"Quincy M.E." Whatever Happened to Morris Perlmutter? (1983)

Director:

Sam Egan

Writers:

Sam Egan (writer)
Glen A. Larson (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Quincy M.E." (1976)

Original Air Date:

4 May 1983 (Season 8, Episode 23)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Crime

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Coroner | Murder | Cult Favorite | Courtroom | Amateur Detective

Cast

Jack Klugman	...	Dr. R. Quincy, M.E.
Garry Walberg	...	Lt. Frank Monahan
John S. Ragin	...	Dr. Robert Asten
Val Bisoglio	...	Danny Tovo (credit only)
Robert Ito	...	Sam Fujiyama
Joseph Roman	...	Sgt. Brill
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Eugenia Winston
Steven Keats	...	Roland Davies - TV Director
Woodrow Parfrey	...	Jimmy
William Sylvester	...	Attorney David Stillwell
David Sheiner	...	TV Producer (as David S. Sheiner)
Keenan Wynn	...	Morris Perlmutter
Anita Gillette	...	Dr. Emily Hanover
Warren Munson	...	Harold
Patti Karr	...	Miriam

Another awful Quincy episode from the dreaded season eight.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Quincy M.E.: Whatever Happened to Morris Perlmutter? starts as seventy-two year old Violet Watson (Louise Lewis) is shot dead in her own home by a burglar, her sister Eugenia (Rosemary DeCamp) finds the body & briefly sees the killer. Los Angeles coroner Quincy (Jack Klugman) does the autopsy but he has few clues for Lt. Monahan (Garry Walberg) to go on, Quincy recognises Violet as a stage actress from the 30's & at her funeral an eccentric old man named Morris Perlmutter (Keenan Wynn) show's up. A friend of Violet's & fellow actor he gets a big acting job on telly but confesses to Quincy that he has trouble remembering his lines & seeks help for which Quincy turns to his wife Dr. Emily Hanover (Anita Gillette) for advice...

Episode 23 from season 8 this Quincy story was the penultimate episode of the final season & was directed by Sam Egan, personally I think this is almost as bad as the next episode The Cutting Edge (1983) but is saved by a slightly more likable story & the fact Quincy gets about six minutes of screen time rather than just the five! I had high hopes for Whatever Happened to Morris Perlmutter? after a decent start where a unknown burglar shoots an old woman & Quincy is put on the case, I though & indeed hoped we might get a return to form after a generally terrible season eight & have a good old fashioned murder mystery where Quincy has to use his detective skills & unique medical expertise to solve the murder & identify the killer but no such luck I'm afraid. Whatever Happened to Morris Perlmutter? turns into yet another moralistic Disney type happy ending people overcoming the odds horrible thing, predictably this is all about old people & their worth to society. It tries to make out that just because someone is old doesn't mean they are senile or in any way lesser human beings, right that's really what I want to watch when I sit down & watch an episode of Quincy. Not. The murder aspect of the story seemed like an afterthought, there are about three scenes in the entire show which deal with it & it's never followed through to it's conclusion. Quincy merely tells Sam that he has the proof for Monahan that the guy is guilty & that's it! We never see the guy arrested or if he admits to it or denies it or what happens. In fact if they ever bring Quincy back the first show they should make should be called Whatever Happened to Violet Watson's Killer? Well, it's just a thought...

Nothing much of any interest happens in this episode, it's totally forgettable & unremarkable. Again Klugman barely gets any screen time, you can see how the writers are trying to involve his wife Emily in everything he does although Keenan Wynn as the curiously named Morris Perlmutter puts in a spirited performance.

Whatever Happened to Morris Perlmutter? is another terrible Quincy episode from the generally terrible season eight, the second to last ever episode & the last episode Monahan, Sam, Brill & Asten appeared in since they didn't make it into the final episode The Cutting Edge.