Guest Author - Robin Rounds Whittemore

Angela Lansbury played Jessica Beatrice Fletcher (J B Fletcher) for 12 years. Originally, it has been said that both Jean Stapleton and Doris Day were also looking at the role, but turned it down.

The original setting for the series was a small town in Maine named Cabot Cove. J B Fletcher didn’t drive, but she did ride a bicycle around the town. Usually there were also people who gave her lifts here and there.

The character of J B Fletcher was a widow who decided to try to write murder mystery novels. Her first novel, The Corpse Danced At Midnight, became a hit and she continued writing.

She became quite a sleuth in the process, sometimes confounding or irritating police officers and investigators, but they ended up admiring her talents. Viewers at home like to try to figure out who did the dirty deed before Jessica can.

One episode had the Cabot Cove mailman commit a murder when he realized who had bought a winning lottery ticket. After questioning quite a few women in town who had a thing for the woman’s husband; it was Jessica who managed to figure out that they were on the wrong track.

J B Fletcher had friends of all ages and all socio-economic backgrounds all over the world. Her travels took her, and viewers, to all different parts of the globe.

She even went to Hawaii and met Thomas Magnum, played by Tom Selleck. He had his own show called Magnum, P.I. There were two episodes out of that meeting.

Guest stars included such luminaries as Jerry Orbach, Len Cariou, Wayne Rogers, Sonny Bono, Adrienne Barbeau, Kate Mulgrew, Leslie Nielson, Keith Mitchell, and a host of others.

Regulars on the show included Tom Bosley and William Windom. Ron Masak joined the cast later after Tom Bosley’s character left in 1988. Michael Horton appeared in many episodes as Grady Fletcher, Jessica’s nephew. John Astin was also on the series, as a real estate agent, then sheriff. His character murdered someone and then it was off to jail.

There are some celebrities that you get sick of seeing, hearing about, or that seem to have a bad attitude. Angela Lansbury isn't one of them. Always well dressed and well mannered, this lady from Britain pleases audiences wherever she goes.

Murder, She Wrote is out in DVD form and you can revisit your favorite episodes anytime with your TV and DVD player. Also, at your library or bookstore, there are books based on the series.