User Reviews

Season Nine opens with this Anthony Pullen Shaw-directed Laurence Heath-penned episode which establishes Angela Lansbury as "Murder, She Wrote's" Executive Producer, a position which she maintains for the duration of the series. This also marks the final television appearance by Cesar Romero.

Scenes of Milan, Italy, precede the action centering around Milano Film Festival's awards ceremonies, at which Milan-filmed adaptation of J.B. Fletcher's "All the Murderers" has been nominated for a best picture award. Entertainment Reporter (Paul Ryan) interviews producers, directors, performers and guests arriving to join in festivities.

Catherine Wayne (Susan Blakely) has produced "All the Murderers," with Jim Randall (Gary Kroeger) as its Director. When rival Producer Steve Morrison (Paul Gleason) requests Jim's services for a tentative film project, on loan from Jim's contract (two years remaining) with Catherine, she objects and plans to punish Jim with mediocre projects for considering Steve's offer.

When others begin to side with Catherine or Jim, but primarily Jim, Paul Crenshaw (Robert Harper) has a different problem with Catherine, who cuts him down to size in an attempt to control his career.

Tom Hiller (Robert Desiderio) serves as Accountant for Catherine Wayne Productions, and he promises to handle financial difficulties for her benefit after she receives notices regarding missing funds and debts which her company couldn't have incurred.

Louise Thayer (Leah Pinsent) stars in "All the Murderers," along with Marcello Abruzzi (Cesar Romero), who gladly accepts an invitation to join cast and crew at a lavish reception hosted by Countess (Barbara Pilavin), at which altercations begin to erupt.

For one thing, Louise's widowed father, Andrew Thayer (George Coe), sides with Steve Morrison and Jim Randall, as does Louise because she and Jim plan to become engaged soon...unless maybe murder or something may interrupt their plans.

(In many, many cases throughout the "MSW" series, when the only daughter of a widowed father intends to marry her suitor, her widowed father strongly objects. But this time around, Andrew delights in his daughter's announcement, and goes as far to say that he loves both Louise and Jim. How's this for a switch from the expected? But he's very handsome, caring, attentive and probably too good for her selfishness anyway. And that eccentric Valentine's Day hat has to go.)

Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) arrives at Milano Film Festival amid much ceremony, but without delusion that her original-story-turned-film-adaptation deserves a best picture award, she commenting that it's a fine film, but another fine film may also deserve the honors. Nor does she side in the debate between Catherine and Jim, as she remarks that they each hold high professional standards.

After speaking with Press Agent (Mary Wickliffe) and noticing the antics of Giorgio the Photographer (Time Winters), Jessica returns to her hotel to hear the screams of Maid (Grace Kent), who stumbles across a body when the Chambermaid admits Louise Thayer to discover Jim Randall's kneeling over the victim bludgeoned with an ashtray.

Inspector Lombardo (George DiCenzo) arrives to investigate the slaying, figuring that the balance of the evidence points toward Jim as the culprit even though Jim denies any knowledge of the attack because he was in another room at the time.

Jessica and Louise each maintains Jim's innocence, thrusting Jessica to search for a series of clues amid a locked room situation once she notices Giorgio the Photographer upon the outdoor balcony in the aftermath of "Murder in Milan."

This episode represents the only acting credit to date by Grace Kent, the first of two "MSW" appearances for Time Winters, the second of two each for Mary Wickliffe, George Coe, Gary Kroeger and Cesar Romero, the third of three each for Paul Gleason and Paul Ryan, the third of four each for Susan Blakely and Robert Desiderio, and the fifth of six for George DiCenzo.

Cesar Romero, acting in film and on television since 1935, Paul Gleason, acting since 1962, and Barbara Pilavin, acting since 1967, have unfortunately since passed.

Jessica attends a film premiere in Milan, whilst there, an unscrupulous, business minded film producer is killed.

It's a solid opener to series nine, it's well made, there are some well known faces, and of course Lansbury is glorious.

So, it's not the biggest mystery of all, you know who's going to get bumped off, and it's not hard to work out whodunnit, but who cares.

There's definitely a change in terms of production, I'm not sure how to explain it, but was there perhaps a greater budget available for this one, it looks terrific, I loved the music too. We're clearly not in Milan, but the way it was put together, it's semi believable.

It's great to see Cesar Romero, here in what would be his final role, even at this advanced stage in his career, there is no denying his presence on screen. Some of the acting elsewhere is a little below par, I did however really enjoy seeing George DiCenzo again.

Sharp suits, Ferraris, murder, what's not to enjoy?

6/10.

A female producer is intent on scuppering a project forged at a film festival. And of course she becomes a victim in this ok episode that has the MSW formula down pat - Jessica does more questioning in this one and is quite adept at using the computer. The denouement is quite good. Not a great one but keeps things watchable.

Like so many premier episodes of each season of "Murder, She Wrote", the show is set in a very exotic locale.... Milan, Italy. Jessica is there because the movie based on one of her books is debuting at a film festival. Not surprisingly, someone is killed and Jessica naturally solves everything.

While I liked the episode and the venue (though it was actually filmed entirely in Hollywood), the episode had one weaknesses...the finale. The murderer probably did it but the evidence was VERY weak...and the person confessed when confronted. In reality, bad people rarely confess if they think they can weasel out of it...and there was lots of weaseling room! Still, an enjoyable episode and it's worth your time.

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.

After Season 8 ended on a high with "Murder on Madison Avenue" (one of that season's best episodes), Season 9 begins with a clunk with for me (hate to go against the tide on this page) one of the lesser 'Murder She Wrote' episodes and the weakest of the show's season openers in "Murder in Milan". Have always been indifferent to "Murder in Milan", like it even less to this day.

There are a few things that save "Murder in Milan" from being unwatchable. Angela Lansbury continues to excel in one of her best remembered roles and really rises above the material.

In support, the best supporting turns by far come from Susan Blakely, who looks beautiful and brightens up the screen in typical conscientious mode, and an as ever charming and suave Cesar Romero.

Production values are slick and stylish if lacking authenticity. 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.

Despite Lansbury, Blakely and Romero, the rest of the acting is not worth mentioning. Robert Desiderio looks like he would rather be somewhere else, who can blame him, and everybody else seem have forgotten their acting lessons. Am being the dissenting voice again here, but to me Time Winters was annoying here and his character didn't add an awful lot, could have done without him actually. The characters are neither interesting or easy to engage with, some of them inconsequential and Blakely's character is never given a reason as to why she acts the way she does. Would include Romero's character with the latter but with Romero doing such a good job with what he was given it was a little more forgivable in his case.

"Murder in Milan" underwhelms a lot in the mystery too. It is not a compelling one and is also far too easy to figure out, the how, why and particularly who elements were no surprise at all. The denouement is one where one not only struggles to stick with the episode to find out but one finds themselves not caring at the end of the day. The characters are too underwritten and amateurishly acted on the whole to make one care for their predictable situations.

The locations are lovely but it never felt entirely authentic, other abroad episodes do a far better job with capturing the feel of the locale and feeling like the real thing, didn't get that with "Murder in Milan".

All in all, disappointing start to Season 9. 4/10 Bethany Cox