Quincy, Season 6, Episode 17: Sugar and Spice

Ron Masak, better known as SHERIFF MORT METZGER on MSW, appears in this season six Quincy episode. He plays a talk show host named Dick Wilcox, who has both Quincy and Corrine O'Connor, the author of a book about a RADICAL new diet, as guests on his show. When Quincy first agrees to appear on the talk show, he is unaware of the other guest's significance until he autopsies a BRIGHT AND YOUNG model who recently DIED, seemingly from said diet. Fortunately, he finds out JUST IN TIME before appearing on the show. While listening to all of the GARBAGE Corrine is spewing, Quincy FLIPS OUT, and Masak, much like his character in MSW, is forced to POLICE THE SHIT out of his guests. AND despite Quincy's display on the air, Dick Wilcox tries to coax him to appear on his show again, because as we all know, Quincy = RATINGS!

I was extremely excited when I first noticed an MSW regular, until I looked at imdb.com, and I saw that he was in an earlier episode called THE DEATH CHALLENGE. The episode synopsis did not sound familiar, so I checked on netflix and saw that it was listed as a 'disc only' episode, which is SO STUPID. The fourth season is not on DVD, so there aren't even any discs! WTF!

HEY WAIT! HERE'S SOMETHING CRAZY! Ron Masak and Jack Klugman were both on the ultimate celebrity challenge, MATCH GAME!



GONE RHYMES WITH RON!

Quincy, Season 4, Episode 17: Dark Angel

Now I promised I wasn't going to talk about Quincy again (didn't I?), but I'm afraid in this specific situation, it cannot be avoided. Within the first few minutes of this episode, a very important MSW actor, Michael Horton AKA GRADY FLETCHER, made himself apparent. When Horton, playing Steve, was introduced, he was pleading with his friend to STOP SPEEDING, which he was doing in more ways than just one (HE WAS ON DRUGS)! During their joyride, Billy, Steve's speedy friend, was SO "dusted" on PCP that upon seeing a police car, he felt that he should obviously ram into it. Trouble ensued.

Grady, always the levelheaded one, fled the scene, only to reappear to try and get Billy outta there (true friend)! Unfortunately, during Billy's scuffle with the officers, HE DIED! Steve, however, was merely arrested, and unlike goody two-shoes Grady, Steve coped a 'tude toward the cops! While I cannot advocate his belligerence, I can say that he certainly looked dapper in his MEMBERS ONLY jacket.

Fast forwarding to the end of the episode, after Quincy put his autopsy and detective skillz to work, he confronted Steve with his deduction that he was not only guilty of ASSAULT AND GRAND AUTO THEFT, but he and the recently departed, Billy, were responsible for MURDER! When confronted by Quincy and co., Steve BROKE DOWN AND WEPT. I never thought I'd see Grady cry tears that weren't of joy.

As I have said before, and I'm sure I will say it again, I do not wish to stray from my original intentions with this blog, but just as the previous occurrences were important, this one was too! I'd love to say my next entry will be solely about MSW/MP, but I'm sure it won't be, especially while I am viewing Quincy.



DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A DELINQUENT TO YOU?

Quincy She Wrote?

In the time I've been spending away from MSW, I decided to explore other series in the mystery genre, and while I feel like I'm cheating on Jessica Fletcher, I started watching Quincy M.E. JB and I are far from through, but I was in need of time away from MSW in order to properly report its MP links.

Anyway, the reason that I am divulging my infidelity is because I have been feeling skeptical about my purpose with this blog. While I do think that the numerous mutual actors from MP/MSW must be and should be recorded, it's beginning to seem as if the same connection could be made between any two long running shows. Now, I was aware of this when I first took on this project, but I never thought I'd feel discouraged, and Quincy has made me feel discouraged.

In the second ("Who's Who in Neverland") and third ("A Star Is Dead") episodes of Quincy's first season, TWO MP actors appeared. "Who's Who..." featured Monte Markham who played Allison's father, and coincidentally, he was in several episodes of MSW! An actress in "A Star Is Dead," Donna Mills, was never in MSW, but portrayed Jane's birth mother in MP! As if back-to-back MP parent episodes weren't enough, the third episode of the second season featured Stephen Macht (pictured in a previous entry), who played Jane's birth mother's boyfriend! CONNECTION AFTER CONNECTION!

I realize that all of these actors and actresses had to eat, and therefore had bit parts in numerous television shows, so one could say that the MP/MSW connection is merely coincidental, but we all know that is not true. Despite my recent doubts, I know that my quest to document each occurrence of a mutual actor appearing in both Melrose Place and Murder She Wrote is not in vain!

Quincy shan't get me down again!

Funland

I apologize for the lull in MP/MSW posts, but I have decided to take a step back from my daily MSW viewing. I stopped on the sixteenth episode of the eighth season, because it is in this episode that the MP/MSW connection is at its peak! I won't divulge anything further, so please be patient as I have a lot of catching up to do before I can document the connections in this specific episode!

