Murder, She Wrote (1984–1996): Season 3, Episode 10 - Stage Struck - full transcript

Who is it? Who's back there?

[Woman] Tonight on
Murder, She Wrote.

Not here. Somebody's gonna see
us. Relax, Pru. Maggie doesn't own me.

I'm sorry the kid died. Rest her
soul, but it's good for business.

The killer must have been
after Maggie. Murder by mistake.

I'd think you'd leap at the
chance to go on. On opening night?

Maggie did this to me once
before. She's not going to do it again.

Well, I'll be damned. We're going to
die before we get back on Broadway.

I wonder if the audience is coming
to see the play or another murder.

Hey! Stop!

[Reporters] Why’d you pick this
theater? Why’d you pick this play?



Are you taking it to Broadway? Is
there anything going on between you two?

How about a kiss? Mr. Lord,
whose idea was this reunion?

Miss Tarrow, was your stay at
that Arizona health clinic a success?

Well, the, ah, weather was
dry, and so am I. [Laughter]

Does this mean the Battling
Lords are rekindling their romance?

Mmm, I'm not sure.
Bonfires can be dangerous.

[Laughter]

But it must be terribly
romantic to come back to

where you had your first
torrid affair so long ago.

Ah, yes, when we weren't married for
the first time. Twenty years isn't so long.

She just dropped 10 years
without batting a false eyelash.

Excuse me, Miss Tarrow,
wasn't that 30 years?

And who are you, the
bureau of birth dates?

She's starting in already.



I told you that would happen.
Relax, Alex. We're selling out.

You may be producing
this opus, Mr. Saperstein,

but it's my theater
and my production.

The focus should be on the
play. Oh, don't hand me that.

The reason we're selling tickets is
people want to see the Battling Lords,

the couple that
trashes hotel rooms.

Miss Bennington!

[Reporters]
- Miss Bennington!
- Oh, she's fabulous.

Miss Bennington, you're a
very successful soap opera star.

Why did you take
an understudy job?

Well, it was such an
honor for me to be asked,

not that I'd ever dream of being
able to replace Miss Tarrow.

Of course I haven't missed a
performance in 30—20 years.

It helps that she hasn't
been on stage for the past 10.

[Lord] Ladies and
gentlemen, we would be happy

to go on talking to
you all day; however—

Speak for yourself, darling. However,
Miss Tarrow and I have a dress rehearsal.

- Jessica!
- Julian!

Jessica, love. Oh,
Julian. [Laughs]

And Maggie. Jessica, oh.

How wonderful to
see you, both of you.

What's your angle
here, Mrs. Fletcher?

Writing a book about these
old troupers? Old troupers?

May I remind you I
was starring in movies...

when you were... just
a... college graduate.

Mrs. Fletcher was a valued member
of our company that summer too. Oh.

I was delighted when
Alexander invited me.

It was a great chance to see
my old—my good friends. [Laughs]

So we can add acting to your
list of credits, Mrs. Fletcher?

Oh, certainly not. No, but I was
Applewood's second-best set painter.

And in case you haven't
guessed, there were only two.

Well, here we are. Always
different, yet always the same.

I must confess to a certain
fondness for this theater.

[Maggie] Remember how much fun
we had here that summer, the four of us?

Oh, but, uh, where's that sweet
boy you married? Ah, Fred?

Frank. Oh.

- He died a few years ago.
- Oh.

Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you
knew. Julian came to the funeral.

Oh, well, I wish
somebody had told me.

You know, he was
so fond of both of you.

In fact, in a way, he
carried on the torch.

He formed the Cabot
Cove Dramatic Society.

I can't tell you how much those
weekends in Cabot Cove meant to me.

Julian, why don't you
run along and study

your lines or something.
I'm stealing Jessica.

We have oodles to catch up on.

Jessica, dear heart, did Julian
ever visit you after Frank passed on?

Maggie, all he ever talked
about was you. [Laughs]

Well, I wish he'd talk
about me to my face.

So, are you two back together
again, not just on the marquee?

Actually, I haven't
seen Julian in years.

But being back here
in this magical place...

It does seem to make
anything possible, doesn't it?

However unlikely. [Laughs]

- Mmm, some wine?
- Not right now, thanks.

Oh, my doctor would
have a fit if he saw this,

but he has never had to face the
sharp point of a critic's pencil. [Laughs]

Ah! Julian!

