Episode 57: Day-Drinking Divas with Frail Constitutions

TONIGHT ON MURDER, SHE WROTE, we head to the theatre! Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) reconnects with her friends, who have gone on to become stage legends and lovers, and now exes, Maggie Tarrow (Eleanor Parker) and Julian Lord (Edward Mulhare), on the eve of their production.  While they alternate between gentle affection and tense discomfort, the actors are leaving the drama all backstage with cryptic messages and meaningful glances.Our suspicious ingenue Barbara Bennington (Ann Turkel) seems to have a vested interest in taking her understudy position to opening night, a curious geek (Don Most) lingers a tad too long backstage, and Maggie's young lover (Shea Farrell) is more interested in the stage manager (Christopher Norris) than learning his lines... All of that comes to a head when someone ends up dead, and Jessica is thrust into the investigation with Chief Drock (Josh Schuck), who is in way over his head.Bob Hastings, Dan O'Herlihy, and John Pleshette round out the suspects in STAGE STRUCK, a delectable return to form in a wild third season of our cozy mystery classic.  Enjoy a glass of red wine, break out the scrapbook, and dwell on past regrets with Petra and Vitkor in this display of sophisticated playhouse homicide.