Thursday, June 17, 2021

Diagnosis Murder Guesting 4

Diagnosis Murder Season 5 Part 1 DVD set, 
Diagnosis Murder Season 5 DVD set, 
Diagnosis Murder The Complete Collection
released in 2013, 2013 and 2016 respectively

Shelley guest-starred in the Dick Van Dyke TV series Diagnosis Murder in 1997. Diagnosis Murder was a TV series that aired from 1993 to 2001 and starred TV legend Dick Van Dyke. He played Dr. Mark Sloan, a former US Army doctor who served in a MASH unit and consequently became a renowned physician who consults with the local police as his son, Steve (played by Barry Van Dyke) is a homicide detective. Dr. Sloan's fellow doctors at Community General Hospital help him out as well. The series was a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman and was initially three TV movies before becoming a regular TV series.

screen captures of Shelley 
from the Diagnosis Murder episode 
"Looks Can Kill" 1997

Shelley appeared in the season 5 episode "Looks Can Kill" playing celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Elaine Denell. Dr. Denell's clinic was a profit-driven entity that specialized in quick surgical procedures with no questions asked. When a patient of the clinic suddenly dies at Community General Hospital, Dr. Sloan takes a closer look at Dr. Denell's practice and investigates for possible malpractice. Shelley's performance in the episode was stellar. She had become well-seasoned and it showed. The part fit her perfectly and she knew how to handle her character. Plus, her rapport with Dick Van Dyke (whom she starred with in the 1983 TV movie Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer) was very evident. Jill Whelan and Anthony Michael Hall appeared in the episode as well. If you can get it, watch it!

more screen captures of Shelley
from the Diagnosis Murder episode
"Looks Can Kill" 1997