If this is your idea
of a joke! What?

This was in my makeup case!

Oh, what a relief, Miss
Tarrow. I heard you scream.

I'm fine. I don't know what
I'd do if I had to go on for you.

You can cut the sweetness act,
ballerina. I've seen that movie too.

But, Helen, he's a cad.
Charm isn't everything.

"Who cares about the other five percent?
I love him, Victor. I can't help myself."

Neither can I. Larry, the
line goes, "That kind"...

I know how the line goes. Not
here. Somebody's gonna see us.

Relax, Pru. Maggie
doesn't own me.

No, but I do pay the rent.

We were just... running lines.

Larry, may I suggest that you save your
performance such as it is for the stage?

And, Pru darling, remind me.

You are the resident stage manager,
yes? Not the resident bedspread.

[Maggie] We don't
choose who we love.

If we did, do you think I'd fall all
over again for that human bacteria?

But, Helen, he's a
cad. [Finger Snaps]

"Charm isn't everything." Charm
isn't everything. Charm isn't everything!

Oh, damn it! I'm sorry. I— Oh, shh-shh,
my love, it's all right. It happens to...

Who is it? Who's back there?

Pru! No visitors!

You were at the
press conference.

A reporter backstage? Alexander!

T.J.'s not a reporter, Miss Tarrow.
He's my fiancé from New York.

Mr. Preston, you said
it would be all right.

Yes, well, just try to
keep out of the way.

Okay, Terry? Perfect. Just don't
let her find out who I really am.

Not to worry, Maggie.
Everything's under control.

As long as we've stopped,
Alex. Yes, Chief Drock?

Chief? Of police.

What's my motivation
in this scene?

You're a butler. Your
motivation is to "butle."

[Sighs] Ah!

In my day, they always had
to give a role to the mayor.

Yeah, well, I guess
political wheels always have

to be greased, but Chief
Drock's really the worst.

Oh, I don't know.
The mayor thought that

Hamlet was about a
soldier named Marcellus...

who happened to
work for the prince. Oh.

[Laughing] Oh, darling,

the last thing a woman
wants to see after leaving her

husband are photos of her
lover's previous marriage.

But these are of our previous
marriage. Oh. [Laughs]

[Maggie] Oh.

Look, here we are at the
altar. And here we are in court.

How could you do this to me?

Maggie! Julian?

[Man] Is she all right?

Pru, call a doctor.

- [Man] Get some water.
- [Man #2] I've got it.

[Woman] I think there's a first
aid in the back. [Woman #2] Okay.

[Man ♪ 1] Bring the water now!

She just needs some rest.

Julian. Yes, darling. I'm here.

It was him, Julian.
It was him. Ah.

Jessica, would you stay
with her for a minute?

Oh, yes, of course. Thank you.

But the doctor says she's okay!

If you want her for tonight, you must let
her rest now. Take her back to the hotel.

What is with you guys? We've got
technical stuff— They know their parts.

The understudies can finish
rehearsal. Thank you, Alex.

Places for act two. Understudies!
Come on, understudies!

Pru, where did you find the
scrapbook? I didn't know I'd lost it.

But it wasn't here earlier. Well,
now it's back where it belongs.

May I have a look at it?
Just put it back right there.

[Julian] The doctor simply
will not allow her to go on.

Doctors. What do they
know? Can they help me

with the back I got
against the wall here?

What about the neck I broke gettin' the
critics up here to Sunnybrook Farm tonight?

Don't you understand? She's
at the hotel under sedation.

Tomorrow the
critics will be back in

civilization. DeNiro's
opening in a one-man show.

Well, looks like I'll just have to
opt for the Star Is Born approach.

- Alex, you tell Barbara she's going on.
- What?

Now look, kiddo, my
backers are very nervous

about Maggie. You
know her reputation.

Don't worry. You and only you
will have your name above the title.

Barbara's name will be down
at the bottom in little tiny letters.

Who do you think
you're kidding, kiddo?

- You have a personal
services contract with Barbara

Bennington— - That
has nothing to do with it.

- which no doubt includes other
kinds of services from her as well.
- Will you get your mind out of your pants?

Stop trying to run
this show from yours!

Barbara was great in rehearsal.

You may put Barbara Bennington
on if you please, but not with me!

