guest stars are decent, but it's hard for any actor to match up to the outstanding talent level of John Saxon and Eli Wallach--except for the great Angela Lansbury! Her scene with Eli Wallach are especially strong.

The exterior scenes of this episode are particularly enjoyable, seeing the beautiful wine country estate. We get plenty of episodes with Jessica in New York City, or Boston sometimes; those are always fun, but it's refreshing to journey with her out to the countryside, too.

If the roles filled by Wallach and Saxon had been given to less skilled actors, this would have been a very routine episode, to me. But with them on board, it's superior.

No wonder Angela Lansbury was not only a treasured person as an actress but for what she did for her peers from her earlier days in Hollywood AND younger workers like Billy Zane, a nascent Hope of Days of Our Lives and Grant Goose each post-Eight Is Enough. Rescuing actors like Eli Wallach and others from The Love Boat, giving them real scripts to work with and not thin plotlines such as LB or Fantasy Island, this was Ms Lansbury's gift to Hollywood and GenXers like myself who might not know these actors before this (until TCM). A true angel to her industry, no matter the quality of the individual show.

Jessica is on hand to help The Gambini family, who are under pressure to sell off the Family's winery business.

I think this is a pretty average episode, the story has several holes in it, and Jessica's presence feels incredibly contrived, they just don't seem like a family in her circle.

The mystery is mildly interesting, and the outcome is a little obvious, you should be able to guess the identity of the killer.

We do at least have some good visuals, cars, clothes, and a beefy Thomas Byrd (Paul Gambini.) It's nicely made, and well acted, but it's not in the least bit memorable.

For a family of Italian Americans, they're about as Italian as a Swiss Kangaroo in Peru.

6/10.

Have always been quite fond of 'Murder She Wrote'. It is a fun and relaxing watch that makes you think as you try to unwind in the evening. If one wants more complex, twisty mysteries with lots of tension and suspense 'Murder She Wrote' may not be for you, but if you want something light-hearted and entertaining but still provide good mysteries 'Murder She Wrote' fits the bill just fine.

"A Very Good Year for Murder" was almost one of my favourite Season 4 episodes, and it's still a great episode. Marred ever so slightly somewhat by the killer not being that big a surprise in a case with too few suspects. It's a hugely engaging mystery however, with a gorgeous setting, interesting twists, including an unusual and unexpected one at the end.

It is very difficult to ever fault Angela Lansbury in one of her most justifiably best-remembered roles, and she is terrific. Eli Wallach's guest turn is wonderful and the highlight of the episodes as well as his chemistry with Lansbury. The rest of the cast glitter just as much, but not as much as the dominant focus of Lansbury and Wallach, individually and together.

Production values are slick and stylish as ever with 'Murder She Wrote'. 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.

Writing is thought-provoking, light-hearted and amiable.

Altogether, great stuff and very nearly one of my favourites. 9/10 Bethany Cox

A 75th birthday party for a rich Italian wine tycoon (Eli Wallach) ends in murder, but Jessica Fletcher is on hand to unravel the mystery. This is an unusual but slow moving episode that is just passable. It has some moments of suspense but it's not one I would go out of my way to see.