The Keystone Constables

"The Keystone Constables"
Season	8
Episode	9
Airdate	December 8, 2014
Writer	Jordan Christianson
Director	Cal Coons
Previous	High Voltage
Next	Murdoch and the Temple of Death

"The Keystone Constables" is the ninth episode of the eighth season of the Murdoch Mysteries and the one hundred-fifth episode of the series. It first aired December 8, 2014.

Summary

A vaudeville-inspired murder mystery featuring a scene with Crabtree and Higgins impersonating Murdoch and Brackenreid in an undercover two-act.

Detective Murdoch investigates shooting of vaudeville comedian Bert Grady who is found dead on the street, shot three times in the chest. Grady had just finished his performance at the Bradley Theatre, with Constables Crabtree and Higgins in the audience. The shooting looks like - or was made to look like - a robbery. He was not well-liked by others in the show, including a young juggler by the name of W.C. Fields and Ed Ward, Grady's one time comedic partner who is now far less popular on his own. The police find Grady's hotel room ransacked and suspect someone may have been out to steal his jokes. Would-be comedians Crabtree and Higgins join the show undercover and quickly identify Grady's mistress, Eleanor Moffat, wife of the show's manager, Lewis Moffat who became aware of their affair a week ago. A buried body gives them the clue to solving the crime.

Character Revelations

• Crabtree and Higgins are fans of vaudeville.
• George gave Murdoch a mini-blackboard as a wedding present.
• Julia hasn't "seen a vaudeville show in ages" and William can't tell a joke (which we knew).
• George does not like butter in his sandwich: He tells Edna, "Butter has its place in many things, but a friend of the sandwich it is not."

Continuity

• George and Edna courtship moves to the next level with a long kiss by the end of the episode.
• Crabtree asks Murdoch if he is making rubber bands again, which he did in War on Terror.

Historical References

• In reality, W.C. Fields was considered to be the best juggler in the vaudeville circuit throughout the United States when he was only 21 or 22. He was fairly famous as a juggler before he becoming a famed comedian and film star.
• The Whoopee Cushion existed at the time and at one time was known as a "flatulence sack".

Trivia

• Filmed in the Cathedral at the Scottish Rite Club, Hamilton.
• MM writer Jordan Christianson wrote Bert Grady’s monologue using mother-in-law jokes that go back decades to serve the plot of the story. The other monologues heard throughout the course of the episode he found at the Toronto Reference Library; they are actual monologues of the period and weren’t attributed to any particular performer of the time

Errors

• Higgins is hit with a tomato on the lower part of his scapula while leaving the stage, but it's suddenly atop his shoulder when he cleans it off backstage.

Cast

Main Cast

Yannick Bisson as William Murdoch
Hélène Joy as Julia Ogden
Thomas Craig as Thomas Brackenreid
Jonny Harris as George Crabtree
Georgina Reilly as Emily Grace

Recurring Cast

Lachlan Murdoch as Henry Higgins
Tamara Hope as Edna Brooks

Guest Cast

Dan Lett as Mr. Allen
Ron Pederson as Lewis Hoffat
Janet Porter as Eleanor Hoffat
Ryan Belleville as Ed Ward
Justin Landry as Bert Grady
Andrew Chapman as W.C. Fields
Maria Vacratsis as Miss Glenys Moore
Winston Spear as Piano Player

Gallery

Vaudeville in Toronto

Vaudeville Sensation Dead!

Comedy turns into tragedy

George's wedding present, a Blackboard