Believe me, I'm behind
your decision 100%.

My goodness, Miss Bennington. I'd
think you'd leap at the chance to go on.

On opening night? With one
rehearsal, in front of critics?

That kind of career
break I don't need.

Julian, I'm worried about Maggie. I'm
afraid someone is trying to frighten her.

First with the note and
then with the scrapbook.

Maggie's imagination has
been a little overactive lately.

Well, did she tell you what she saw in
the scrapbook? Now hear me out, Julian.

The days when emotional prima
donnas ruled the theater are gone.

It simply costs too much
to mount a production.

Nicky's budget isn't what's
really bothering you, is it, Alex?

Damn it! Maggie did this to me once
before. She's not going to do it again.

Forgive me, Alex. Perhaps
Maggie has good reason to be upset.

Oh, Jessica, please! I'll tell you
what. I'll make a deal with you.

I'll go on tonight if
you can convince

Nicky that Maggie
resumes the role tomorrow.

Very well.

But this is her last chance.

And remember, your first stage entrance
has been changed to upstage right, okay?

I know where I come in, sweetie.

Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt. Uh, Julian
asked me to get Maggie's sweater.

He said it was on the
rack. Help yourself, please.

Thanks.

[Sighs] Stage fright?

[Laughs] How about sheer terror?

Look, maybe a glass of wine would
help you calm your nerves, huh?

[Barbara] Red wine?
Swell, honey, that's all I need.

[Sighs] I'm sorry. I didn't mean to
snap. It's this pressure, that's all.

[Julian] Time?
What is time to me?

The past is present, then is now. It
is not a question of starting afresh.

We merely pick up
from where we left off.

[Audience Laughing]

James, that will do.

You make it seem so
easy. It is easy. Trust me.

I may regret this in the
morning. But God, help me, I do.

Well, darling, what is it to be? Shall
we go for marriage number three?

But first, we must get
rid of our number twos.

[Laughter, Applause]

Fifteen minutes for
intermission. Fifteen minutes!

Jessica, how's it look from
the front? Oh, wonderful.

Julian, look, I don't want
to worry you, but I've been

trying to call Maggie,
you know, just to check up,

and I keep getting the
busy signal. No. Not to worry.

She takes the phone off
the hook when she sleeps.

[Barbara Groaning]

Barbara? Oh!

We really must bring in the police.
I'm afraid, Jessica, that is the police.

[Julian] You can't
be serious, Alex.

I mean, that's all right for
summonses or whatever, but a murder?

This is his
jurisdiction, Julian.

Unless he asks for help from the
state police, they won't interfere.

Ladies and gentlemen,
I have discovered that

Miss Barbara Bennington
was murdered by poison.

- Brilliant.
- Merci.

[Coughing] Uh, Chief, I think you'll
find that the poison used was cyanide.

Ah, yes, the odor of bitter
almonds. I noticed it myself.

The questions become
immediately apparent.

How was the poison
administered? When? And who

would wish to kill Miss
Barbara Bennington?

Uh, Chief, it has no
doubt occurred to you

that the killer must
have been after Maggie.

After all, Barbara only
took the role on very

short notice. Intriguing.
Murder by mistake.

Mrs. Fletcher, you will accompany
me to the dressing room.

Your observations will be most helpful
to me in this inquiry, n'est-ce pas?

Good Lord, I think he's
playing Hercule Poirot.

Yes. And badly too.

Chief, are you all right?
Just a bad case of stage fright.

How did I seem? Seem?

My performance. I mean, did I
exude confidence, professionalism?

Oh, yes, but ah— I
could give it more.

Oh, no, no. Uh, I think you
gave it plenty, but Chief...

Mrs. Fletcher, I have been chief of police
in this township for the last 13 years.

It's a very drab job for a
very drab man. Oh, no.

Let me finish, Mrs. Fletcher.

As Chief Merton P. Drock, I could
never even attempt this investigation.

It's only in performing
a role that I come

alive, authoritative,
outgoing, interesting,

Ah, I see.

This responsibility to be Inspector
Maigret, eh, Monsieur Poirot, whoever...

- And I am convinced that
with your help, I can carry it off.
- My help?

Otherwise, I see no choice
but to resign my office.

But, Chief, you see I'm
really not a detective.

Dear lady, I have read all your
books. I know of your reputation.

