"Murder, She Wrote" Murder, Plain and Simple (1991)

Director:

Vincent McEveety

Writers:

Peter S. Fischer (creator) and
Richard Levinson (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Murder, She Wrote" (1984)

Original Air Date:

28 April 1991 (Season 7, Episode 20)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

During Jessica's trip to Amish country, her escort is accused of murder. |

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Mystery Writer | Writing | Woman Detective | Amateur Detective

Cast

Angela Lansbury	...	Jessica Fletcher
Todd Eric Andrews	...	Ethan Kaufmann
Hunt Block	...	Reuben Stoltz
Martha Byrne	...	Sarah Lapp
John Ireland	...	Sheriff Hainer
Jay Robinson	...	Bishop Burkhardt
Jennifer Runyon	...	Rebecca Beiler
Michael Sarrazin	...	Jacob Beiler
Arlen Dean Snyder	...	Franz Kaufmann
Ed McCready	...	Driver

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Universal TV

Human Scarecrow and Mrs. Fletcher

As we continue our tour of States with J.B. Fletcher, we now enter the "Plain and Simple" rural Amish region near Lancaster in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

After a publisher's meeting in Philadelphia, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) decides upon an excursion across the counties to purchase a hand-made Amish quilt to present to nephew Grady on the occasion of his anniversary.

On Sunday morning, Publisher's Assistant Reuben Stoltz (Hunt Block) volunteers to chauffeur Jessica on her errand; and while they approach their destination, young Amish rebel Ethan Kaufmann (Todd Eric Andrews) flees from a fellowship meeting, nearly to collide with Reuben's automobile (which bears Pennsylvania license plate upon its front bumper, displaying a minor blooper in this otherwise carefully-researched episode).

Reuben lies injured after Ethan flees the scene, causing Jessica to seek assistance at the fellowship meeting held at the residence of Rebecca Beiler (Jennifer Runyon) and the stern deacon Jacob Beiler (Michael Sarrazin). Sarah Lapp (Martha Byrne), in attendance, has been shunned by Jacob, causing her to remain isolated and forsaken.

Bishop Burkhardt (Jay Robinson) tells Jacob and Franz Kaufmann (Arlen Dean Snyder), Ethan's father, that charity is the Lord's mission, which means that they ought to break from Sabbath worship to assist a stranger in need.

But upon their arrival at the accident scene, the fellowship discovers Reuben as no stranger, for he had also been shunned and exiled to Philadelphia.

To Jacob's dismay, Rebecca invites Reuben and Jessica into their residence for Reuben to recuperate from his back injury overnight, for "Charity comes before all else."

During the course of the evening, Franz Kaufmann ushers the prodigal Ethan unto Jacob, who punishes him with a two-month curfew even after he agrees to pay for the damages to Reuben's automobile. Ethan thus vows to leave the area, as Reuben had before him, causing Franz to tell Bishop Burkhardt that Jacob speaks not for God, but for himself, as Rebecca repeats to Reuben upon their secret tryst in the barn that night, explaining an incident in their past which caused Reuben's shunning.

At sunrise on Monday, Jessica strolls across the farm during her morning constitutional, during which time she observes birds above behaving erratically, leading her glance to espy a scarecrow across the filed created from a victim's body.

Sheriff Hainer (John Ireland), a thorough investigator familiar with the ways of the Amish, decides that the murder must be caused by an outsider even though it is "Murder, Plain and Simple."