Sing a Song of Murder

Murder, She Wrote S2:E5

Jenny Hammerton

Jun 01, 2022

Jessica's cockney cousin Emma is part-owner of London's old-fashioned Mayhew Music Hall.

The resident comedian (played by Patrick Macnee) barely raises a laugh with his corny ancient jokes,

but Emma's trilling of the old chestnut "Goodbye Little Yellow Bird" goes down pretty well.

The crowd joins in with a singalong, even a punk rocker who looks a bit like Plastic Bertrand!

Emma does not want to sell her share of the music hall business despite several offers. She says she's "never been a quitter," but other folks seem determined by fair means or foul to get their hands on the premises.

In Cabot Cove, Jessica receives a phone call informing her that Emma has been involved in a fatal car accident. She is summoned to attend the funeral, but all is not as it seems. Jessica will have to use all her powers of deduction to get to the bottom of these thespian shenanigans.

Glynis Johns plays Emma's trusty dresser, Bridget. She was promised that she would be "remembered" by her mistress of over 30 years and cannot wait to get her hands on the booty.

Unfortunately, Bridget makes a fatal error when she decides to grab a fabulous fur swing coat promised to her so that the lawyers don't get their hands on it first. She should have waited for the reading of the will!

The companion recipe for this episode comes from the kitchen of Glynis Johns.

Glynis Johns - Chicken Paprika
4 chicken joints
Seasoned flour
Vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
¼ pound mushrooms, sliced
½ pound carrots, sliced ⅓ inch thick
1 pound potatoes, sliced
Paprika
Salt and pepper
A little single cream
1 pint milk
Preheat oven to 300℉.
Skin the chicken joints and sprinkle with seasoned flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and chicken joints. Simmer, turning the joints, until the onions are a light gold. Take a casserole dish and place in it a layer of chicken joints and onions, followed by a layer of mushrooms and carrots, then a layer of sliced potatoes. (These vegetables can be varied according to personal taste.)
Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Make a slightly thickened white sauce by adding a little cream to the milk, and pour over the contents. Put a lid on the casserole dish, and cook for about 2½ hours.
Serves 4

Next time on Murder, She Cooked a recipe from the kitchen of Ann Blyth.