If anyone can steer
me to the truth, it is you.

Well, I—I certainly wouldn't
want to see a murder go unsolved.

Good! Then you shall write the
scenario, and I shall play the part.

And together, we shall be
unbeatable. Now, where shall we begin?

Well, uh, I think that we should
start with that bottle of wine.

Unless my nose deceives me,
your bitter almonds. You're right.

You know, I think it
also might be wise to, uh,

take samples from the
soda, from the coffee...

Oh, yes, and also from
all of those props on stage.

But, Mrs. Fletcher, if the decanter
of grape juice had been poisoned,

then Julian would
also have been killed.

Chief, the first rule. Be
thorough. Explore every possibility.

I am so very grateful
to you, Mrs. Fletcher.

To our partnership.

[Maggie] Jessica,
tell me the truth.

Is somebody trying to kill me? I
was hoping that you could tell me.

Now the killer may very
well have been after Barbara.

Of course. So you see, there's
nothing to be frightened of.

Now sit down, darling, eat your
eggs. You have a performance tonight.

I'm not going back to that theater.
He'll only try to kill me again.

He?

[Julian] Nobody's
trying to get you, darling,

except perhaps the critics,
and they were all there last night.

Now stop all this foolishness.
Everybody's relying on you.

Alex! Jessica! Good
morning. How's Maggie?

Well, she's better, but
she's still a little nervous.

Alex, you said something
to Julian last night

about Maggie having
done this to you before?

Well, it's hardly a secret.

Thirty years ago, when we
took the play to Broadway,

Julian and Maggie had
run-of-the play contracts.

Which means they were obligated to
remain with the show as long as it ran.

Exactly. But after a few months, Maggie
wanted out, to do a movie, she said.

Her lawyers threatened
to sue, so I let her leave.

Yes, but Maggie didn't make her
first movie until several years later.

She just disappeared
for almost a year.

It had been a ruse
to get out of the show.

I wonder why?

[Nicky Yelling] Maggie's
always been highly strung,

but I've never seen
her quite as bad as this.

Well, perhaps she
shouldn't go on.

Uh, uh, uh, what's that, Gerry?

Wait, I can't hear you. We got a
bad connection, I gotta call you back.

Maggie's got to go on. We're
all over the New York papers.

Isn't it the murder that's all over
the New York papers, Mr. Saperstein?

Look, I'm sorry the kid died. Rest
her soul, but it's good for business.

You mean, it's good
for your business.

What are you
saying? That I killed an

understudy just to get
this show on Broadway?

I bring news!

But let's adjourn to somewhere more
private. My dressing room perhaps?

Hey!

Cyanide was indeed responsible for
the death of our luckless "thespianette."

Ah! The prop decanter
from the stage?

Alas no. Everything else
was clean, save for the...

The red wine in the dressing room?
The red wine in the dressing room!

Yes, but that still doesn't tell us
who the murderer wanted to kill.

Au contraire. Obviously the villain
doctored the wine earlier in the day,

intending for it to be
consumed by Maggie Tarrow.

And what better suspect than
the mistreated lover, Julian Lord.

Chief, you don't really believe
that Julian wants to kill Maggie.

Besides, the wine could have
been laced just before the show.

Lots of people went in and
out of that dressing room.

All of whom knew
Barbara replaced Maggie.

In which case, the killer could have
gotten exactly who he or she intended.

But of course! Maggie Tarrow.

Didn't we just go through
this? Not Maggie, Barbara.

You need not repeat yourself,
sir. I am not an imbecile.

- I meant that Maggie
could have killed Barbara.
- Maggie was asleep at the hotel.

She could have taken
the phone off the hook, left

the hotel unobserved and
come back to the theater.

Well, I hardly think that Maggie
could go unobserved anywhere.

No, Chief, I think that our
answer is up there on that stage,

and I really believe that it has
something to do with that scrapbook.

[Man's Voice] That's about
the worst paintjob I've ever seen.

[Jessica's Voice] It's so frustrating.
I can't get the perspective right.

- [Man] What's your name again?
- Jessica.

Mine's Frank. Frank Fletcher.

Here, let me show you.

Put the paintbrush in
your hand, and I'll guide it.

[Pru] I'm just
gonna get my script.

Oh, Larry, we've gotta
be careful. Oh, come on.

