Murder, She Wrote Trivia | Dorky Geeky Nerdy Podcast #296

Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia

296 | Murder, She Wrote Trivia

00:00 / 13:31

I’ve got a mystery for you. Well, several mysteries, in fact. For episode 296 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast, I have Murder, She Wrote Trivia. A hit with mystery fans of the 1980s and 90s, this show ran for a long time and saw a lot of murders.

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Episode Intro

I’ve got a mystery for you. For episode 296 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast, I have Murder, She Wrote Trivia. A hit with mystery fans of the 1980s and 90s, this show ran for a long time and saw a lot of murders.

I’ve got three rounds (Dorky, Geeky, and Nerdy) with ten questions each. I ask, you answer, and we’ll see it all sorts out.

Got it? Good. I’m your host, Brian Rollins and let’s get sleuthing.

The Dorky Round

Who was the main character in Murder, She Wrote?
a. Jessica Fletcher
What actress brought Fletcher to life?
a. Angela Lansbury
Jessica Fletcher calls what New England state home?
a. Maine
What Happy Days actor played Sheriff Amos Tupper for the first four seasons of the show?
a. Tom Bosely
The first ever victim on Murder, She Wrote was dressed as what fictional sleuth?
a. Sherlock Holmes. In fact, it’s the title of the episode: The Murder of Sherlock Holmes
Jessica Fletcher “crossed over” with what other TV sleuth?
a. Magnum, PI.
The show’s title is a play on Murder, She Said a movie based on a novel by what mystery author?
a. Agatha Christie
Fletcher is based (loosely) on what Agatha Christie character?
a. Miss Marple. Lansbury even played Marple in the 1980 film, The Mirror Crack’d
Before starring in Law & Order, who played Harry McGraw on several episodes of Murder, She Wrote? Hint: He also costarred with Lansbury in Beauty & the Beast.
a. Jerry Orbach
What mode of transportation did Jessica Fletcher use to get around town?
a. Her bicycle. Fletcher could not drive.

The Geeky Round

After Jessica, what character appears most often in the series?
a. Seth Hazlitt
What town in Maine is home to Jessica Fletcher?
a. Cabot Cove
In what theme park will you find the harbor set used for Cabot Cove?
a. Universal Studios in Burbank. It’s the “Jaws Lake” set you see on the studio tour.
What network aired Murder She Wrote?
a. CBS
Angela Lansbury was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Emmies for every season of the show. How many times did she win?
a. None. The show did win twice, once for Music Composition and another for Costume Design.
What was the name of Jessica’s late husband?
a. Frank Fletcher
Played by Michael Horton, what was the name of Jessica’s nephew with very bad luck?
a. Grady Fletcher. Grady is often accused of murder, including in the pilot episode.
Prior to becoming a novelist, what was Fletcher’s occupation?
a. English Teacher. Specifically, a substitute English Teacher.
What is Jessica Fletcher’s pen name?
a. J.B. Fletcher
After Amos Tupper retires, who takes over as sheriff of Cabot Cove?
a. Mort Metzger, played by Ron Masak.

The Nerdy Round

Starring Jerry Orbach, what spin-off of Murder, She Wrote debuted in 1987?
a. The Law and Harry McGraw. It lasted only one season.
In what year did Murder, She Wrote begin?
a. It debuted in 1984
How many seasons did Murder, She Wrote have?
a. Twelve seasons. When it wrapped, it was the longest-running scripted American TV show.
How many made-for-TV movies did the series have?
a. Four. The first was in 1997. The last in 2003
What was the title of the series finale?
a. Death by Demographics. It’s an in-joke as the show had been moved to Thursday nights where it was effectively killed trying to compete with shows like Friends.
What was Jessica’s middle name?
a. Beatrice. It’s a nod to Lansbury’s best friend, Bea Arthur.
Over forty-five “Murder, She Wrote” novels have been published by “Jessica Fletcher” and what real-world author?
a. Donald Bain
Who was originally offered the role of Jessica Fletcher?
a. Jean Stapleton. Stapleton declined as she wanted a break from TV after All in the Family. S
What was the name of Jessica Fletcher’s first novel?
a. The Corpse Danced at Midnight
What is the only episode in which Jessica does not appear?
a. ‘It Runs in the Family’. Lansbury does appear as Emma MacGill, Jessica’s look-alike cousin living in England.

Episode Conclusion

And we are done with Murder, She Wrote Trivia. How did you fare? I think this and Scooby-Doo were the foundations for my love of a good mystery. A little bonus trivia: Were Cabot Cove a real place, the average 5.3 murders per year with a population of around 3500 people would make the town the per-capita murder capital of the planet.

I distinctly remember a few episodes where the murder wasn’t solved. But I couldn’t come up with the number of times that happened. If you’ve got a guess, let me know on social media.

Also feel free to weigh in on the fan theory that Fletcher is, in fact, a serial killer and is framing other people for her killing. How else is she conveniently nearby so many murders?

Something else to ponder is a clue for next week’s show.

What 11-season long post-apocalyptic horror series is based on a comic series of the same name?

Oh yes, next week is the first Wednesday in October, so there’s a bit of a theme. See you back here next week.

This was episode 296 of the Dorky Geeky Nerdy Trivia Podcast. If you’d like to help support the show, become a patron at Patreon.com/dorkygeekynerdy.

This podcast is written, produced, and hosted by me, Brian Rollins. If you’re into audiobooks or are looking to have your book turned into an audiobook, contact me at TheVoicesInMyHead.com.

This show was released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.

Thanks for listening.