Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest

Jessica Fletcher

Wilder

Loomis11

Algric Bartles

Millie Ogden

Jack Ogden

Guzman

Sarah

Radley (as Michael A. Krawic)

Takano

Dottie

Jim Sunrise (as Stuart Grant)

Jarvis Bean

Pearl Sunrise

Reporter

Phipps

Asian Man

Fred

News Announcer

Landis

Sheriff

Deputy

Stationmaster

NSA Emplyoyee

Detective McRaney

Boris' Girlfriend

F.B.I. Pilot

Waiter on Train

Cyrus

Joe Sunrise

Man #1

Highway Patrol Officer

Attendant on Train

Asian Woman

UPS Guy

Paramedic #1 (uncredited)

Jim McClafferty was the location manager, working with the Production Designer/art department, whose responsibilities included obtaining film permits, contracts with property sites/owners for filming specific exterior and interior locations. On payroll at the same time the art department personnel are hired, working with the film's production manager, director, producers, scouting locations and arranging transportation for the department heads, assistants; final production scout before filming commences. McClafferty supervises the final clean-up, mop out of the filming location sight, requiring both set dressing, drapery-carpet-flooring, greens, and the construction department supervisor and crews labor to remove scenic installations from the location sights. No location is practical, just actual, with major work required to comply with script and directorial demands.

With Les Moonvies axing the twelve year series "Murder, She Wrote", Angela Lansbury and the family's Corymore Production company's payoff settlement was four (two hour) Movie of The Week productions. CBS TV had previously discussed with Angela about performing a musical special which had never developed beyond the discussion stage. With the series cancellation, Jerry Herman had discussed with Angela and her husband, Peter Shaw, his "Mrs. Santa Claus" musical. CBS TV agreed to finance this musical special in addition to the four MOW projects. "Mrs. Santa Claus" went into production, after closing down the series, during the 1996 Summer utilizing the Universal Studios' production offices and technical staff and crews. Mid 1977, CBS TV asked for delivery of the first "Murder, She Wrote" MOW. The "South by Southwest" script was approved by CBS TV. The production and technical staff were reassembled, relying on the availability of former staff members to pull the project together within a four week preparation period. The second MOW MSW was not developed until 2000 because the primary players were never happy with the killing of their MSW series.

The train assembled by AMTRAK was berthed in the holding-train repair yard South of Union Station. Requiring three days prep, Construction and Set Dressing installed carpeting, lighting wall fixtures and window draperies in the specific train car interiors to be filmed. Included were chairs and tables in the cleared passenger bench car used for the dining car. This dining rail car had an additional "lambrican-eyebrow header" installed over the train window walls concealing added overhead fixtures to light the train car's ceiling and interior, which also concealed the overhead drapery hardware. The baggage car, where the dog traveled, was dressed with shelving, compartment box units stacked with suitcases, trunks, plus shipping cases. Another passenger lower level car matched additional wall lighting fixtures, which construction had rented from Twentieth Century Property's Art Deco fixtures department. After filming, the train returned to the train storage yard where the AMTRAK train passenger cars were cleared of all the film's additions, dismantled by the film's crew