by Linda Kay
Original Air Date: September 30, 1978
Directed by: George McCowan
Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this episode!
Synopsis: Business man Charles Preston (John Astin) leaves his high pressure job and family in order to pursue life as a beachcomber. Mystery novel fan Mabel Jarvis (Celeste Holm) seeks to play Aunt Daphne in one of the stories written by her favorite author, Daphne Wallace.
Featured Feline: When Mabel arrives on Fantasy Island she is greeted by Mr. Roarke (Ricardo Montalban) and Tattoo (Hervé Villechaize) as well as a bevy of Polynesian women. She is carrying an adorable juvenile ginger tabby cat named Hercule (undoubtedly named after Poirot of Agatha Christie fame).
Meeting with Mr. Roarke and Tattoo to explain how her fantasy is going to go, they inform her that the author actually lived on the island and they have located an unfinished manuscript which they are going to let her act out that story in hopes that she can deduce what the conclusion was supposed to be. The characters in the story will be on hand and treat Mabel as Aunt Daphne as she tries to solve the mystery.
Arriving at the author’s home, Mockingbird Manor, Mabel and Hercule are greeted by a large Great Dane named Mandrake who bounds toward them. Hercule mews in response and Mabel tells him not to stoop to the dog’s level.
They meet Helmsley (Maurice Evans) the butler, who shows her inside just as it starts to rain.
Upon entering the home, Mabel reads the story which points out a black bird statue on the fireplace mantel (it should be noted this statue looks exactly like The Maltese Falcon, although later it is referred to as a kite. Also kites are described in the show as ugly birds. They are not!)
Later Mabel meets Daphne’s cousin Terence (Howard Morton) and late brother’s wife Charlotte (Janis Paige) who talk about how they had all planned a year ago to meet there anyway, even though Mabel was not expected. During this scene Hercule is walking along the fireplace mantel.
Mabel eventually meets Daphne’s niece Evelyn (Judith Chapman) who has been peeking through windows since Mabel’s arrival. Evelyn explains that she believes her aunt was murdered and that one of the other people in the house are guilty.
Together they set out to solve the crime, discovering a hidden room which is opened by moving the bird statue Mabel saw earlier.
As they explore the room, which is filled with taxidermied birds, Hercule reaches a paw out to one of the stuffed figures.
Inside the room they find a dusty desk, upon which is a holographic will which cuts Helmsley, Terence and Charlotte out of Daphne’s inheritance because she found out they were defrauding her. Unfortunately the three suspects find the room shortly after them and see Hercule’s paw prints in the dust and know Mabel has been there first.
Thinking back to three playing cards she found in Daphne’s desk, all ace of spades, Mabel figures out that all three took a hand in murdering Daphne and will do the same to kill her as well. During this scene, the cat actor must have been getting hungry and starts biting and licking Celeste Holm’s hands.
Sure enough, all three of them poison Mabel’s tea, but as Helmsley brings it in Mabel starts brushing Hercule with a hair brush. This seems like a strange thing to do until she drops the brush to distract the butler. With Hercule on a chair watching, Helmsley reaches down to pick up the brush as Mabel ditches the tea and pretends to drink it, immediately acting like she is poisoned. Hercule seems particularly uninterested as Mabel flops onto the bed, supposedly dead.
Evenlyn jumps out of the closet to accuse the killers but they grab her with the idea of getting rid of her next. Mabel grabs Hercule and chases them outside, watching as Helmsley and Terence argue about who will get the car. The cat actor playing Hercule is different in this scene, and that is because she releases him saying, “You know what must be done!”
Hercule runs out and causes the dog Mandrake to chase after him, causing confusion and giving Evelyn the chance to get away.
In the end the bad guys are arrested and Mabel and Hercule bid Fantasy Island adieu, happy they could solve the mystery behind their favorite author’s murder.
While the cat actors were not credited for their role the hero cat was included in ads for the episode published in newspapers.
Final Mewsings: All amateur sleuths should have kitty sidekicks!
Many thanks to John Hobden for letting us know about the cat in this episode.
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