Angela Lansbury would have turned 98 on Oct. 16 — and her “Murder, She Wrote” co-star, Louis Herthum, shared some memories of working with the legendary stage, screen and TV star, who passed away Oct. 11, 2022.
Lansbury garnered 12 consecutive Emmy nominations for her starring role in “Murder, She Wrote” as sleuthing mystery writer Jessica Fletcher, who solved murders in the seaside community of Cabot Cove, Maine, and never let her late-in-life fame as a best-selling novelist go to her head.
The series, which aired from 1984 to 1996 on CBS, co-starred Tom Bosley as Sheriff Amos Tupper, William Windom as Dr. Seth Hazlitt, Ron Masak as Sheriff Mort Metzger — and starting in Season 8, Herthum, who played Deputy Andy Broom for the show’s final five seasons. (He replaced Will Nye, who played Deputy Floyd.)
Herthum previously appeared on “Murder, She Wrote” as other characters (opposite Jerry Ohrbach, who played private investigator Harry McGraw — later to star in his own series — and guest star Elliott Gould). He said his first hint of Lansbury’s generosity occurred during his first season as a regular on the show.
“I remember we were out on the lake in Cabot Cove [on the Universal lot] and Angela had been nominated for another Emmy,” Herthum told The Post. “I sent her a telegram just wishing her a much-deserved nomination and congratulations.
“We were waiting for her to arrive on set to shoot a scene — there were other people around — and I feel these two hands on my shoulders from behind and she whispers in my ear, ‘Thank you so much for your lovely telegram.’ I was like, ‘Holy moley.’ But that was the kind of person she was.
“She was warm and funny and she would sing songs from [theatrical] shows she had done. She was just so lovely.”
Herthum also cited Lansbury’s graciousness.
“I had her e-mail address and I would always send her an e-mail on her birthday,” he said. “And she would always respond with a ‘Thanks. Hope you’re doing well.’ It wasn’t like we were friends and hung out but there was always a friendly camaraderie there,” he said.
“I had so much respect, admiration and gratitude to her because of her demeanor and the way she was with people, including myself. She was just a lovely person and I can’t say enough about her.”
Herthum described Lansbury’s generosity of spirit on the set of “Murder, She Wrote,” when an elderly actor was having some difficulties.
“Something that really sticks in my mind — to understand how kind and giving she was — there was a gentleman, he was probably in his 70s, who had a scene in the sheriff’s office, a line or two,” he said. “The whole group was there: me in the background as Andy often was, Ron Masak, William Windom and Angela. And this gentleman could not get his lines out. I think he was nervous being in Angela’s presence, to be quite honest.
“I’ve been on sets when that happens and everybody gets kind of uncomfortable, but Angela was as patient as she could be and at one point grabbed his hand and said, ‘It’s fine. You’re doing fine.’ I’ve seen stars of other shows get very annoyed [when someone can’t remember their lines], but Angela was just the opposite. She did everything she possibly could to calm him down.
“And she always made the background actors feel welcome, he said. “She was just a beautiful person.”
Herthum said Lansbury did not put on any airs while shooting “Murder, She Wrote.”
“I always describe her to people [that] when she walked on the set she had an aura about her — not a ‘star’ thing — she was just warm and friendly to everyone. It was always a little intimidating to work with her, though I was able to get over it,” he said. “It was just because I didn’t want to screw up and disappoint her.”
Lansbury was just as genuine off-camera as she was on-camera, Herthum said.
“She was always so down-to-earth. I can’t tell you how many people said they used to see her in Whole Foods all the time, doing her own shopping and talking to people. She never demanded star treatment,” he said.
‘Murder, She Wrote’ was the highlight of his career. He concluded: “I feel very privileged and honored to have been in that position.”
