Wednesday, May 18, 2011

8-bit Jessica Fletcher

Would it surprise you to hear that I'm a fan of the oh-so-elderly Murder, She Wrote? Well, I am.

Sure, ol' Jessica Fletcher, played by the wonderful Angela Lansbury, spent most of the sleuthy series' 264 episodes stuck in goody-two-shoes-ville, but she wasn't against shanking someone with her snark stick when the situation called for it.


Another reason I enjoy watching this show, which aired for 12 seasons, when the opportunity arises: Nearly every episode ended with Fletcher frozen in mid-laugh.

What does all of this have to do with gaming? Well, someone named Peachy recently produced an 8-bit remix of the Murder, She Wrote theme song, that's what. Listen to it here.

11 comments:

Bryan Ochalla said...

BTW, a similarly geriatric chiptune -- a retooling of the Golden Girls theme song -- can be heard here: http://vidyaboi.blogspot.com/2011/04/tgif-back-in-st-olaf-edition.html

Richard Goodness said...

It is TOTALLY LEGIT for a geeky dude to appreciate Murder She Wrote considering the J. Michael Straczynski connection. I'm wishing I knew how to program simple games because this would be funny as the loop to a "long-lost adaptation" (like the Great Gatsby videogame).

Golden Girls is much better though.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Huh! I didn't know until you mentioned it, Richard, that Straczynski worked on Murder, She Wrote. Very cool.

Also, I'm with you 100% regarding a Murder, She Wrote game a la The Great Gatsby. Someone *has* to do that at some point. They just have to...

Oh, and I agree with you regarding the Golden Girls theme, too. Or were you saying you prefer GG as a show?

Marcus said...

Murder, She Wrote is such a great show! I must just be a sucker for shows with older female leads. Nice find, Bryan :).

Bryan Ochalla said...

I'm as much of a sucker for older female leads as you are, Marcus -- I love Golden Girls, too :) Thanks for pointing me in this direction mentally with your GG post, BTW!

Viewtiful_Justin said...

I've never seen an episode of the show, so I didn't know the song, but I do appreciate a good chiptunes remix. My only MSW memory has to do with changing the channel every time it started. It was on after something we always watched, but I don't remember what it was.

Bryan Ochalla said...

I love your only MSW memory, Justin! I suspect that's the only memory a lot of people under the age of, oh, 65, have of the show. I grew up watching it, though, plus, like Marcus said, I've always had a thing for older leading ladies :)

LottieTwintails said...

I never actually *watched* Murder, She Wrote so much as it occasionally played on some TV in the background during my youth. Still, I recognized the theme instantly!

However, Golden Girls was often a family viewing experience. That's one awesome chiptune remix I can fully appreciate.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Yeah, like I told Justin, Kamiwoo, I'm guessing most people under a certain age only saw it in passing or knew of it but didn't watch. I'm sure most of my peers back then didn't watch it, that's for sure!

My mom's always been a mystery/thriller buff, though, so we always watched it together. As such, I have pretty fond memories of it. Plus, I actually kind of like the quaintness of it all.

I'm glad you liked the Golden Girls remix, too. I love that someone made an NES introduction and "game over" screen to accompany it :)

Sean said...

Murder She Wrote is cool. I mostly remember Angela Lansbury from Bedknobs and Broomsticks, good movie that was.

Golder Girls were a favorite of mine as well, especially Bea Arthur.

Bryan Ochalla said...

Oh, yes, Sean, Lansbury was great in Bedknobs and Broomsticks :) And, yes, Bea Arthur is great, too. I wonder if she ever appeared on an episode of Murder, She Wrote? :)