During my time away from MSW, I've been watching a lot of terrible movies on Netflix, and it was one of these very films that triggered this post!

I was watching FUNLAND



and noticed a familiar face:



William Windom (MSW's own Dr. Seth Hazlitt)!

I was under the impression that the film was going to fall in the CLOWN HORROR genre, but upon viewing, I discovered it was more so akin to a parody film, specifically spoofing mafia films (The Godfather) with allusions to film noir (talking Humphrey Bogart wax figure). Funland was released only two years after MSW began, and I find it difficult to believe that William Windom would need to do anything other than continue to rise to fame as Dr. Seth Hazlitt. His role in this film is quite a stretch from his usual role of a small town doctor, so perhaps he was trying to showcase his versatility.

Windom certainly does SHINE as Angus Perry, the owner of the Funland amusement park and later in the film, HE IS A GHOST. I apologize for any SPOILERS, but do you really think you're going to watch this movie anyway?



Rest assured, the MP/MSW connection documenting will resume soon with SEASON TWO.

Season 1, Episode 20: Murder at the Oasis

Two shared actors in this episode!

Joseph Cali (Vic LaRosa) plays someone named George in two episodes of MP, and as embarrassing as it is, I must admit that I cannot place him. The other fella that appears in this MSW episode and a few MPs, Ken Howard, however, I can proudly identify as Jane and Sydney's father, George Andrews.

Season 1, Episode 17: Footnote to Murder

There are several unimportant actors that overlap in this episode! First is John Brandon (Ernie), playing a judge in the MP episode "A Match Made in Hell." The second is Biff Yeager (Cop), who portrays an auctioneer in "Love, Mancini Style." Finally, there is Morgan Brittany who appears in two episodes of Melrose Place as Mackenzie Hart. Brittany's character was lucky enough to be a part of MP's third season OVER THE TOP finale, "The Big Bang Theory," which featured an explosion at the apartment complex! She was a casualty of the blast, and did not make it into the fourth season, because she didn't matter anyway. As a side note, Kimberly Shaw was responsible for the explosion, naturally, because SHE IS DA BOMB!



Image found here: http://buttersmurfen.blogg.se

Season 1, Episode 15: Tough Guys Don't Die

Things are starting to get serious with Nancy Lee Grahn, who appeared in SEVEN episodes of MP, which trumps any of the actors previously mentioned. Grahn plays Denise Fielding, Matt's recently deceased brother's ex-wife, who spends her seven episode stint battling Matt for the custody of her daughter, Chelsea. AND, as if that wasn't enough, Floyd Levine, who plays Archie Miles in this MSW, appears in SIX Melrose Place episodes as Dr. Howard Stein, Kimberly's doctor who tells her that she is going to die.

BUMMER!

Season 1, Episode 10: Capitol Offense

Appearing in this episode of MSW as Congressman Dan Keppner, Stephen Macht had a three episode run in Melrose Place. He played Ed, who was Jane's biological mother's boyfriend!

Season 1, Episode 9: Death Casts a Spell

Who would have thought that a Hollywood great like Rance Howard (father of RON HOWARD, of course) would be reduced to portraying a HOTEL MANAGER in the MP episode "Full Metal Betsy" and whoever he was in this episode of MSW!

Season 1, Episode 6: Hit, Run and Homicide

Bruce Gray (Dean Merrill) appears in TWO episodes of MP, but not as the same character. In his first appearance, he is Matt Fielding's father's doctor in "Let the Games Begin," and in his second time around, he plays Tom in "Great Sexpectations." I am ashamed because I cannot place either of these characters in my Melrose memory bank.

Season 1, Episode 5: Lovers and Other Killers

Andrew Prine (Prof. Todd Lowery in MSW) plays Dr. Tucker in MP, who is the head of the insane asylum where Kimberly (as Betsy) takes Peter after she drugs him.

Season 1, Episode 4: It's a Dog's Life

James Hampton plays a veterinarian in this episode of MSW, but in MP he portrays Harry Alan, a small town lawyer who Allison and her sister approach to represent them in their sexual abuse lawsuit against their father.

Season 1, Episode 3: Hooray for Homicide

After experiencing a rough start, with no overlap in the pilot or the first two episodes, the third episode features not one, but two mutual actors! The first is John Saxon who plays Jerry Lydecker in Murder She Wrote, and in Melrose Place, plays Henry Waxman, Jo Reynolds' lawyer in her custody battle against the Carters. He appears in four episodes, and one of these episodes ("Sex, Drugs and Rockin' the Cradle") is directed by Parker Stevenson, who is later a guest on both MSW and MP!

The other actor featured in this episode is Morgan Stevens (Scott Bennett). Strangely enough, like Saxon, his character on MP, Nick Diamond, also plays a lawyer!

IT'S LAYERS UPON LAYERS!

...or lawyers upon lawyers?

Due to the overwhelming amount of overlap between Melrose Place and Murder She Wrote actors, it naturally made sense to create a space to document each and every connection. This is that space.