Pat Summerall and John Madden did the best promo reads for Angela Lansbury’s ‘Murder, She Wrote’

Pat Summerall’s ad reads for ‘Murder, She Wrote’ always had the CBS crew in stitches.

Legendary actor Angela Lansbury passed away on Tuesday at the age of 96, leaving behind an enormous legacy in film, television, and on-stage performances. Lansbury already had a brilliant career when she debuted as detective Jessica Fletcher in the hit series “Murder, She Wrote” at 60 years old. The detective show ran from 1984 to 1996 and was a huge part of Sunday night programming on CBS for more than a decade.

That of course means we have a sports tie-in.

Pat Summerall and John Madden were long-time NFL broadcasters for CBS while “Murder, She Wrote” was running. Summerall used to have to read promos for the show during games, and always made it a point to drag out the empty space where the comma in the show’s title would go. After Lansbury’s passing, NFL Films dug up an old video of Summerall’s promo reads, which always had the CBS crew in stitches.

“MURDER ....................... SHE WROTE.”

Madden got all of the attention in the broadcast booth partially because of the video game bearing his name, but don’t forget that Summerall is a Hall of Famer in his own right.

Read Vulture’s obit for more on Lansbury Rest in peace.