The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

In Plain Sight is Back!

The USA channel show In Plain Sight is going to be returning tonight! Yes, tonight – March 16, 2012. Mary (Mary McCormack) will be back after maternity leave, and Brandi (Nichole Hiltz), … well, I’m assuming she will still be single after last season’s cliff hanger. I sure hope we get to see more of Jinx (Lesley Ann Warren) this season, and I also hope this show is not in its last season! (It’s going to be bad enough losing The Closer after this summer’s run!)

In Plain Sight is one of my favorite shows. It ranks (for me) right up there with TNT’s The Closer. Both of these shows are on “non-major” networks, which may have something to do with how women are portrayed on the major networks, and perhaps because they aren’t major network shows, the writers try harder. (I don’t know of any really good shows that feature strong, female leads on the major networks. – I’m sure though, that I will hear from people who know of such shows, they just aren’t shows that have “hooked me” into watching them.)

And, the writers have managed to make the male characters on the show interesting, also. I love Marshall Marshall Mann (Frederick Weller),  Mary’s long-suffering boss Stan (Paul Ben-Victor), and think Brandi made a terrible mistake with Peter (Joshua Malina). As for Raphael (Cristián de la Fuente), well… what’s to say? I guess Mary just didn’t want to be burdened with absolute perfection!

If you haven’t already watched In Plain Sight, I strongly recommend that you do. (I would definitely watch it chronologically, though.) If you are a fan (as I am!): Get over to your DVR right now, or make sure you are watching tonight as Albuquerque’s Witness Protection marshalls do their thing!

Father Brown Television Series…

Father Brown - Set 1 I will start out by admitting that I have not read any of G. K. Chesterton‘s Father Brown mystery books. So I cannot compare between the two media, nor can I tell you how similar the shows are to the mystery books.

The Father Brown television episodes star Kenneth More as the curate sleuth. He reminds me a lot of Joan Hickson’s Miss Marple. He is extremely observant, seems to fade into the background, and also is very inquisitive. Because of this  Catholic priest’s ability to be over-looked, he is able to garner a lot of information which would normally not be shared by people – especially the culprits!

The Father Brown series takes place during the 1920s, and I found the production sets to be very believable. (Of course, I don’t know the era personally!) But, I must warn you, if you’re looking for the razzle-dazzle of today’s television productions, you will not be impressed. These shows seem to have been filmed using video tape rather than film. (I could be wrong about this, though.)  I, on the other hand, am more interested in the acting and the actual mysteries… and this show does not fall short on either of these things.

Kenneth More makes these Father Brown mysteries a delight to watch. He portrays the curate as a slightly out-of-touch-with-reality individual, which of course makes people underestimate him. Father Brown’s sidekick is Hercule Flambeau (Dennis Burgess).  Hercule isn’t involved in every case, but their paths seem to overlap quite a bit. Hercule is the more serious of the two and lacks the mischievousness playfulness and wink-at-the-audience attitude of Father Brown.

My husband and I have enjoyed the Father Brown television episodes… but, again, if you’re looking for today’s film productions, pass on these really good, Cozy Mystery shows.

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Murdoch Mysteries Television Show

There are actually two Murdoch Mysteries series – both are Canadian productions and both are based on author Maureen Jennings’ Murdoch Mystery Series. Both series are set in the late 1890s and feature a police detective (William Murdoch) – who is an avid reader of scientific findings and inventions. This entry will be about the Murdoch Mysteries television series, not the Canadian made-for-TV movies.

Murdoch’s interest in modern (for the times) theories enables him to make gadgets that help him solve cases. He is years before his time… in some cases,  over one hundred years before his time. Murdoch makes gadgets that are quite similar to today’s – a “circumscope” (periscope) using opera glasses, a lie detector using who knows what types of tubes with blue liquid, etc. There are many sly references to today, as well. Sergeant George introduces Murdoch to a very new beverage -coffee. Murdoch states he doesn’t see coffee as something that will catch on, when they already have tea.