Nobody knows except
Maggie, and she's so soused up

all the time, she doesn't
know what she's seeing.

Besides, I can take care of her.

[Pru] Chief Drock saw you
leave my house this morning.

[Larry] Well, he's got
a murder on his hands.

And I've got you
in mine. Come on.

[Man] All vanilla, extra
nuts, no cherry, right?

You have quite a
memory, Eddie. [Laughs]

I remember everything
about that summer, Jessica.

How bright the apple blossoms
were. How beautiful Miss Tarrow was.

She's as wonderful
as ever. Mm-hmm.

I, uh, also remember that tall fellow
who used to follow you around everywhere.

- Frank.
- Yeah, Frank. My dad used to yell
at him for snitching extra nuts.

Well, tell me about
yourself, Eddie.

Not much to tell. Never married.

Nobody ever measured
up to Miss Tarrow.

And you're still a prop man
at the theater. Keeps me busy.

You know, there's one thing
I've always wondered about.

When a prop like a notebook is used in
a play, are the pages always just blank?

Unless the actors need
help with their lines.

Ah. So that scrapbook in the
play has always been empty.

Sure. Miss Tarrow's a pro. She
doesn't need that kind of help.

[Laughter] [Julian] Faithful?
I've always been faithful.

Not always to
you, but I could be.

I shall be again one more time.

What is time to me? The
past is present, then is now.

It is not a question
of starting afresh.

We merely pick up
from where we left off.

You make it sound so easy.
Well, it is easy. Trust me.

I may regret it in the
morning, but God help me, I do.

So what is it to be, darling? Shall
we go for marriage number three?

Ah, first we've got to get
rid of our number twos.

[Laughter]

[Glass Breaking] [Gasps]

[Applause]

It was cyanide. I smelled it in
the glass. But that's impossible.

I'm afraid so. Well,
I'll be damned. We're

going to die before we
get back on Broadway.

Somebody must have
put the cyanide into the

decanter just before
it was taken onstage.

You see, Mrs. Fletcher,
someone is tryin' to kill Maggie.

Now who had access to the
decanter? I believe you did, Chief.

That's ridiculous! I simply brought it
on the stage. Pru gave it to me, and I...

Of course, Pru. I think you and
I have some things to discuss.

Well, that's insane. I didn't
do anything. Mrs. Fletcher!

[Drock] Oh, Mrs. Fletcher, it
all seemed so clear, so obvious.

If Pru had given me the decanter laced with
poison— But the decanter wasn't guarded.

Anyone backstage could have
slipped the cyanide into the grape juice.

But she had motive. I saw Larry Matthew
leaving her house early yesterday morning.

And with Maggie out of the way,
Pru would have had Larry all to herself.

Chief, in all your
years in the theater, you

must have seen dozens
of backstage romances.

Perhaps even been part
of a few? I mean, how

many have you known
that ended in murder?

You can't just flail around willy-nilly
theorizing. You need evidence.

Yes, you're right. Evidence.

And I'm sorry, Mrs. Fletcher.

From now on, you're
calling the shots.

You try it, Preston,
and I'll— Yeah, what is it?

Excuse me, have you seen Maggie
or Julian? They're not in their hotel.

Yeah. Try the unemployment
line. Well, surely you're not closing.

Don't look at me.

I'm sorry, Jessica.
But it's too dangerous

to stay open with some
maniac on the loose.

And never mind that there's a
line around the corner for tickets!

Mr. Saperstein, I wonder if the audience is
coming to see the play or another murder.

This is my theater. I refuse to accept
responsibility for any further mayhem.

[Nicky] It may be your
theater, but we've got a contract.

You close my play, my lawyers
won't leave you a splinter of that stage.

[Jessica] Oh, Mr. Matthew.
Oh, hi, Mrs. Fletcher.

I'm just trying to get this lighter to
work. It failed miserably last night. Oh.

So, I understand you were around
when this old barn first got started.

Oh, yes. But I quickly learned
that I wasn't much of an actress.

But you're sure
one helluva writer.

Oh, that's what I'm
thinking of doing, writing

my own play, so I
can star in it myself.

Oh, yes. Mr. Matthew,

yesterday, I couldn't help overhearing
when you were talking backstage to Pru.

Yes?

You said something
about taking care of Maggie.

Oh, but I'd never hurt
Maggie, I owe her too much.

