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Murder 101 (film series)

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Murder 101
GenreMystery film
Created byDean Hargrove
StarringDick Van Dyke
Barry Van Dyke
Country of originUSA
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producersRobert Halmi Jr.
Larry Levinson
Running time80-84 min. (excl. commercials)
Production companiesAlpine Medien Productions
Larry Levinson Productions
Original release
NetworkHallmark Channel
ReleaseJanuary 7, 2006 (2006-01-07) –
January 4, 2008

Murder 101 is the name of a series of four TV movies released by the Hallmark Channel between 2006 and 2008, and now appearing regularly on the Hallmark Movie Channel. They starred Dick Van Dyke and his son Barry Van Dyke. It may look like a continuation of Diagnosis Murder, but Barry instead plays the son of an old friend of his father's character; there are some other differences. While on the Hallmark Channel, it was broadcast in rotation with the movie series McBride, Mystery Woman, and Jane Doe, under the umbrella title Hallmark Channel Mystery Wheel. In the UK, these movies are aired, on a rotation basis, in the afternoon drama slot on channel 5.

Films in the series

1 Murder 101 (pilot) - Mike and Jonathan try to prove an undercover reporter's innocence when she is accused of murdering her boss.

Directed by Christian I. Nyby, written by Dean Hargrove, and produced by Kyle A. Clark and James Wilberger.
First aired January 7, 2006[1]

2 Murder 101: College Can Be Murder - Jonathan Maxwell investigates the murder of a prominent college professor and discovers that the man had quite a few enemies.

Directed by John Putch, written by Michael Gleason, and produced by Kyle A. Clark and James Wilberger.
First aired January 29, 2007[2]

3 Murder 101: If Wishes Were Horses - When a horse goes missing before an important race, Maxwell decides to look into the incident in order to see what happened.

Directed by David S. Cass Sr., written by Bridget Terry, and produced by Brian Gordon and Erik Olson.
First aired August 9, 2007[3]

4 Murder 101: The Locked Room Mystery (originally released as Murder 101: New Age) - Dr. Maxwell and Bryant try to solve the mystery of the murder of a New Age spiritualist.

Directed by David S. Cass Sr., written by Walter Klenhard, and produced by Erik Heiberg and James Wilberger.
First aired January 14, 2008[4]

Characters

Dr. Jonathan Maxwell (Dick Van Dyke) - A criminology professor who helps solve crimes, usually because they happen directly in front of him. He takes care of the more analytical part of the crime-solving.

Mike Bryant (Barry Van Dyke) - A former cop who has become a Private Detective after being blackballed from the precinct. His father was close friends with Maxwell, and Bryant sees him as a father-figure. He participates in more of the action and chase scenes of the mystery solving. (Barry is the real-life son of Dick Van Dyke.)

Ben Manners (Shane Van Dyke) - First appearing in the movie "College Can Be Murder" (2007) and subsequently in "Locked Room Mystery" (2008), Ben is Mike Bryant's nephew who is studying to be a lawyer at the same college as Maxwell. However, after seeing his uncle at work, he is looking to become a Private Investigator. He brings more technological aspects to the sleuthing. (Shane is the real-life grandson of Dick Van Dyke and son of Barry Van Dyke.)

Guest Stars

Wes Van Dyke - He played students Craig and Zack in two of the movies. (Wes Van Dyke is the son of Barry Van Dyke and grandson of Dick Van Dyke.)

Carey Van Dyke - He appeared as Solar, a suspect in "Locked Room Mystery". (Carey Van Dyke is the son of Barry Van Dyke and grandson of Dick Van Dyke.)

Kimberly Quinn - She appeared in the movie "College Can Be Murder" as Kelly Fogelle. She also appeared in the TV Series Diagnosis Murder with Barry Van Dyke and Dick Van Dyke.

Challen Cates - She appeared in the movie "College Can Be Murder" as Alana. She also appeared in the TV Series Diagnosis Murder with Barry Van Dyke and Dick Van Dyke.

References