For many people globally, Mendocino is synonymous with one thing, Murder, She Wrote. Perhaps the most famous production filmed in Mendocino, the cozy murder mystery show aired from 1984 to 1996 and has been in syndication for decades. The show and its star Angela Lansbury have kept up a significant fanbase of “Fangelas” young and old. When Angela passed in 2022, fans gathered at the Blair House Inn in Mendocino (Angela’s home in the show) and shared stories of their love for the show. Many watched it with their mothers and grandmothers, and continued watching it with their children, building a nostalgic connection that runs deep. For the past three years, 200 of these fans gather in Mendocino each May to celebrate the show during the Kelley House Museum’s Murder, She Wrote Festival.
Like the fans worldwide, the show has had a lasting impact on locals too. The cast and crew are remembered as friendly. They chatted with locals and signed autographs regularly. In a 1985 interview with Fort Bragg Advocate-News, location manager Brian Brosnan stated, “We don’t want to give the impression that we just descend on the people here … what they’re doing is just as important as what we do, because this is their home.” The production company and Angela donated to local organizations and reimbursed businesses when filming interrupted daily business. By 1989, it was estimated that Murder, She Wrote generated more than $2 million for the local economy. Many locals also acted as extras on the show. They were paid $50 a day for background work and $100 for speaking roles. Some still receive royalty checks from episode reruns!
In 1985, locals noticed construction equipment and an 8’ x 8’ sign advertising a high-rise building on the Mendocino Headlands. They didn’t know that these were props for an episode in which Cabot Cove residents would protest the construction. A few years before, locals had preserved the Headlands from development and made the land a state park. Local Rick Sacks, who made all the signs for the show (including the construction advertisement), remembered that within hours of the props being set up, locals were there protesting the development. The assistant director calmed the crowd and asked them to come back the next day to be extras for the episode. Brian Brosnan said in the same interview, “Talk about method acting!” After filming, the construction props were promptly removed and the site restored to normal.
Kelley House Museum curator Averee McNear writes a weekly column on Mendocino County history for Mendocino Voice. To learn more, visit kelleyhousemuseum.org.