Yes, of course. She got
you this job, didn't she?

Sure, but there's nothing
between us. It's, uh, it's all show.

Designed to make Julian jealous.

That sounds like Maggie. By
the way, have you seen them?

Yes. They were in her
dressing room a few minutes ago.

What Miss Tarrow sees in
that guy Julian, I'll never know.

I've got some new props here. Will
you see Pru gets them? Oh, sure.

After 30 years, you'd think
Maggie would've learned her lesson.

[Jessica] If I'm going to help you,
you have got to be honest with me.

But, Jessica, we
always have been.

Look, I know that you've lived your
lives in the glare of the press and...

And that has made you
cautious, but I'm your friend.

Now none of us wants
anyone else to get hurt.

If we knew anything,
darling, we would tell you.

But you do, Maggie. You
know what was written

on that note in your
makeup case, for example.

What happened 30 years ago?

Something very
wonderful. We fell in love.

Our play went to Broadway.
We were the toast of Manhattan.

We had each other, and...

But then something happened.

You told Alexander that you had a
movie offer but disappeared instead.

Maggie. Julian, no.

Then it's pointless to ask
what you saw in that scrapbook.

Jessica, I can't. Please,
please, don't ask me.

Whoever is behind all this has
gone to a great deal of trouble.

Whose idea was it
anyway to do this revival?

Well, Nicky Saperstein called and said
that Julian had agreed to do it if I would.

[Julian] He told me
the same about you.

That snake!
[Laughing] Oh, darling.

After all, he is a
producer. [Both Laughing]

But with this secret
hanging between you, I

mean, why did you
agree to come back here?

Well, if truth be told, I
wanted to prove that I could

still do something other
than camera commercials.

I used to be quite
respected, you know.

[Maggie] And I needed a job.

Oh, I know, my name is all over the
papers and all that, but I need to work.

And you know something?

I'm not gonna let some
practical joker stop me.

I'm going on tonight.

Julian, obviously you wanted
to tell me more than Maggie did.

What did she see in that scrapbook?
I have to know if I'm to help.

I'm sorry, Jess. I must
respect Maggie's wishes.

Julian, Alexander told me that 30 years
ago, Maggie disappeared for almost a year.

Nine months is almost a year.

I'm sorry. This is a scene
in which I have no lines.

- Mr. Holt.
- Mrs. Fletcher.

How long have you been
standing here listening?

I don't know what you're
talking about. Excuse me.

You know, it seems
very strange to me.

Surely, surely a fiancé
would've wanted to accompany

his loved one's body back
to Manhattan for burial.

Burial is a pagan
custom, Mrs. Fletcher.

I'm much more interested in
learning who killed Barbara.

No, I've been watching
you, and frankly, you're far

more interested in the
lives of Julian and Maggie.

And I've been watching
you nosing around.

And frankly, ma'am, forgive me,
but you are something of a busybody.

Well, call it professional
curiosity. Who are you, Mr. Holt?

And just exactly what
are you doing here?

I'm sure the state police will
be able to find out your identity...

and your place of birth.

[Alex] Larry Matthew. Photo, résumé. Just
what is it you're looking for, Jessica?

Vital statistics.

If you're looking for
accuracy on an actor's

résumé, my dear, you're
looking in the wrong place.

Ah, here we go, Mr. Preston.
The bill for the new props.

Antique picture frame,
couple of quarts of grape juice,

and a glass to replace the one
that got lost right after opening night.

I'll put this with the
others. Thank you, Eddie.

Ah, I'd appreciate a check, Mr. Preston.
The tab's getting a little high.

[Knocking]

Alexander Morgan Preston.

You will excuse us,
Mr. Bender. Official business.

Well, I—Yeah, sure. Yeah.

And what can I
do for you, Chief?

It came to me like a flash of
light. I have been very blind.

Who better than you has motive to
want to kill Maggie Tarrow? Uh, Chief.

Uh, really, I...

- This is absurd!
- Maggie Tarrow cost you
a bundle when she left the play.

So you persuaded Nicky
Saperstein to produce this

revival for the sole purpose
of wreaking this revenge.

After 30 years? And why would
Alexander want to close down the play now?

You slipped into
Maggie Tarrow's dressing

room, and you put the
cyanide in the red wine,

which you knew it was her habit
to drink before the performance.

