DIAGNOSIS FOR MURDER

US, 1992, 120 minutes, Colour.
Dick Van Dyke, Mariette Hartley, Cynthia Gibb, Bill Bixby, William Atherton.
Directed by Christopher Hibler.

Diagnosis for Murder is an entertaining, very old-fashioned style murder mystery. Dick Van Dyke as a surgeon is set up as a new Sherlock Holmes. He has an assistant young doctor as well as a young woman who wants to be a coroner assisting him. There are three possible villains - and there are no particular twists, simply unmasking the villain. However, there is the background of the hospital (where Mariette Hartley is administrator), excursions into the world of big business, publishing, film and television as well as undertones of the Mafia. However, it is all done in a genial way, focusing on the screen presence and charm of Dick Van Dyke. He even, especially at the end, is able to reprise his tap-dancing skills. The material is obviously the type of telemovie that can act as a pilot for a series.

1. Entertaining murder mystery? Old-fashioned style in new times?

2. The title, detection, the medical background? The focus on Mark, his skills? The law? The murder and its motives?

3. The background of the hospital, big business? Movies, television, publishing? The police? The contemporary American city? The musical score?

4. Dick Van Dyke as Dr Mark Sloan? Age, experience? Friendly? Kind to patients, his treatment of the various patients, especially Paul and the need for the operation, his prostitute mother? His relationship with the administrator, her tough behaviour? The sympathetic patient and his being paid by being taught to tap-dance? His relationship with Jack and the interns? The demonstration of diagnosis - and the false corpse? Amanda and her work? Their helping him in the investigation? His relationship with his son on the police force? The parallel with Sherlock Holmes? The doctor and diagnoses? His shrewdness, investigations? Dangers? The unmasking of the killer? The irony of the television audition and his using of the microphone to trap the killer?

5. Jack, work as an intern, being tricked by the corpse? Friendship with Mark? Helping him on the investigation? The attraction to Amanda? The irony of his father being a gangster? The reconciliation with his father and treating him in the hospital?

6. Amanda, her ambitions to be a coroner? Helping Mark, the attraction to Jack? Going into dangerous situations? Meeting Stevens, the audition? The Mafia dangers? Getting evidence? Going into Cord's office?

7. Cord, the communications empire? His dismissing the heads of departments? The target for murder?

8. The suspects: Nick, his stress, friendship with Mark, his being in the office, being knocked over by the car? The arrest and interrogations? Out on bail? Helping with the investigation? The contrast with Stevens, the movies, his personal debts, links with the Mafia? Starlets? His returning to the office? How suspicious? Anita, the publishing, her being dismissed? Her relationship with Walker? The divorce? Under suspicion - and her changing the blood samples? Walker, his arrogance? The television series - and Mark asking his executive about interrogations of suspects? How suspicious - and his being unmasked as the killer?

9. Jack's father, financial dealings, alienation from his son? His illness, the reconciliation?

10. The administrator, tolerating Mark? His eccentric behaviour, the roller skates (later useful when tracking the car)? Her sympathy towards the young boy, her making demands on his mother? The success of the operation? Esther as the sympathetic secretary?

11. The patients, Paul, the truth about his mother and his honesty? The old tap dancer and his helping Mark?

12. The action sequences and suspense, in the Cord building, hiding from security, tracking evidence? Trailing the car, getting information about the finance firm? Going into the empty building? Mark on roller skates going through the traffic...?

13. Entertaining and popular ingredients for a telemovie murder mystery?