When you need an actor to be the bumbling fool, Fred sure does a great job. I had a smile on my face through the whole episode.

Yep this should be rated 5stars

There is an error early in this episode. Gwynn's character says that the wife was thirty-five when her husband died, and that they had been married for two years. Then he says that the wife would have been thirty-five when they got married - clearly this is a flubbed line, as the wife would have been thirty-three.

Raymond Poindexter, an insurance investigator, is sent by his company to call on Luana Pilbeam, 35 and very attractive, because she has been the beneficiary of six now deceased elderly men, all of whom were married to her for less than two years. Poindexter sincerely believes she poisoned them all. He becomes convinced she is guilty of murder when he drinks some of her lemonade “with a secret ingredient,” causing both his temperature and pulse beat to increase dangerously.

I rate this episode ★★★★☆ for GOOD. “Amusing” would be the best word to describe this episode. Truly, a pleasurable mystery that CBSRMT fans would never get bored with and will enjoy listening to over and over again. Now, the main reason why I didn’t rate 5 stars for Excellent, is because of an error in Sam Dann’s writing. When the main character narrates about the widow who could be the suspected killer, he mistakenly talks about her age that did NOT change after she got married. Any listener could perfectly hear this slip-up in the 1st Act. Other than that, the story itself is enjoyable with an alternate take on the classic folktale of Bluebeard. Even the finale was surprising on what the main character discovered what he was going through in his system. The episode’s title fits perfectly. Another way to title this, would be “M&M: Marriage & Murder” or even “Acute Case of Amor.” In our Host’s Prologue, E.G. Marshall begins with quotes on marriage from Miguel de Cervantes, Menander, William Shakespeare, and Von Bülow. In ACT-1, story takes place at the turn of the century where our main character gives the widow an offer. In ACT-2, he quotes Thomas Carlyle on jostling. In ACT-3, quoting the Roman poet Titus Lucretius Carus regarding poison. As the story finishes with a pleasant ending, E.G. Marshall fills in the main character’s report on how to conclude his investigation. In his Epilogue, finish it off with a quote about love. E.G. Marshall’s quotes from poets, dramatists, playwrights, and historians were spot on to match with the story’s plot points. Sound effects of chair leg scrape, birds chirping, doors, footsteps, pouring of the lemonade into glasses, and chemistry set clinking were beneficial. The music tracks that sounded witty worked marvelously. They fit with the main character’s personality and investigation. And I’d give a round of applause to our terrific cast: Fred Gwynne (as Raymond Poindexter), Marian Haley (as Luanna Pilbeam), and Robert Dryden (as Mr. Hotchkiss and Dr. Maury Braithwaite). These 3, hands down, were the perfect choice of performers for this tale. One in particular, the unforgettable Mr. Fred Gwynne who played a character that was smart at his job, comical when dealing with the widow, and lovestruck in the end. Truly, one of Fred Gwynne’s greatest performances. Even though the story had a single error, the rest of the episode is amusing and fun to listen to. I highly recommend it. Until next time…pleasant dreams

Excellent episode, quite humorous and sweet! Highly recommend!