- I did no such thing.
- But Barbara drank
the wine by mistake.

But Chief, cyanide works
in a matter of minutes.

She never could have
made it through the first act.

Well, then he laced the
wine during the intermission.

During the intermission,
I was in the box office

counting the receipts
with Mr. Saperstein.

Besides, by that time, everybody
knew that Barbara was playing the part,

so if anybody had laced the
wine during the intermission,

it was Barbara that
they meant to kill.

[Thud]

Hey! Stop!

Hey, somebody stop that guy!

I order you to stop!
Larry? Mr. Holt?

I said, cease! He took something
from Maggie's dressing room.

[Drock] A birth certificate?

[Drock] Admit it, Mr. Holt.

You were about to
plant that birth certificate

in Maggie Tarrow's
dressing room...

just as you planted that note in her
makeup case, just as— Note? What note?

Just as you tried to kill Maggie Tarrow
because she deserted you as a baby.

Ah, Chief, didn't we have a
little talk once about accusations?

As well as evidence, Mrs.
Fletcher, which we now have.

Chief Drock, What is it?!

Half-hour till curtain. Oh.
Well, we can finish this later.

Yes, but Chief, I really think that
discovering Mr. Holt's real identity...

is far more important
than changing for the show.

Wrong, Mrs. Fletcher.
The show must go on.

Besides, we know his real identity. This
man who calls himself Terrence J. Holt,

is undoubtedly the son of
Maggie Tarrow and Julian Lord.

I was taking that
certificate from the dressing

room, and I can
prove I'm not their son.

I do have a birth certificate of
my own. And a job of your own?

A job?

Mr. Holt, you're much too knowledgeable
about the lives of Maggie and Julian,

and if your interest isn't personal,
then it has to be professional.

So I'm writing a biography.
An unauthorized biography.

Okay. Look, Barbara
was an acquaintance.

When she got this
job, we made a deal.

She pretended to be my
fiancée, so I could hang

around and watch
those two birds firsthand.

But what was your end of the deal? I had
to tell her everything I knew about Maggie.

But why? I think that she came
here to be more than an understudy.

She saw it as a chance
to further her career, but to

do that she'd need to remove
Maggie from the picture.

Yeah, she got real jazzed when
I told her the rumor about the kid.

Oh. So—So it was Barbara who
tracked down the birth certificate.

She told me she got it
by bribing hospital officials.

I've been searching for it
ever since she was killed.

You see, that's what I was
doing in the dressing room.

You see, first she plants the
note in Maggie's makeup case.

Then she puts the certificate in the
scrapbook to drive Maggie over the edge.

She must have retrieved
it in the commotion after

Maggie collapsed. So she
could go on opening night.

Now that's a
motive I understand.

But how did you know the birth
certificate was in Maggie's dressing room?

I didn't. It was the only
place I hadn't looked.

Hey, I didn't figure any of this
out until just a little while ago.

Chief, this all explains
why Maggie thought Julian

was responsible for the
note and the certificate.

Who else could have
known? And why she was

so upset when she saw
Mr. Holt in the wings.

She thought that he was her son.
That's why she told Julian, "It was him."

But why didn't she tell us, me?

Oh, I don't know, Chief.

Guilt for having abandoned
her only child 30 years ago.

You saw the way she reacted.
The scars must be very deep.

Yes, it's all very
clear to me now.

You killed Barbara Bennington, so
you could obtain the birth certificate.

[T.J.] What? A w, come on.
You're just blowin’ smoke!

You poisoned her by putting cyanide
in the red wine in that dressing room.

But she couldn't have been poisoned like
that. Barbara was allergic to red wine.

She never drank it. Of course!

Before the show, Barbara
took her aspirin with soda.

She wouldn't drink the red wine.

Well, then how was she poisoned?
Everything else tested clean.

I think I know the answer to
that. Chief, we've got work to do.

Five minutes to curtain.

I know what you're doing, Mrs.
Fletcher. I wish you would tell me why.

I'm sorry, Chief. I can't. Not this
time. You'll just have to trust me.

Stay on top of your cues, and
don't rattle this evening, Mr. Larry.

It's, ah, Larry Matthew, sir.

Have you ever thought of
changing your name? I already did.

[Larry] That's quite some
woman you're marrying again.

You're a good
sport to let her go.

