One of the most unusual TV stars of the 1970s-80s is Marjoe Gortner. This is because his path to stardom was a strange one to say the least. When he was a child, he was pushed by his family to be a traveling evangelist and faith healer. But as he grew older, Marjoe hated the routine, as his healings were fake and he hated the deception. So, he allowed hidden cameras into his tour...and they were able to expose the scam! Then, shortly after, he reinvented himself and began appearing on a variety of TV shows and movies.
David Colton (Gortner) is a famous rock singer. However, his public thinks he not only sings but writes his own music...which annoys the actual songwriter of his music. The writer insists he receive writing credit on the albums...and David responds by murdering the guy! And, to make it look like an accident, he drugs the writer and injects him with a lethal dose of heroin! Barnaby is called into the case because the dead man's family suspect foul play.
This episode of "Barnaby Jones" is a case of art imitating life, as Gortner plays a guy who is a total phony on stage. Unfortunately, his acting is not exactly stellar (especially at the end) and Barnaby sings a bit...which is quite painful. As a result, I'm deducting a couple points. Watchable but far from a great episode.