When Jessica agrees to help preserve a historic brownstone, she winds up trying to clear her editor of the murder of an opposing developer.When Jessica agrees to help preserve a historic brownstone, she winds up trying to clear her editor of the murder of an opposing developer.When Jessica agrees to help preserve a historic brownstone, she winds up trying to clear her editor of the murder of an opposing developer.
Photos
- NYPD Lieutenant Artie Gelber
- (as Herbert Edelman)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe title is based on the 1940 novel 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' by Ernest Hemingway about a group of anti-fascist guerrillas during the Spanish Civil War. This is especially notable because, when Angela Lansbury and guest stars Jeff Conaway and Barbara Babcock are discussing the famous former residents of a building up for demolition, Angela (as Jessica Fletcher) mentioned that Ernest Hemingway once lived on the building's top floor.
- GoofsA man and his wife see a man in a chair that's turned away from them. The husband walks around the desk and turns the chair 90 degrees to see that the man has been shot. The wife gasps, but she couldn't see that from where she's standing.
- Quotes
[last lines]
NYPD Lieutenant Artie Gelber: And have I got good news for you.
Jessica Fletcher: You mean about Margaret being elected head of the Committee?
NYPD Lieutenant Artie Gelber: Better. My grandson, Josh. We decided against the Wee School. The kid's too smart for them anyway. Instead, he's gonna be in a weekend program for one-year-olds in Central Park.
Jessica Fletcher: Great. Isn't it wonderful that the city has such a program?
NYPD Lieutenant Artie Gelber: What city? Doris decided she and I are gonna take Josh and the kids. Yes.
- ConnectionsReferences For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
- SoundtracksMurder She Wrote Theme
Written by John Addison
Nolan Walsh (Jeff Conaway) owns the tavern next door to the brownstone, he refusing to sell to the Gillrich firm, while enlisting staunch heavy-handed supporters, as Victor 'Vic' Barton (Alex Courtney) and Mike LaRocca (Ray Abruzzo).
Carol Collins (Barbara Babcock) presides over an historic preservation committee to enlist supporters, as Margaret Johnson (Hallie Foote) and Nurse Josie Miles (Lela Ivey), to retain the status quo. After all, Ernest Hemingway once rented a small suite at the brownstone to author manuscripts toward his future literary classics, such as "For Whom the Bell Tolls."
But in this case, the question on everyone's mind seems to be "For Whom the (Wrecking) Ball Tolls," so, while Carol holds a fund-raising benefit, Margaret enlists the assistance of her dear friend Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) to resist the intent of demolition. After all, J.B. Fletcher has become by now a famous author in her own right.
Jessica makes the rounds, discovering that understanding landlord Walther Gillrich has instituted the policy that tenants' rent rates never be raised during their stay. But an elderly lady leasing a fourth-floor apartment has neither been seen nor heard from after four years' time except by care-taking Nurse Josie Miles, who also handles her mail deliveries.
Meanwhile, over at the tavern next door, altercations constantly erupt among Nolan Walsh, his heavies and the brothers Gillrich.
Young married brother, Eugene Gillrich, schemes to romance Carol Collins in an attempt to dissuade her civic organization's efforts, to the dismay of her partner, Margaret, and his wife, Lee.
But when a body is discovered in an office, Jessica joins forces with NYPD Lieutenant Artie Gelber(Herb Edelman) and his capable assistant, NYPD Detective Henderson (Leonard Lightfoot), to derive differing theories as to the identity of the intended victim, after chairs have been moved around from one office into another.
So, after the authorities naturally arrest the wrong suspect, Jessica intends to steer them correctly, while actively participating in the historic preservation effort.
During a conversation with Nurse Josie about the missing elderly tenant, Jessica receives a sudden burst of logic regarding a parking space in front of the tavern, to realize the identity of the perpetrator of the gunfire slaying has to be, "For Whom the Ball Tolls."
The cast is rounded out by John Dennis as Pete, Jodi Russell as Peggy, Lisa Dinkins as Female Reporter, Wendy Hoffman as Evelyn, Walter's Secretary, and Alexander Folk as Al, the Mailman.
This episode marks the sixth of ten "MSW" guest star appearances by Herb Edelman, including this among his last seven as NYPD Lieutenant Artie Gelber, the first of five appearances by Leonard Lightfoot as NYPD Detective Henderson, the third of five guest star appearances by Robert Pine (differing roles), the fifth of five guest star roles by Barbara Babcock (differing roles), the third of four by Jeff Conaway, including his first two as Howard Griffin, the husband of Jessica's niece Victoria, the seventh of seven "MSW" supporting appearances by Alexander Folk (differing roles), the second "MSW" episode each for Lela Ivey, Hallie Foote and Kevin Kilner, as well as the only television role thus far by John Dennis (XII). Herb Edelman has since passed.
- WeatherViolet
- Dec 11, 2009