Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) Deadly Bidding (1995) User Reviews

Those who know the story

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 29 June 2017]

Wayne Rogers made his final appearance in a Murder She Wrote episode as Jessica Fletcher pulls sleazy private eye Charlie Garrett out of a real bad jackpot. She also uncovers a painting and solves a murder all at the same time.

Garrett is hired to bid at an art auction so as to smoke out people interested in a particular painting up for bid. He's a decoy and knows nothing, but the item up for bid is a painting that is over a stolen Degas. The guy who painted over it is struggling artist Doug Hutchison and he's the one who winds up dead.

Just locate those who knew the story of the painted over Degas and you've got a nice suspect list. Of course investigating detective Tryrees Allen would just as soon pin it on Rogers whom he doesn't like in any event.

You have to like the way Angela Lansbury and Wayne Rogers do trap the murderer, a lovely con job if ever I saw one.

From a sleazy private eye of course.

"You Don't Have to Bid a Million ~ Just Procure the Goods ~ You Don't Have to Face a Prison ~ Just Outsmart the Hoods"

[WeatherViolet · 7/10 · 7 May 2010]

A dual Prologue opens this episode set in New York City's Greenlight Auction House, Brimford Art Gallery, and the Studio of Angus Neville, while featuring the final "MSW" appearance of Wayne Rogers in his role as Charlie Garrett.

Two years ago, a NYC museum is burglarized with the theft of French Artist Edgar Degas' painting "Dancing Class." Kenneth Rundle (Edd Byrnes) receives the Degas and presents it to Angus Neville (Doug Hutchison) to conceal by covering with his facade painting, "Arrangement in Grey and Red."

One month ago, Lawrence Mezznou (Aharon Ipalé), who figures the scam, intends to procure "Arrangement in Grey and Red," with the company of a henchman, by threatening Kenneth Rundle at knife-point in a parking garage, but this proves futile, and a body is soon discovered perishing from natural causes.

And now, in present-day NYC, Brimford Art Gallery controls possession of "Arrangement in Grey and Red," and plans its sale to the highest bidder at Greenlight Auction House.

Felix Wesker (Craig Richard Nelson) serves as Curator at Brimford on 5th Avenue, with Reggie Evers (Renée Jones) as his Assistant Curator, and his ever-present diminutive Chihuahua in elbow.

Angus Neville requests Felix Wesker not to sell his painting, but his pleas go unanswered. Lawrence Mezznou also very much continues to want the painting and threatens anyone who dares to outbid him.

Milt Solomon (Paul Lieber) plans a bid on behalf of Diana Barrow (Melanie Smith), Assistant of Giles Havelock (Martin Jarvis) at Greenlight Auction House, which also employs Pete Dunning (Jeff Williams), who goes with Reggie Evers.

Mrs. Serena Rundle (Kathleen Garrett) appears, sporting a Southern accent, while claiming to be the wife of Kenneth Rundle, as she makes her bid for the painting.

Charlie Garrett (Wayne Rogers) arrives from Chicago to meet with Milt Solomon, who slips him $100,000 for the upper-limit bid to act as his agent, and another $200,000 for his fee. Lawrence Mezznou and his thug, therefore, threaten Charlie.

Meanwhile, Greenlight Auction House also plans to auction a 1926 Arthur Conan Doyle journal of his NYC experience, and so the library board upon which Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) serves has asked her to bid on this, which leads her to the auction and another encounter with "Charlie!?" whom she is surprised to meet in NYC, of course, during an awkward altercation.

Because Reggie works for the Gallery and goes with Pete, who works for the Auction House, and because Jessica is their dear old friend, who's usually in favor of young love in bloom, Jessica has the special advantage of the inner workings of both organizations.

(The business about the Arthur Conan Doyle journal seems somewhat peculiar, as Jessica tries to authenticate this manuscript. Later, when Jessica, Reggie and Pete are watching television, a vintage newsreel plays about the 1924 closing of Ellis Island, which causes Jessica to react, "That's it!" We may need someone familiar with NYC to explain this sub-plot.)

But then someone cleverly slips the security code from Pete's jacket and enters the storage closet to lift the painting after the bidding fiasco, which lands Charlie in hot water for mistakingly bidding $400,000, or four times his budget. Jessica manages to ward off the thugs, by making a scene in a restaurant (with Taylor Matthews as kindly Waiter), but another soon body is found, the victim of a brutal stabbing.

Sergeant Unger (Tyrees Allen) and Detective McKenna (Charles Hoyes) work well together to investigate the murder, while demonstrating respect for Jessica, but little, if any, for Charlie in the aftermath of "Deadly Bidding."

There seems to be a minor goof in the showdown scene once Jessica interrogates her suspect: during the break-in, the thief presses the security code to unlock the closet door, but in flashback, the suspect reminisces that the perpetrator lurks inside the closet, leaving the door ajar for the thief to enter freely.

This episode represents the first acting credit by Taylor Matthews, as well as one of the most recent appearances to date by television and film veteran Edd Byrnes.

This also marks the second of two "MSW" appearances each for Melanie Smith, Aharon Ipalé, Martin Jarvis and Craig Richard Nelson, the third of three each for Edd Byrnes and Charles Hoyes, and the fifth of five for Wayne Rogers (each in his role as Chicago P.I. Charlie Garrett).

(Extra points for good acting by Kathleen Garrett, Doug Hutchison, Jeff Williams, Paul Lieber and Tyrees Allen.)

Art auction homicide

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 27 December 2017]

Have always been quite fond of 'Murder She Wrote'. It is a fun and relaxing watch that makes you think as you try to unwind in the evening. If one wants more complex, twisty mysteries with lots of tension and suspense 'Murder She Wrote' may not be for you, but if you want something light-hearted and entertaining but still provide good mysteries 'Murder She Wrote' fits the bill just fine.

"Deadly Bidding" is one of Season 12's better episodes and a breath of fresh air after being severely underwhelmed by the previous episode "Shooting in Rome", which is one of the worst 'Murder She Wrote' episodes to me. It is not as good as 'Murder She Wrote's' other auction, theft and murder episode "One Good Bid Deserves a Murder" from Season 2, but is a pretty good episode.

Most of the support acting is uninspired at best, there is some occasional sloppiness in continuity (including the aforementioned odd one in the denouement) and it is not an episode that does much new or shock you.

Angela Lansbury is terrific as Jessica, as can be expected, and Wayne Rogers brings the same amount of professionalism that he had in his previous four appearances. It was a shame it was his last. He and Lansbury are charming together.

Not all the support acting is uninspired. That is certainly not the case with Doug Hutchison, enjoying himself thoroughly. Craig Richard Nelson, Kathleen Garrett, Melanie Smith and Martin Jarvis are also good.

The mystery is not a too obvious one and doesn't go too far with the simplicity. It is also not a too much going on or convoluted one. While the denouement is not an example of leaving one floored, it can't thankfully be seen from miles away. The way the murderer is trapped is one of the cleverest and most inventive of Season 12 and of the latter seasons, where evidence tended to be circumstantial.

Production values are slick and stylish. The music has energy and has presence but also not making the mistake of over-scoring, while it is hard to forget or resist the theme tune. The writing is fun and thought-provoking, not taking itself seriously.

Concluding, pretty good. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Deadly bidding

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 8 August 2022]

Charlie Garrett's outrageous bid at an auction arouses Jessica's suspicions after the artist becomes the subject of a homicide. Fairly average MSW, but still has enough intrigue to keep one glued to the screen. Here, you get art forgeries, auctions and murder.

Charlie's back...and once again this dopey detective gets himself in some trouble!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 9 September 2023]

During the final seasons of "Murder, She Wrote", they used a character named 'Charlie Garrett' and he was played by Wayne Rogers. In most every way, he was identical to another character used in earlier episodes...Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach). But since Orbach went on to his own Harry McGraw series and then "Law & Order", they decided to essentially use the same character but with a few changes...including a new name and locale. In both cases, the private detectives were kind of dopey, kind of amoral and, down deep, a good friend to Jessica.

In this episode, Charlie is on hand to do something pretty ordinary compared to his prior exploits...he's been sent to an auction to bid on a painting. What Charlie doesn't know is that the painting is actually hiding a super-valuable painting under new paint...a stolen painting! Apparently, others also know that and soon all sorts of folks are bidding on a seemingly forgettable picture. In the midst of all this is Jessica as well as, shock of all shocks, a murder!!

This is an enjoyable episode. Not a great one but an interesting one. My only complaint is the ending...solved by yet another trap where the killer betrays themselves...an overused cliche in this series.