the long-running detective series “Murder, She Wrote.” Fletcher was a retired English-teacher-turned-mystery-author who became embroiled in a series of murders in her small town of Cabot Cove, Maine. It was a cozy and intelligent series, buoyed by Lansbury’s personable performance. The series ran for 247 episodes over 12 seasons. Frustratingly, Lansbury won none of 12 Emmys for which she was nominated for “Murder, She Wrote.” Regardless, Jessica Fletcher became one of the actress’ most recognized roles, assuring her international fame.
And it wasn’t the first time Lansbury played a detective. By 1984, she was already ostensibly rehearsed in the murder mystery genre, having played Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple in a 1980 adaptation of “The Mirror Crack’d.” “The Mirror Crack’d” is about a film production that has cast two rival actresses named Marina Gregg-Rudd (Elizabeth Taylor) and Lola Brewster (Kim Novak). To makes things more awkward, the film-within-the-film will be directed by Marina’s husband Jason (Rock Hudson) and will be produced by Lola’s husband Marty (Tony Curtis). At a reception, a rabid Marina superfan named Heather (Maureen Bennett) accidentally drinks a cocktail intended for her idol, and she falls down dead. Of course, Miss Marple has to be called in to investigate.
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