When Thieves Fall Out

'When a prisoner is released from jail after serving 20 years, he returns to Cabot Cove to prove he was wrongly convicted.'

Lembeck

I've written recently about discovering repeats of Murder She Wrote airing on one my cable retro channels.  I watched a few episodes with my parents when I was a kid, but thought it was a bit boring.  Lately however, I've been enjoying watching the odd episode when I'm home when it airs.

Lembeck on One Day At A Time

I recently caught a season four episode titled When Thieves Fall Out.  The episode, as episodes of the series often do, had an elenctic array of guest stars. The episode featured actor Michael Lembeck, who many have caught on television in the 70's and 80's.  Lembeck moved behind the camera and has directed many television snows and movies including last year's Snow Day.

Perry

The episode also featured actor John Bennett Perry, who was sadly in the news recently after the death of his son actor Matthew Perry.  John Bennett Perry was a busy actor, especially in the 80's and 90's appearing on shows including Flamingo Road, Paper Dolls, Falcon Crest and 240-Robert. (below) Interesting that he was on two shows with actress Morgan Fairchild who played Chandler's mother on Friends. 

Perry with Mark Harmon 

Dack Rambo

John Glover

Most fascinating to me, was seeing actors Dack Rambo and John Glover in scenes together.  Dack played Bill, a former football star in the episode, and although I'm stretching, there seemed to be a bit of a homoerotic element to his characters relationship to his football coach. Kenneth McMillan played Coach Kevin Cauldwell (spoiler, the killer) who committed the deed to protect the young football star.

I had to wonder what the 'chit chat' was between Rambo and Glover during their scenes together.  Rambo was in the closet at the time, (the episode was filmed in 1987) and didn't really come out publicly until 1991 when he shared that he was bisexual in an interview with The Washington Post. Sadly, Rambo was diagnosed with AIDS shortly after and died from complications from the disease in 1993. 

I don't think actor John Glover every really came out, but then again, I'm not sure he was ever in.  It doesn't seem Glover ever really hid his sexuality, but he didn't publicize it either.  Nor should he have had to, but in the 80's and 90's it was still really risky for actors to do so.  There were very few 'out' actors on television and in films doing film roles, and given that Glover was working fairly consistently, his decision to remain silent, at least publicly, seemed a wise one.

If I ever had the chance to interview Glover, I'd love to ask him about the episode, and working with Dack.  Just because they were both gay doesn't mean they had any connection, or necessarily discussed anything while working together, let alone being closeted co-stars.  At the same time, would have been fun to know if they ever gushed over working with the icon that was Angela Landsbury.

Not sure there's any actual story here, other than it really interested me in seeing them in scenes together.  I love eighties television, and was interested watching Timothy Patrick Murphy romance Lucy Ewing during as time as Mickey on Dallas.  Also fascinated watching Gordon Thomson gay bash his brother Steven on Dynasty, given Thomson later, much later came out as gay.   Rock Hudson also appeared on the nigh time sudser during this time.

There's just something interesting to me about two 'closeted' actors interacting on set during a time when being out in Hollywood was so taboo.  I'm sure it happened a lot, with many actors, some, maybe still in the closet.  I'm also sure it happens today, but I especially love hearing and reading about what it was like being on set, and being gay, in the 70's 80's and 90's. 

I'm not exactly sure what event Dack Rambo was at above, but would have loved to have been there.  Below, a speedo wearing Rambo plays the 'straight' Jack Ewing in the later seasons of Dallas.  There's another story I'd love to hear, about Dack's days on the show.  He's previously shared in interviews the male cast was not very nice to him, and he felt he never fit the 'macho' image of the other male characters.