Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery

Last updated
Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery
Murder She Purred, A Mrs. Murphy Mystery (1998) Film Poster.jpg
VHS cover
Based on"Mrs. Murphy" novels
by Rita Mae Brown
Screenplay by
Story byAnn Lewis Hamilton
Directed by Simon Wincer
Starring
Music byEric Colvin
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerKevin Inch
CinematographyDavid Burr
EditorTerry Blythe
Running time88 minutes
Production companies
Original release
ReleaseDecember 13, 1998 (1998-12-13)

Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery is a 1998 television film, starring Ricki Lake and directed by Simon Wincer. The film aired as part of the anthology series The Wonderful World of Disney . It was based on Rita Mae Brown's novel series featuring a cat named Mrs. Murphy. The film was shot in Ontario, Canada and was aired by ABC on December 13, 1998.

Contents

Plot

Mrs. Murphy (a cat) and Tucker (a dog) join forces to investigate their new neighbor whom they believe had committed a crime.

Cast

Reception

Ray Richmond from Variety magazine gave the film a very bad review, stating: "This installment of 'The Wonderful World of Disney,' based on the 'Mrs. Murphy' series of mystery novels penned by Rita Mae Brown, is pretty much as dumb as it gets, giving us a dog and a cat who solve crimes (Mrs. Murphy is the cat) and a starring role for Ricki Lake that makes her lowbrow daytime yakfest seem like 'Frontline' by comparison. Disney has been reduced to ripping off itself — or didn't anyone see 'Homeward Bound' and its sequel?". [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>A Letter to Three Wives</i> 1949 film by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

A Letter to Three Wives is a 1949 American romantic comedy-drama which tells the story of a woman who mails a letter to three women, telling them she has left town with the husband of one of them, but not saying which one. It stars Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Paul Douglas, Kirk Douglas, and Jeffrey Lynn. Thelma Ritter as "Sadie" and Celeste Holm are both uncredited.

<i>Halloween Party</i> 1969 Poirot novel by Agatha Christie

Hallowe'en Party is a work of detective fiction by English writer Agatha Christie, first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club in November 1969 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. This book was dedicated to writer P. G. Wodehouse. It has been adapted for television, radio, and most recently for the film A Haunting in Venice (2023).

<i>The Aristocats</i> 1970 American romantic comedy animated film

The Aristocats is a 1970 American animated romantic musical comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and directed by Wolfgang Reitherman. It is the final Disney animated film made with the involvement of Walt Disney Productions's co-founder Roy O. Disney before his death on December 20, 1971. The film is based on a story by Tom McGowan and Tom Rowe, and revolves around a family of aristocratic cats, and how an alley cat acquaintance helps them after a butler has kidnapped them to gain his mistress's fortune which was intended to go to them. The film features the voices of Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Hermione Baddeley, Dean Clark, Sterling Holloway, Scatman Crothers, and Roddy Maude-Roxby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iris Adrian</span> American actress (1912–1994)

Iris Adrian Hostetter was an American stage and film actress.

Rita Mae Brown is an American feminist writer, best known for her coming-of-age autobiographical novel, Rubyfruit Jungle. Brown was active in a number of civil rights campaigns and criticized the marginalization of lesbians within feminist groups. Brown received the Pioneer Award for lifetime achievement at the Lambda Literary Awards in 2015.

Jacqueline Danell Obradors is an American actress. She has appeared in films such as Six Days, Seven Nights (1998), Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), Tortilla Soup (2001), A Man Apart (2003) and Unstoppable (2004). She is also the voice of Audrey Rocio Ramirez in Atlantis: The Lost Empire. On television, Obradors is known for her role as Detective Rita Ortiz in the ABC crime drama series NYPD Blue (2001–2005).

<i>Dumbos Circus</i> American TV series or program

Dumbo's Circus is a live action/puppet television series that aired on The Disney Channel beginning on May 6, 1985 to May 25, 1986. and featured the character of Dumbo from the original film. Reruns continued to air until February 28, 1997.

Raymond Stanley Lonnen was an English stage and television actor. His most prominent roles include Willie Caine in the ITV cult classic Cold War-era spy drama series, The Sandbaggers (1978–80), and also as Harry Brown in the television miniseries Harry's Game (1982).

<i>Stanley</i> (2001 TV series) 2001 childrens animated TV series

Stanley is an American children's animated television series that aired on Playhouse Disney based on the series of children's books written by "Griff", also known as Andrew Griffin. It was produced by Cartoon Pizza and was developed for television by Jim Jinkins and David Campbell. The show features Charles Shaughnessy as the voice of Dennis the Goldfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hallmark Movies & Mysteries</span> American cable television network

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is an American digital cable and satellite television channel owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel was spun off from sister network Hallmark Channel, and airs family-oriented feature and television films along with a limited number of murder- and mystery-themed television series.

<i>The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs</i> American animated series

The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs is an American children's animated series, produced by Saban Entertainment, that aired on Fox Kids from 1998 to 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Wincer</span> Australian film director (born 1943)

Simon Wincer is an Australian film and television director. He attended Cranbrook School, Sydney, from 1950 to 1961. On leaving school he worked as a stagehand at TV Station Channel 7. By the 1980s he had directed over 200 hours of television. In 1986, he directed the telemovie The Last Frontier and also won a Christopher Award. He also directed the 1993 family film Free Willy.

<i>They Only Kill Their Masters</i> 1972 film by James Goldstone

They Only Kill Their Masters is a 1972 American mystery film directed by James Goldstone, written by Lane Slate, and starring James Garner and Katharine Ross, with a supporting cast featuring Hal Holbrook, June Allyson, Tom Ewell, Peter Lawford, Edmond O'Brien, and Arthur O'Connell. The title refers to Doberman dogs that might have been responsible for a woman's murder currently under investigation by the local police chief (Garner).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Musick</span> American voice actress

Patricia Anne Musick is an American voice actress who has provided numerous voices in many television shows, films, and video games.

Cozy mysteries, also referred to as "cosy mysteries" or "cozies", are a sub-genre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur offstage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially-intimate community. Cozies thus stand in contrast to hardboiled fiction, in which more violence and explicit sexuality are central to the plot. The term "cozy" was first coined in the late 20th century when various writers produced work in an attempt to re-create the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

Robert Bailey Jr. is an American actor. Beginning his career as a child, Bailey appeared in films Mission to Mars (2000) and Dragonfly (2002), and acted in various television series during the late 1990s and 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doris Miles Disney</span> American novelist

Doris Miles Disney was an American mystery writer. She wrote 47 novels, many of which were best sellers; several were made into feature films or TV movies.

<i>Having Wonderful Crime</i> 1945 film directed by A. Edward Sutherland

Having Wonderful Crime is a 1945 American screwball comedy and mystery film directed by Eddie Sutherland from a screenplay by Howard J. Green, Stewart Sterling, and Parke Levy, based on the novel of the same name by Craig Rice. In her series novels the main character was named John J. Malone, but for some reason the lawyer's name was changed for this film. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, it opened in New York City on April 12, 1945. The film stars Pat O'Brien, George Murphy, and Carole Landis.

References

  1. Richmond, Ray (11 December 1998). "Review: 'Murder She Purred: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery'". Variety. Retrieved 18 May 2017.