Not only is Murdoch ahead of his times. Apparently the entire police force is made up of very modern thinking men. They totally accept the beautiful female forensic pathologist. And, the female doctor is also way ahead of her time: She speaks easily about finding sperm in a corpse, and uses a substance very close to today’s Luminal.

The first Murdoch Mysteries series was a movie series… sort of like the old movies-of-the-week. The second Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian CityTV television series. This television series stars Yannick Bisson as Inspector Murdoch, Hélène Joy as Dr. Julia Ogden, Jonny Harris as Constable George Crabtree, and Thomas Craig as Murdoch’s boss. (Thomas Craig is a stand-out for me.)

I first started watching this Murdoch Mysteries series after I watched the original series. The first “movie” series was grittier and less obsessed with what I will call “the forensic gross-out” details. Since the first series was from 2004 and this one is more current (four years later) I will blame this on shows like CSI Miami, CSI Anchorage, CSI Topeka, in short, CSI!

I guess you might call these Murdoch episodes sci-fi mysteries. You have to “go with it” >>> These are not for everyone. And, of course, what Victorian, sci-fi mystery would be complete without real historical characters? Enter Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Prince Alfred, Buffalo Bill Cody, Nicola Tesla, etc..

I have to admit that I found the previous Murdoch Mysteries series of movies more believable. This series stars Peter Outerbridge as Murdoch, Colm Meaney as his boss, and Keeley Hawes as the doctor. However, as I stated above, they are grittier.

PS>>> I have not read any of Maureen Jennings’ Murdoch Mysteries. This television series does show certain biases, which for me, is not a problem. I am able to just “go with it” and totally disregard the “politically correct” views the series clearly endorses. I do not know if Jennings’ mystery novels do the same. Also, the show is named The Artful Detective in some areas, rather than the Murdoch Mysteries.

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The Thin Man Movie Series

The Complete Thin Man Collection (The Thin Man / After the Thin Man / Another Thin Man / Shadow of the Thin Man / The Thin Man Goes Home / Song of the Thin Man / Alias Nick and Nora) Even though The Thin Man movies were made way before I was born, I have seen every one of them at least twice. I believe these films are the reason I am such a William Powell fan. (He is a permanent fixture on my Sage queue – as well as my DVR.)

These films follow Nick and Nora Charles as they solve mysteries, and charm the world. Nick (William Powell) is a retired private investigator who is accompanied by his gorgeous, beautifully dressed, pent-house-rich wife, Nora (Myrna Loy). Even Asta, their darling little Fox Terrier, helps solve some crimes in his own special way. (Nothing too cute – more like wandering off, into an important clue-gathering setting.)

The Thin Man movies are based on Dashiell Hammett‘s The Thin Man mystery book. The dialogue runs at a clipped pace. There is a lot of smart banter, the most obvious between Nick and Nora.

Nora, having grown weary of her silver-spoon existence, is fascinated by the world of private investigation. It seems to thrill her, even though Nick is not quite so enthralled by it. I have not read Dashiell Hammett’s mystery, so I cannot comment on how close The Thin Man movies are to it. I can say that these movies are comedies — even though their “business” is murder and death.

The Thin Man Movies:

  1. The Thin Man  (1934)
  2. After the Thin Man  (1936)
  3. Another Thin Man  (1939)
  4. Shadow of the Thin Man  (1941)
  5. The Thin Man Goes Home  (1945)
  6. Song of the Thin Man  (1947)

As an extra bonus, you will be able to see the other “stars” of Hollywood’s heyday: Jimmy Stewart, Cesar Romero, Maureen O’Sullivan, Donna Reed, the list goes on and on.

This movie series is definitely better if watched in its chronological order. You will meet characters who become “regulars” in Nick’s and Nora’s lives. Also, you learn how they, as a couple, become involved in the world of mystery-solving.>>> a world you wouldn’t expect to be as funny as it appears to be!

PS>>> I do have a warning of sorts: As with most movies from the 1930s and 1940s, there are several… “martini scenes” scattered throughout the movies… They don’t bother me – I just consider the times the movies were made – but I thought I should at least mention this to you.

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