80s culture

Hello Very Special Readers! I’m popping by to wish a very happy 40th birthday to our beloved Murder, She Wrote! Recently, I learned that our dear Angela Lansbury released a home workout/lifestyle fitness VHS back in 1988 so my podcast co-host, Hallie, and I decided to check it out. Spoiler alert: it turned out to be an incredibly life affirming experience. After the workout, Angela takes us on a tour of her home in Brentwood! Along the way she offers sage tips for living a balanced and joyful life. You can listen to our episode here:

And checkout the full “Angela Lansbury’s Positive Moves” on Youtube here:

Finally, be sure to head over to Silver Screen Supers for the recipe for Angie’s Power Loaf that you see in the video.

Looking for more ways to celebrate the 40th Anniversary? Check out these great posts from the Cabot Cove Blogathon by 18 Cinema Lane!

Hi team! I was watching an episode of Murder, She Wrote that I opted not to include in this year’s Halloweek round-up. But there was this really gorgeous prop book cover for one of Jessica’s mysteries and I simply couldn’t get it out of my head.

Also quick shoutout to the title cards in this series! Here’s the one from the episode I was watching.

Anyway, a million years ago when I was in college, I was the props master for some of the theater productions. My favorite prop that I ever made was an art deco book cover. Suffice it to say I’m verrrrry jealous of the Murder, She Wrote props master.

In the opening shot of “Reflections of The Mind,” we see Jessica Fletcher’s friend asleep on her bed with an open copy of The Umbrella Murders. Can you imagine how much fun it would have been to design this?

Throughout the run of the series, we’re treated to quite a few fun book covers. This tripod page (remember those???) contains a whole catalogue of Jessica’s books that were either mentioned or depicted in the show.

Here are a couple: