Guess the Guest Stars for It's A Dog's Life

Guesses in the comments!
1)

2)

3) (This one is a singer)

4) The one that matters the most:

And then I just fell down an Auntie Mame rabbit-hole, enjoy!

Season 1, Episode 5: Hooray for Homicide

Sorry for the short hiatus, I was in the process of moving 500 miles north and then Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year happened. But I'm settled in now and there are no major holidays for awhile, so let's get back to JB Fletcher!

This episode opens in Cabot Cove with JF testing murder methods.  After attempting to strangle a dummy, she determines that a bayonet would be cleaner (how exactly?).  Also, Ethan is back! And doing some plumbing work for JF when she gets a phone call telling her to turn on the TV. A movie producer is being interviewed about the film "adaptation" of her first book, The Corpse Danced At Midnight.  The producer is turning it into a gore- and violence-filled horror movie, or as the entertainment lawyer (played by Lyle Waggoner) JF later hires in LA describes it  - "a combination of Porky's, Halloween, and Flashdance". (Hey everyone, guess what year this episode was written!) Naturally JF wants to stop the production of the film, but she can't even get on the studio lot. Dating the episode again, the guard at the gate says he doesn't care if she's Jackie Collins, she isn't getting on the lot.  However, the costumer for the movie, Martina, shows up and manages to get JF on the lot, after all.

The action moves to the trailer of Eve (Melissa Sue Anderson), for a tense conversation with her and the producer of the picture, Jerry Lydecker.  Lydecker accuses Eve of having an affair and reminds her that he is responsible for casting her in this star-making role. When we later see parts of this movie, I don't understand how it could make any one a star! Then, back outside to Martina and JF, Martina is saying how much she enjoyed JF's book (naturally), but doesn't love the screenplay.  This gives us the chance to see an interaction between the screenwriter Allen (James MacArthur) and Jerry. We learn that Allen feels he is being underpaid and has/had a pretty heavy drug and alcohol problem (which is probably why he is a burned-out wonderboy with an Oscar nom at 25). Allen also accuses Lydecker of changing the script due to Eve's lack of acting talent.

We finally see a scene from the movie: the two stars preparing to make love in a graveyard, as you do. As the scene is finished, we meet the director, Gomez Addams...er, I mean Mr. Ross (John Astin).  JF again meets with the producer (and we learn that in the book, the protagonist was the 10 year old son of a Presbyterian minister) and says that she will do what ever it takes so stop this movie.  Back at her hotel, the underling (Norman) sent by her law firm (played by Ron Palillo) arrives and attempts to help her.  But JF figures out she really doesn't have a legal leg to stand on and decides to eat crow and apologize to Lydecker.  But, instead, JF discovers his body in the staged graveyard! Dun dun dun!!

JF brings over a security guard and notices that a button is missing from the crime scene...Oh, and of course the guard suspects that JF killed Lydecker.  The police arrive and we meet JK's investigation partner for the episode, Lt. Henandez (he's a fan, has a screenplay, and calls her JB; a nod to her author name JB Fletcher). And he straight up asks her for her help.  When Martina is told of Lydecker's death, she almosts faints while  director Ross claims that everyone hated Lydecker.  JF heads out to see Eve to talk about Lydecker's death.  She finds her in a condition that indicates Eve has a serious substance abuse problem. However, JF just tough-loves her back to normal (I guess).  Back at her hotel, she is mobbed by reporters and then questioned by Lt. Henandez. He doesn't think that she did it, but his captain does...obviously the captain doesn't have a writer's insight.  JF claim that she doesn't want to get involved in the case (JF, you big tease). We also learn that the movie is still happening because Ross is also a producer.  JF officially meets Allen (screenwriter) who had been re-hired (I guess Lydecker fired him).  And then we see another scene from the movie, an 80's explosion of a dance number (this is a horror movie, remember?), that has to been seen to be believed.  Cut to Lydecker's secretary saying that JF threatened Lydecker; JF had said that "what she had to do had to be done in person".

After this, Lt. Hernandez takes JF to the police station as a ploy to throw off the real killer, and so JF can start working her magic! JF and Norman meet up and she has him do some deep backgrounding on Eve, Allan, Ross, and Martina, searching for any possible motives.  As JF views more scenes from the movie, she deduces that Eve and her co-star (Scott) are romantically involved. She continues to snoop around the movie set and meets the head costumer, Eleanor (Virginia Mayo!). JF learns that Ross and Martina lied to police regarding when they heard the police arrive. Furthermore, Eleanor tells JF that a drum majorette costume was made for Eve (I wonder if it is missing a button!).  JF heads to Eve's trailer only to be pushed aside by an escaping Ross, who is then tackled by Norman.  Norman then reveals what he had learned to JF: Ross is broke and desperate for a hit; Eve has diabetes; Allan has recovered from this drug problem but he is still an alcoholic; and Martina is the jealous former mistress of Lydecker.  Ross is arrested for Lydecker's murder, but JF isn't sure he is guilty.  At a farewell party at Eve's (with Allan, Martina, Eve, and Scott), JF tells the gathering her doubts about Ross's guilt. After this announcement, almost everyone makes a quick exit except for JF and Eve.  JF says that Ross didn't kill Lydecker but he did clean up the scene, removing the button. He assumed that Eve killed Lydecker and even broke into her trailer to destroy the majorette uniform.  The button did come off the majorette uniform and was lost in a struggle between Eve and Lydecker.  She had attacked Lydecker because he was threatening to replace Scott and ruin Scott's reputation via rumor.  Eve confesses to the murder, saying that she pretended she had been drinking all night, when in reality a diabetic would not drink in that manner, if at all.  And JF gets another confession!  Start calling her The Closer!

Show Stats:
Famous Guest Stars:  John Astin (Gomez from the Addams Family, being married to Patty Duke, being Sean Astin's dad), Lyle Waggoner (Wonder Woman!), Melissa Sue Anderson (Little House on the Prairie), Virginia Mayo (The Best Years of Our Lives, and from a couple film noirs I can't remember), James MacArthur (Swiss Family Robinson), Ron Pallilo (Horshack from Welcome, Back Kotter.  Making this two episodes in a row that feature someone from that show!).   
Relative Count: 1 Nephew, 1 Niece
Body location: In a graveyard on the set of a movie
Remaining Episode Count: 254