Well, I wonder if you'll
think so after you read this.

What is it, darling? He's suing.

What is it, darling?

He's suing you for alimony.

Oh, well, at least we've
got each other. [Laughs]

You know what they say, darling:
Finders keepers, losers reapers.

[Laughter]

[Man] Bravo! Magnificent!

[Nicky] Hello, Broadway!
You were great.

I'm forced to admit that you
were both more than adequate.

Alex, I think I can get
us the Aurora Theater!

The Aurora? That jinx house?
[Laughs] Don't start with me.

Ladies and gentlemen, I hate to put a
damper on these well-deserved celebrations,

but I have discerned the identity of
Miss Barbara Bennington's murderer,

and the killer is among
us on this very stage.

Chief Drock, before you— Our
murderer's intention from the very first...

was to remove from
our sky the bright star...

that is Maggie Tarrow.

Killing Barbara
Bennington was a mistake.

And our villain made
another mistake tonight.

A trap was set. A trap into
which our killer was, uh... trapped.

Mr. Lord, may I see that letter?

Surely, not in front of
everybody. Mr. Lord, the letter.

Chief, no! Mrs. Fletcher,

your assistance in this case has
been invaluable, but the scenario is over.

Allow me my moment.

Mr. Lord, may I have the letter?

Witness!

The birth certificate for the long lost son
of Julian Lord and Maggie Tarrow. [Gasps]

The son who is
among us even now.

Are you not, Larry
Matthew? What?

An almost perfect crime if you hadn't
made one tiny but enormous slip.

Before the show, you admitted
that you had changed your name.

You killed Barbara
Bennington by mistake...

intending to kill the mother who had
deserted you and denied you her name.

Take him away!

You're crazy. I
didn't murder anyone.

Maggie, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry I had lied to you,
Jessica, but you have to understand.

I can't remember a single day when I
haven't wondered what happened to him.

[Julian] We made a
decision, darling. He has

never been part of
our life nor ever can be.

But whoever he is, he
certainly is not Larry Matthew.

Oh that fool chief, what in heaven's
name was he trying to prove?

Don't blame the
chief, Julian, or Larry.

Substituting the birth certificate
for the letter was my doing.

Jessica, how could you?

I was certain Julian would never
let you see it, but I had to be sure.

His reaction confirmed
my worst suspicions.

I'm terribly sorry. I see
now I should have confided

in the chief, but I couldn't
rely on his discretion.

Jessica, what are
you talking about?

Barbara wasn't poisoned by
the red wine in the dressing room.

That meant she could've only
been poisoned on the stage.

- But there was no poison
in the decanter.
- No, not the decanter.

The poison was in the glass.
Barbara's glass, only Barbara's glass.

I don't see how that's possible.

Eddie replaced the glass which
disappeared on opening night.

Why did it disappear?

Because no amount of scrubbing
could remove the microscopic

traces of poison a state
police lab might uncover.

- Julian?
- Jessica, whatever you're thinking,
you're wrong.

You don't know how
much I wish that were true.

Oh, Jessica, dear, what
are you talking about?

Shall I tell her or will you?

Only one person could control
who got the poisoned glass onstage,

and that person
had the perfect alibi.

Hundreds of people saw him
pour both drinks from the decanter.

Julian?

You then planted some
poison in the red wine

here during intermission
to misdirect attention.

You didn't know that Barbara
couldn't drink red wine.

And then to further ensure that we
believed that the killer was after Maggie,

you staged the second
murder attempt last night.

- Julian, you could've killed me.
- No. Never.

[Jessica] He knew he'd be able to
prevent you from drinking the poison...

by smelling its
distinctive odor.

Julian. Why? Why?

Why?

To protect you, my
darling, from Barbara.

She was the one who
planted the birth certificate.

Oh, I figured out her game
when I went back to the theater.

She'd planned it all
very carefully with the

exception of my
refusal to go on with her.

Yes, then the real
Barbara came out.

You really want to see
that lady go over the edge?

You cancel this performance, and tomorrow's
newspapers are going to have a field day.

Oh, you're going to
go on tonight, Mr. Lord.

Believe me, I'm behind
your decision 100%.

I-I knew I would never
be free of her blackmail.

Jessica, I had to do it.

It's all my fault.

If you hadn't protected me...

I'll notify the state police.