“Now, I May Be Wrong, But Frankly, I Doubt It.”*

by chuckofish

Daughter #1’s post yesterday about Murder She Wrote (1984-1996) got me thinking about Jessica Fletcher (played by Angela Lansbury) and prompted me to say a little bit more. It is not a great show by today’s standards and we laugh about it a lot, but I have to say, I like the main character.

Jessica is a middle-aged, independent, no nonsense woman–well-groomed, tall and trim, but by no means a beauty. She is comfortable with that and is not trying to be younger and more glamorous than she is. She is confident and well respected and lets the inevitable insults wash over her. She is always a lady.

My parents watched the show back in the day and I know my mother considered Jessica a style icon with her skirts and sweaters and elegant scarf ensembles. I find myself drawn to them myself. Leggings hadn’t been invented back then, but Jessica would never have worn them in public. She hardly ever wore slacks!

Indeed, Jessica is a rare breed, seldom seen these days. It is refreshing to watch her, free of any chips on her shoulder, no axes to grind. There is no politics on the show, no virtue signaling. Imagine that.

So even though the plots border on the ridiculous, the police–whether in New York City or the boonies of Arkansas–are universally nincompoops in need of Jessica’s help, and murder follows wherever she goes (and she travels a lot to see dozens of nieces and nephews), I kind of like it–in small doses.

(Jerry Orbach with Angela Lansbury. He had a recurring role as a P.I. on Murder She Wrote before Law and Order.)

P.S. Angela Lansbury knew everyone from her previous career in movies and on Broadway. Here she is with Jerry Orbach at the 1969 Tony Awards. (Also with James Earl Jones and Julie Harris, who as far as I know, never guest-starred on Murder She Wrote, but who knows?) The show is, indeed, frequented by stars (and a variety of washed-up has-beens).

In other news, it has been cold, cold, cold here in flyover country. The winter storms mostly missed us and I am grateful for that. Hopefully it is going to warm up today. Anyway, I am off to my Bible Study which is starting up again today. We are reading the book of Daniel.

Meanwhile, here are some good links:

In this article Kevin DeYoung bids us biblical Christians to “be cheerful, be clear, and be confident.” Good advice.

Anne tells us about “shadow work” here. I was like, oh yeaaaaah.

Pray for the day ahead. Pray that you might bring glory to God, in thought, word and deed. Thank God that his mercies are new every morning. Thank God that his grace is sufficient for all situations that you may encounter.

*Said frequently by Jessica Fletcher